Tawa Legacy of Orayvi

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A Brief History of Old Orayvi

The village of Oraibi (Orayvi) sits atop Third Mesa on the Hopi reservation in northeastern Arizona. Established around 1100 AD, the village is thought to be the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in North America. The village has borne witness to a tumultuous history of contact with missionaries and government emissaries and, despite this outside influence, still retains a unique structure of independent governance.

📷📷Sun Rises on the Sun House

Although drought and disease in the latter 18th century reduced the Hopi population significantly, Oraibi remained a bustling center of ceremonial life. At the turn of the 20th century, half the total Hopi population lived in Oraibi. Although the village was a long bastion of resistance to US government intervention, interaction with the Indian Agency increased leading up to the turn of the century and culminated in the "Oraibi Split" of 1906. The split was precipitated by a growing divide between the so-called "friendlies", those who were willing to cooperate with the American government and the "hostiles", those who opposed government influence and intervention. As this rift came to a head, a contest between the leaders of the two factions was held. Yukiwima, the leader of the hostiles faced off against the leader of the friendlies, Tawaquaptewa. They lined up chest to chest and with their respective supporters pushing from behind, endeavored to shove the other over a designated line. After hours of struggle, Tawaquaptewa prevailed, and Yukiwima and his followers were forced to immediately leave the village.

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