History and culture of the Hopi Indians

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Waters-Le-livre-du-Hopi/304117

> LE MONDE HOPI. — Le livre du Hopi de Frank Waters (un classique des « gnostiques de Princeton », dit-on) se présente, quant à lui, comme une monographie touchant l’histoire, les mythes et les rites des indiens Hopi. Il raconte, à partir de témoignages directs, les grands mythes des origines, les légendes et l’histoire des migrations, les cérémonies marquant le déroulement du temps et, finalement, l’histoire récente des Hopi.
C’est une vision nouvelle de l’Amérique qui apparaît à travers les manifestations de la tradition Hopi qui, pour l’essentiel, se rattache aux grands principes traditionnels universels que Mircéa Eliade, dont il vient d’être question, s’attache justement à dégager. Il n’est pas surprenant que cette vision soit aujourd'hui accueillie avec ferveur par une certaine jeunesse à la recherche de nouveaux fondements spirituels.
*LE LIVRE DU HOPI (Histoire, mythe et rite des indiens Hopi), par Frank Waters. trad. de l'américain par Marcel Kahn. édit. Payot 1978. 366 pages. $34.75. (Jean-Claude DUSSAULT)
—La presse, 2 décembre 1978, D. Arts et spectacles … ; (Source),
URL : https://collections.banq.qc.ca/ark:/52327/2408929

The US should try to emulate the Hopi. ( )

I read this as a teenager, and the world view of the Hopi's affected me deeply enough at the time to consider running away from home. It was probably one of the major catalyst's to me to think about other cultures in a way that wasn't presented to us in the western world at the time via the media. (which was typically racist and demeaning). ( )

This book is one of the classics of anthropological research. It is one of the few complete resources you will find on the Hopi mythologies, including how that mythology leads to the lives they live today. From that standpoint, it is one of the best books in its field.

However, the book suffers from two major flaws. (Flaws that have resulted in many detractors in the past.) The first is that the author seems to impose a Judeo-Christian mythos over the stories he has heard. The origin stories and the “Great White Brother” concept (one that does indeed run through many other tribe’s stories) seem to have a spin on them, as if the author wants us to see just how closely these align to our beliefs. The second is that the author has definitely lost his objectivity. Of course he sides with the Hopis in any story involving the Navajos. But he even goes so far as to side with different Hopi villages when their stories or beliefs may diverge.

But that only means what is told here needs to be taken with a grain of salt. The mere fact that the author may have lost his researcher’s objectivity does not take away from the fact that this is an incredible collection that pulls together so much of what makes the Hopis the unique tribe they are. And, though the author tries too hard to make the point, it is apparent that the Hopi have been a part of the greater expanse of tribes that have lived in the Americas far into the past.

At times it is dry and scholarly. Other times the author repeats himself. And other times there are just too many details. But read past the author’s inability to pull his own preconceived notion out of the narrative, and you will find an intriguing mythology that few people are lucky enough to share. ( )