Introduction to Folklore
English 357
K. Sands
November 22, 1995

VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE
HOPI ORIGINS IN ARCHITECTURE
A FOLKLORE STUDY PROJECT


In the study of architecture, folk architecture is the more modern term deriving from its universal definition called vernacular architecture. The title of this paper focuses on the origins of Hopi "vernacular architecture," through study of mythic and legendary lore of the designs and functions of Hopi buildings. Coupled with my own studies and research in this field, my interview was in part formal, but in greater part along the lines of oral tradition. The latter is the core of my project. Before we discuss the topic of Hopi "folk" architecture (I will only use these two terms interchangably this one time), it is important for the reader to understand vernacular architecure. Jan Harold Brunvand in The Study of American Folklore gives a brief definition of vernacular architecture. He asks the question what is folk architecture: "Folk architecture, sometimes called 'vernacular architecture' (that which is common or native in a given area), includes all traditional nonacademic building types . . . . Not only the physical needs for heat, shelter, storage, and uses provided by these buildings, but also the spiritual values they sustain are important to the study of traditional buildings." (Brunvand,413).

Part of my research was based on how vernacular architecture is perceived in its historical content. Brunvand discusses folk architecture in America, but Spiro Kostoff in his A History of Architecture Rituals and Settings, speaks in a more universal sense. "Indeed, we have lately all become increasingly attracted to a wide range of vernacular idioms, what has come to be known as 'architecture without architects...'" "...with all investigations of the past, the belief persists implicitly that, through a proper understanding of the act of making places, this most essential skill of all without which life cannot, literally, exist, we come closer to understanding ourselves." (Kostof,14-15). Now it should be pointed out that these studies are relatively modern, nevertheless, it gives the reader some general background pertinent to this topic.

In order to begin my discussion, I introduce the reader in this manner to achieve my ends of this project. Architecture is not a theory nor was it a scientific discovery. Rather, it was an important element necessary for the existence of humankind. For example, before the age of Antiquity, early settlers all around the Mediterranean region built and lived in structures suitable for their needs and appropiate to the environment in which they lived. The design and function of these structures derived from purpose and necessity such as the basic elements of places to sleep, eat, and for storage. Due to the lack of any technology, many of these early forms consisted of the only material known and that was stone. Basic floor plans and spatial arrangement evolved out of this. Furthermore, simple construction to insure structural stability evolved (probably through trial and error) and became a standard of form. The most common example of this is post and beam construction which is nothing more than vertical elements supporting horizantal ones to provide a space for dwelling and shelter. In a more commonly known example, the great temples of Antiquity were built based partially on the design and construction coming out of cultural tradition and belief systems. The design of the Pantheon in Rome, for example, was not only a reflection of the imperialist spirit of the Roman Empire, but a monument depicting how the Romans viewed their gods and the universe in which they existed. The point is that architecture is derived out mythic, traditional, and spiritual aspects as it meets the particular functions deemed significant to those who used these buildings.

With this information given, I will now start to discuss my project. Before I proceed, I must give a lot of credit and thanks to Emory Sekaquaptewa for his time and sharing of information for the interview. It is amazing to me that I spent many years studying architecture, and recently researched several topics that I felt important to the subject matter, but in the course of about an hour, Emory Sekaquaptewa covered all the questions that I had with extraordinary mastery and as a result of the information that I attained, I was able to make several connections based on my knowledge relating to this project. Futhermore and most inportantly, I gained a lot of valuable information regarding the origins of significant pieces of Hopi architecture that I never had learned before. This is an important experience for me because it is my responsibilty to gain as much as possible about my heritage and how we came to be. More importantly, I was informed that this particular area of research has never been touched upon before, so it is if I have been destined to pursue this subject in more detail in the years to come. Whatever the significance, there is an abundance of information that could take a lot of time and more rigorous research to reveal, but the following is a brief and interesting introduction to the study of Hopi architecture.

Much of the information relating to this subject can be found in the libraries, but there is much lore that no book can fully illustrate because it is kept with the folk group. To begin with, most of the books I selected to research were readily available, but one of the first setbacks I did experience was that some of the books that I wanted to check out were nowhere to be found. I checked the computers at the A.S.U. Hayden library and the listings stated that the books I was looking for were not checked out, however, I could not locate them and my guess is that they were missing. The librarian indicated to me that they would look into the matter, but as time passed, I heard no word. Despite these minor setbacks, I collected more than enough information at least to begin this project and prepare for the interviews that I was planning. I was ready for the next phase of my project.

My initial starting point for getting ready for the interviews was to have the pertinent questions ready for the tradition bearers I was to interview. I decided to prepare for Dennis Numkena first. Since Mr. Numkena is an accomplished architect here in the Phoenix and a recipient of design awards, I tried to focus my questions in terms of the architectural language used within this arena as opposed to questions based on historical content. As I was planning this, I had a difficult time trying to locate Mr. Numkena because he was not working for any major architectural firm. With some help from my mother Allison Lewis, we found that Numkena was working for a local art gallery. She also said that Numkena would be more than willing to take the time for an interview. However, when I found out all of this information, I learned Numkena was preparing to leave Phoenix to go to Mexico to work on a project. I simply could not get together with him because there was not enough time to set up the interview partly because of our conflicting schedules. This fact was very unfortunate, so I had to accept this setback and focus my attention on the interview with the other tradition bearer Emory Sekaquaptewa.

Since the scope of my project had changed, I initiated minor alterations to my overall plan which in the end proved beneficial. Part of my method at this point was to approach the task at hand from a different angle. This time I had to incorporate my data with information in the area of study in which Emory specializes, anthropology. More importantly and since he is my uncle, I was aware that the interview was similar to attending a performance because he is one, according to Hopi tradition, to pass on lore to one like myself, of the younger generation. Hence my responsibilty as a Hopi of ordinary status was to listen and be attentive. This is a typical example of what occurs within our particular folk group which only the participants can fully understand and feel a sense of participation. In other words, this event could not be experienced in the same way by an outsider. To emphasize this last point, I will offer my personal feeling about this matter.

I felt eager and confident that this was not going to be just any ordinary kind of interview and I compare this experience to some others in my personal history. First of all, (and I will speak on a personal basis regarding Emory from here on) we had both discussed this subject over twelve years ago when I first moved to Tucson to attend school. He always would tell a lot of stories about Hopi tradition and specifically emphasized the importance of researching the area of Hopi architecture. At the time, he was working on a Hopi dictionary and translating the vocabulary into English. But he seemed ambitious about putting together a specific text strictly pertaining to Hopi architectural terms. It seemed at the time that he had some plans for me regarding this subject. Unfortunately, I made some decisions in my life that subsequently led me into other directions. However, destiny appears to have called as I now have the opportunity to explore something that was started over a decade ago. This is only one part of my personal feeling.

The next event I will share is the similiarity of impact from this experience because I am reminded of my initiation (a Hopi passage rite) during my childhood. I cannot go into full details at this time about my overall experience and on what I was told by my godmothers and godfathers, but I can say that this interview had the same spiritual impact as did my initiation. That, again, is something only the participant can experience. The reason, I guess is that I was willing to be the observer as well as the participant in what is a significant part of our culture. Furthermore, I was ready for this experience because I felt that a lot would be gained. I will now describe the interview.

I arrived at his office at the University of Arizona at the time we had scheduled. Expecting that the meeting would be just the two of us, to my surprise, he was talking to a graduate student and his research assistants Mary Black and Ken Hill were also present, so I waited until he was finished. Everything seemed to be business as usual, hardly a setting for an interview much less a performance. I went through the formalities and was given permission to record the interview, but Emory declined to sign the release form for specific reasons due to the nature of our discussion. So I proceeded with the questioning. My first question was for him to see what I was trying to achieve. To elaborate, I told him about vernacular architecture in the old world (Europe) and asked him to use that information to start the discussion about the origins of Hopi architecture. Basically, I was looking for a connection and a transition to start our interview. To my surprise, Ken Hill, who was in the office, responded out of the blue and helped initiate the discussion. Specifically, I tried to insert the theory that we (Native Americans) may have been connected to some of the cultures in the Asian region at some point in time and the architecture may have evolved from the same origin. But Emory simply pointed out that like many other theories, it was pure speculation. At this point, Emory began his performance.

As I have been accustomed to observe over the years, Emory always pauses for about a minute before he starts to talk. This "ritual" is similiar to the one depicted in by the Navajo storyteller in Toelken's Dynamics of Folklore. At this point, I cleared my mind ready to listen and learn with full attention. As a child, you were expected to give your undivided attention and failure to do this resulted in severe consequences which I will not go into. In any event, he started to talk about the symbolism of the kiva. Many who have read about Native American emergence stories may be familiar with the Hopi version. In this version, it has been told for generations about the journey of a group of Hopis from the third world to this world referred to as the fourth world. It is said these people came up from within the earth through a hole to this world. That is why the kiva is important because it symbolizes this event. In terms of architecture, the earliest form of the kiva was made up of four levels clearly representing the four worlds (the number four is significant to Native American lore). Emory describes these levels as follows, the first floor is really like a basement under the main floor, above the main floor is the upper floor, and finally, the top hatchway represents the fourth level symbolic of the world in which we exist.

These concepts, according to Emory, are the basis of Hopi existence, including the origins of Hopi architecture. The design of the kiva accounts for the four worlds and the birth of our culture in this world. Emory went on to say that there is a major ceremony depicting this important event but he did not want to reveal what the ceremony was. But he did say in order to illustrate this, how this ceremony originally was performed. In terms of genre, only young Hopi males could participate. What happens is that these young males are placed in the kiva as their elders (uncles) await outside of the kiva. The action that takes place is one of chaotic scrambling in order to get out of the kiva through the hatchway. If the young participants were able to get out, they would be greeted by their elders. This event is really one version of the rite of passage ceremony to abandon the life of corruption and pass into another realm of life. This in effect represents the lore which explains the Hopi emergence story. Hence, the kiva is probably the most important form of architecture among the Hopis. But there is more to discuss about Hopi architecture.

Emory went on to state that the function of the kiva changed over the course of time. He said that the plaza eventually replaced the function initially assigned to the kiva. Interestingly enough, the plaza concept is similiar to the great open spaces of Antiquity which accomodated common functions. That is to say that this space served as a gathering space for people to come and either participate in some form of ceremony, or celebrate life. In ancient Rome, these plazas often were used for memorials commemorating the ruling emperor and the buildings surrounding the plaza (stoas) created the plaza form. In Hopi villages, dwellings surround the plaza creating an open space usually open at one end.

When asked about the placement of the plazas and the villages in general, Emory responded that there never was a planned scheme for the location of the Hopi villages, but he said that a chief would climb to the highest point he could find in the landscape, observe the horizon, and point his finger in a certain direction, thus determining the place of the village. This is an interesting notion and most certainly vernacular in its own sense. The most important aspect of this was the high regard for land that the Hopis (and most Native Americans) held. Getting back the the dwellings of these villages, Emory explained the significance as to the design of these houses.

It is evident that the houses in the villages are closely connected. During the middle ages in Europe, the Gothic era introduced this concept of closely aligning the dwellings to express a sense of community, but also for defensive purposes. Usually, these towns were surrounded by a wall which made it difficult for invaders to infilitrate. But to the Hopis, the rows of houses close to each other reflected the notion of the people being connected to each other. Furthermore, blood relations were important to this communal aspect of this design. Hopis always strived to live in cooperation with each other as well as with nature. These are important elements in the origins of Hopi architecture which have been transmitted over time through lore and oral tradition. Emory concluded the performance by telling me about the Hopis during the time of the Spanish conquest and how architecture played a role. There is much to cover in this area, but the main concept behind this is evident by the locations of the Hopi villages atop the mesas. An important feature coming out of this historical period was the design and construction of seperate small rooms below the existing floor levels which served as hiding places from the Spanish invaders if they made it to the villages. But this story is all that was told and the interview came to an end.

I believe the performance (interview) was a success and it helped me to understand more clearly the beginnings of my culture's evolution and development of the important architectural forms significant to our heritage. Even more interesting, Emory gave a list of Hopi terms that are confined to architectural use. I have just begun to look at this vocabulary list and can only say that it is a valuable piece of work that I plan to study more in depth. As was mentioned earlier, no one has really accepted the challenge to pursue this matter, therefore, I feel that this may be my task and contribution to my people in the time to come. Whatever the case, more shall be revealed in the near future.


Bibliography
Brunvand, Jan Harold, The Story of American Folklore, W. W. Norton & Company, New York, N. Y., 1986
Kostof, Spiro, A History of Architure Settings and Rituals, Oxford University Press, Oxford, England, 1995.
Sekaquaptewa, Emory, Oral Interview, Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, 1995.



R.Lewis



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