Hopi-U.S. relations, 1849–1946
In 1849,
James S. Calhoun was appointed official
Indian agent of
Indian Affairs for the Southwest Territory of the U.S. He had headquarters in
Santa Fe and was responsible for all of the Indian residents of the area. The first formal meeting between the Hopi and the U.S. government occurred in 1850 when seven Hopi leaders made the trip to Santa Fe to meet with Calhoun. They wanted the government to provide protection against the
Navajo, a
Southern Athabascan-speaking tribe who were distinct from Apaches. At this time, the Hopi leader was Nakwaiyamtewa. The US established
Fort Defiance in 1851 in
Arizona, and placed troops in
Navajo country to deal with their threats to the Hopi. General James J. Carleton, with the assistance of
Kit Carson, was assigned to travel through the area. They "captured" the Navajo people and forced them to the fort. As a result of the
Long Walk of the Navajo, the Hopi enjoyed a short period of peace. In
1847,
Mormons settled in
Utah and tried to convert the Indians to
Mormonism. Children were forced to give up their traditional names, clothing and language. Boys, who were also forced to cut their long hair, were taught European farming and carpentry skills. Girls were taught ironing, sewing, and "civilized" dining. The school also reinforced European-American religions. The
American Baptist Home Mission Society made students attend services every morning and religious teachings during the week. In 1890, Commissioner of
Indian Affairs Thomas Jefferson Morgan arrived in Hopi country with other government officials to review the progress of the new school. Seeing that few students were enrolled, they returned with federal troops who threatened to arrest the Hopi parents who refused to send their children to school, with Morgan forcibly taking children to fill the school. The reservation prevented encroachment by white settlers, but it did not protect the Hopis against the Navajos. In 1887 the U.S. government passed the
Dawes Allotment Act. The purpose was to divide up communal tribal land into individual allotments by household, to encourage a model of European-American style subsistence farming on individually owned family plots of or less. The Department of Interior would declare remaining land "surplus" to the tribe's needs and make it available for purchase by U.S. citizens. For the Hopi, the Act would destroy their ability to farm, their main means of income. The
Bureau of Indian Affairs did not set up land allotments in the Southwest.
Oraibi split The chief of the Oraibi, Lololoma, enthusiastically supported Hopi education, but his people were divided on this issue. Most of the village was conservative and refused to allow their children to attend school. These Native people were referred to as "hostiles" because they opposed the American government and its attempts to force assimilation. The rest of the Oraibi were called "friendlies" because of their acceptance of white people and culture. The "hostiles" refused to let their children attend school. In 1893, the Oraibi Day School was opened in the Oraibi village. Although the school was in the village, traditional parents still refused to allow their children to attend. Frustrated with this, the US government often resorted to intimidation and force in the form of imprisonment as a means of punishment. In November 1894, Captain Frank Robinson and a group of soldiers were dispatched to enter the village and arrested 18 of the Hopi resisters. Among those arrested were Habema (Heevi'ima) and Lomahongyoma. In the following days, they realized they had not captured all Hopi resisters and Sergeant Henry Henser was sent back to capture Potopa, a Hopi medicine man, known as "one of the most dangerous of resisters". Eager to rid Orayvi of all resisters, government officials sent 19 Hopi men who they saw as troublesome to
Alcatraz Prison, where they stayed for a year. The US government thought they undermined the Hopi resistance, however this only intensified ill feelings of bitterness and resistance towards the government. When the Hopi prisoners were sent home, they claimed that government officials told them that they did not have to send their children to school, but when they returned, Indian agents denied that this was promised to them. Another Oraibi leader,
Lomahongyoma, competed with
Lololoma for village leadership. In 1906 the village split after a conflict between hostiles and friendlies. The conservative hostiles left and formed a new village, known as
Hotevilla. ==Federal recognition==