Hopi man works to keep Hopi culture, traditions alive

<i>Tyler Tawahongva/NHO</i><br>
Donald Dawahongnewa, who works with the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, has made it his mission in life to preserve Hopi language and culture. He frequently makes presentations throughout the Hopi Reservation on a number of Hopi topics.

<i>Tyler Tawahongva/NHO</i><br> Donald Dawahongnewa, who works with the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, has made it his mission in life to preserve Hopi language and culture. He frequently makes presentations throughout the Hopi Reservation on a number of Hopi topics.

KYKOTSMOVI, Ariz. - Donald Dawahongnewa, an employee with the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office (HCPO), has dedicated himself to preserving the Hopi culture through many efforts. A resident of Second Mesa from the Water clan and a member of important religious societies, he works within his community to help preserve Hopi language and culture.

As part of his duties with the HCPO, Dawahongnewa makes presentations throughout the Hopi Reservation on Hopi topics such as Hopi prophecies, Hopi weddings, baby naming and medicinal plants. He has amassed a wealth of Hopi knowledge for the community and welcomes the opportunity to make presentations.

He says sometimes that people in the western part of the reservation may do things a little different than Second Mesa, but he sees this as a learning experience to get more information from different villages.

He says he tries to keep his presentations interesting and uses humor and interaction to keep his audience engaged. Many times he gives presentations only in Hopi, especially to the elderly and says, "I take constructive criticism when a village does something different."

He says the elderly are a wealth of knowledge, but Hopi prophecy says that they will become motsatoti, meaning they will sit on their knowledge and not teach it. Dawahongnewa says that it's up to the younger generation to teach the older ones to open up and start teaching Hopi ways. This was also prophesized in a Hopi term Itam pumuy nakvumuy wiilawani, meaning we will have to make them listen and teach the old ways again.

Dawahongnewa is the Hopi name that was received during initiation into a religious society. His previous last name was Wadsworth. He feels it was appropriate to use a Hopi last name to adhere to his traditional values and says it is not easy to be an advocate for tradition and says some people didn't appreciate his insistence of Hopi language usage in ceremonies. However, they have since come to appreciate his efforts and are more accommodating.

He emphasizes that Hopi should always be balanced, but that people don't respect each other anymore, especially parents and their children. Sometimes parents may become frustrated with their children and kick them out of the house. He says this is not the Hopi way and that everyone should be living in harmony.

He showed a picture of the moon and Mars coming very close to the earth and said that at any time, the forces of gravity could potentially throw the earth off balance and the earth will roll over four times and all life will no longer exist. He says everything must always be in balance.

Dawahongnewa recalls a time while traveling in Tucson when he met up with a Russian couple who stated to him, "You Hopi will be the last people."

He was in shock because that belief is part of Hopi prophecy. What surprised him was how these people know from such a faraway place would know that.

For more information, call Dawahongnewa at the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office.

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