Hopi Harvest
by Susan Secakuku

By this time of year, we are at the final stages of harvesting our Hopi crops. The last several months, our corn and beans have been maturing and slowly drying out in the fields. Within the last several weeks they are all being brought home. Hopi people believe that our crops are part of our families. From the time, our farmers the males of our community, put the seeds into the ground, they treat their plants like children, caring for and encouraging them to grow to maturity. By the end of the season, they bring them all home. The beautiful fully-grown crops are celebrated, just as much as those that only give us a few kernels or seeds and are not so pretty. It doesn’t matter! They are all worthy and all come home. The farmers bring them home to their wives, if they are married. Otherwise they bring them home to their mothers, grandmothers, daughters or sisters. The women all welcome their harvest home as extended family.

Then the next step begins. The women will clean them, organizing the cornhusks for storage for other food uses throughout the year and will clean the beans from their hulls. Families come together to all help out. This is an opportunity for you to help your family, neighbor, or a godparent with their harvest. Harvesting parties may be called for particular larger harvests that need to be completed.  One may see many small groups of Hopi women outside cleaning their harvest outside their homes. This can be a social time for them to visit, catch up, and eat together.

When they are done, the harvest will be laid out for continued drying. The women will then separate out the corn and bean varieties and store them accordingly. The ceremonial calendar dictates all Hopi families to get their harvest complete and put away by the the time the moon that comes during early to mid November. Because this marks the beginning of a stage in life, that allows the earth to rest.

When you are done, your harvest has now become part of your family. It will be used to feed our families, shared during various cultural feasts, will serve as our future seed stock and used in many Hopi ceremonies that promote goodness, especially in daily prayer.

There is an awesome feeling of gratitude of what the season has brought and that the cycle from beginning to end, is complete. The only final thought that can be expressed is Askwali, Kwah’kwa (thank you)!