Listening to Those Who Hope For You

By Susan Secakuku

(Written on Septmber 9, 2014 - but published on blog, October 29, 2014)

One of my favorite outings is when I visit the field (above) of one of my mooyi (a clan nephew found only within the Hopi kinship system). This same person is also a mu’unang (male in-law to my husband) and therefore a pa’a (grandfather) to my son. In Hopi, one person can be related to one family in three different ways. But the point of this story, is he is a very good farmer and when I really want to be amazed, inspired and realize the potential of a person, I visit his field.

I find it best to visit now, in September, for many reasons. The evenings are still long, the weather is perfect and the corn is ripening and the beans, squash and melons are getting to their peak. It is a beautiful time.

We usually sit and visit. He expresses a detailed account of this season’s condition’s, both the good and the bad. This year he is happy we are visiting again, but he expresses his frustration at not probably getting much for all his work.  “I am ready to release the horses into my field and just let them have it,” he states. He planted several times, which impacts your seed stock, not to mention your level of frustration. It was very dry and the rains didn’t come early enough for the corn, so he won’t get much this year.  In the past, he has hauled out many truckloads of corn, squash and melons. But like every good Hopi farmer, he continues on nonetheless. It’s just what you are supposed to do.

Over the years I have learned much about Hopi farming from him. I also learned more of the spoken Hopi language from him, as he speaks more comfortably in Hopi and holds most of our conversations in Hopi.

He always encourages everyone around him to do their best. So when he encounters my son, he does the same, encouraging him and talking to him as if he is already the farmer he hopes him to be.  

When we were there recently, my four-year old son found an old wagon. Rusted, without wheels, but to my son it was perfect. My mooyi told him to take it home with him and to use it to carry all his harvest home from our field or garden. My son nodded okay and we loaded it into our truck.

Back home, over the next several days, he hauled the wagon back and forth from our garden, even though it had no wheels. We would pick our harvest and my son insisted that we load it onto the wagon, like his pa’a (grandfather) told him to. We realized that my son not only heard what he was told, but intended to follow through.  The following week, his dad purchased new wheels and put them on his wagon.

I smile, as every night since then, my son confidently pulls our harvest home in his wagon. As we walk, we loudly express our thanks for what we have gotten today, yelling, “Askwali, Kwakwa! (thank you).”  I am grateful that my son is surrounded by those who come before him, who believe in him and address him as if he is the farmer that we hope him to be.

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)!