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61 At certain times of the year, Hopi girls receive likenesses, called tithu (Katsina dolls; singular, tihu), which the Katsina spirits make for them. These dolls help children learn about the diversity, names, and functions of the Katsinam and are considered blessings. The Hopi people continue to live, as they have for thousands of years, within their ancestral lands located in northern Arizona. The current land base, recognized as the official reservation, is smaller than their ancestral lands. In all, there are twelve Hopi villages: Walpi, Sitsomovi, Hano, Mishongnovi, Sipaulovi, Shungopavi, Kykotsmovi, Oraibi, Hotevilla, Bacavi, Upper Moencopi, and Lower Moencopi. These communities are home to the approximately 11,000 Hopi people who call the reservation home; some 6,000 others live off the reservation. Today the Hopi Tribe is a federally recognized sovereign nation, based on a tribal constitution that seeks to bring all of the autonomous villages together as one voice through the Hopi Tribal Council. Like other Native peoples throughout North America, the Hopi are challenged in their efforts to maintain their traditional ways and values while striving to live and work within a constantly changing world. According to Secakuku, Hopi oral history provides them with guidance for the way they live: Katsina in Hopi Life FIG. 3 (below): The “Mixed Dance” diorama, featuring Katsina dolls by renowned Hopi carver Clayton Kaniatobe. Image courtesy of the Autry National Center, Los Angeles. Photo by Carmel France.


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