Katsina in Hopi Life 63 FIG. 7 (above): Harry C. James, Hopi Corn Fields, Oraibi Wash, Hopi Reservation, Arizona, 1940s. Gelatin silver print. Gift of Harry C. James. Braun Research Library Collection, Autry National Center, Los Angeles; P.5934. FIG. 8 (below): Large ceramic Tsaqavta bowl by Nampeyo (c. 1860–1942), Hopi-Tewa. C. 1900. P. G. Gates Archaeological Collection. Southwest Museum of the American Indian Collection, Autry National Center, Los Angeles; 268.G.59. climate and the unique environmental conditions of the land. It takes experience to become a good farmer utilizing these methods. Indigenous seeds, given to the Hopi by the spiritual guardian and adapted to their climate, are still used. Further, no pesticides are used to protect plants from grasshoppers, rabbits, crows, and other creatures. Their farming methods are truly organic. Although the Hopi people grow a variety of crops, corn is a spiritual food, and corn farming is therefore a spiritual practice. To Hopi farmers, all plants are seen as their children, and they encourage their growth with songs. Hopi farmers often find that the time spent in their fields is therapeutic: always laborious, but quiet and reflective. Hopi dry farmers begin preparing the fields in March or April and plant the large fields in June. Fresh corn is available by September, but most of the field is left to mature. By October or November the final harvest takes place. When it is time to harvest the crops, Hopi people call their families together to help bring their corn home. Dry farming is deeply tied to the relationship that the Hopi have with the Katsinam. After introducing visitors
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