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Non-Indian Ceases to Tell Hopi Prophecies
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Monday, November 6, 2000
Non-Indian Ceases to Tell Hopi Prophecies
The
Associated Press
TAOS —
The Hopi Nation has asked a Taos man to stop telling non-Indians
about sacred Hopi prophecies, saying the teachings are secret and should
be controlled only by Hopis.
John Kimmey had been scheduled
to talk about the oral history at a meeting Sunday night but decided instead
to lead a discussion about white people practicing Indian spirituality.
In a letter Friday, Hopi
cultural-preservation officers asked Kimmey, who is white, to stop billing
himself as a "carrier of Hopi prophecy."
Kimmey, a member of the Native
American Church, contends Hopi prophecies, which date back about 3,500 years,
are meant to be shared with the public. He said a Hopi elder gave the prophecies
to him in the 1970s and 1980s, telling him he could pass on the information
to whites and others.
The Hopi prophecy is an oral
tradition of stories that Hopis say predicted the coming of the white man,
the world wars and nuclear weapons. And it predicts that time will end when
humanity emerges into the "fifth world."
The Mayan calendar predicts
a similar end in 2012; some Hopis have said their prophecy roughly coincides
with that time.
The tradition says the years
after 2012 could be a golden age with humans at peace. It also says the world
will go through a time of trial, suffering and purification before a time
of "one-heartedness."
Kimmey said he has been teaching
about Hopi prophecy for about 20 years without complaints from the Hopi
tribe.
However, Lee Wayne of the Hopi
cultural-preservation office in Arizona said the tribe does object.
But, said Kimmey: "The prophecy
has always been a vehicle for bringing hearts together, and now it's going
to divide people. I've always tried to be respectful of people at Hopi, and
this man has asked me not to do it." So for now, he said, "I won't."
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