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Thomas Banyacya, Hopi Spokesman

AMERICAN INDIAN NEWS TICKER!!!

Thomas Banyacya, Hopi Spokesman

The circle with the four O's and cross within [referring to the above figure] symbolizes the Four Corners Region (where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet). The circle represents no beginning and no end -- the infinite Great Spirit. The Indians believe we are the Fourth World. When the Third World was destroyed, those Indians who had listened to the prophets were guided to places of safety underground. After the Fourth World was created, they assembled at Four Corners and were instructed to spread out in the four directions. Four (4) also represents the four elements in nature: fire, water, air and earth; and the four color races of man: black, yellow, white, and red.

In the Hopi Prophecy, a white man would come to them and help transform the entire continent into a spiritual paradise. He would be recognized because he would carry the fragment of stone which would complete their Holy Stone, filled with Indian writing characters. The Holy Stone had been preserved for thousands of years. Thus, when the white settlers came to the American continent, remembering their prophecy, they were openly welcomed. The Indians shared all they had. In return, all the White Man did was to take. The Indians noticed that their White Brothers had brought a cross. However, it was not enclosed by the circle of the Great Spirit, thus showing the White Man had lost his way.

The Indians believe that at the beginning of the Fourth World, when man was told to disburse throughout the planet, from Four Corners, the White Race was one of the original races that went East. Upon their return to our continent, they had become confused and forgotten the ways of the Great Spirit. Further the prophecy continued, either the White Man would bring peace and harmony or attempt to totally destroy the Indians' way of life and take all their possessions and the land. If the latter occurred , there would come a time when the Indian people would appear to be almost nonexistent. Yet, one day, they would rise out of nowhere to lead a spiritual revolution so that all people on this continent would become attuned to the Great Spirit and to protect Four Corners at all costs because there is great power under the land. If it is allowed to escape, great destruction will result. Today, the Indians are going through the test to hold onto their traditional ways and protect the land. The White Man's society is trying to swallow the Indians up. Many Indians, especially the young, are falling prey to the White Man's ways.

The prophecy also talks about creation of atomic bombs as catastrophes of great heat, equal to the heat of a sun. It also warns about tampering with the moon (violating its nature by removing rocks and soil).

Another prophecy: Four Corners will be area of confrontation between White and Red. Indians will be pushed into Four Corners. Great Spirit told the Hopi that Four Corners is the backbone of what is now the United States. Hopi must hold this land till human beings live in harmony. The power under the land would be used for destruction. There would be a terrible punishment if we give up Four Corners. Hopi Elders also know about the prophecies of earth changes and Space Brothers.

Hopi elder Thomas Banyacya has written, "Our true white brother, when he comes, will be all powerful and he will wear a red cap and cloak. He will be large in population and belong to no other religion than his very own. He will bring with him the sacred stone tablets. Great will be his coming. None will be able to stand against him." Although it is unclear whether Pahana will hold the stone tablets in a literal or a symbolic sense, this passage indicates that he is not a single person, but large in population. Because Tibetan rinpoches and lamas wear red, and because Tibetan Buddhism has rituals similar to Hopi ones, especially the making of sand paintings as a healing and a tool for meditation, many wonder whether Pahana could be represented, in part, by the arrival of the Tibetan spiritual community. And traditional Hopi, in recent years, have initiated meetings with Tibetan holy men to explore this possibility.

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