Odyssey of the 8th FIre

“The seekers who come to Hopi, they are all looking for one thing. They are looking for guidelines to a new, more spiritual way of living.”

– Martin Gashweseoma

Day 175 - Thursday, December 14, 1995 - With banners and prayer flags streaming, the Sunbow 5 Walk for the Earth proceeded across the Hopi Reservation, and made its way to the farm of the late Titus Lamson Qomayumptew, known as Chief Titus.

As the band of walkers approached they saw a sign reading “Titus’ Farm: Sovereign Under Creator’s Law." There was a rainbow painted at the bottom of the sign, and a triangle with a circle inside, and inside the circle a cross marking the four directions.

The walkers were welcomed with lightning, thunder, female rain, and gentle snow, all of which was carefully noted by the Hopi.

Titus' farm is located two miles east of the road to Dinebito, with its entrance on Highway 264. This will be the new base camp for our walk.

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Several walkers have commented on the outstanding view from the outhouse throne at the farm. Apparently the seat commands a wide and spectacular scope.

There’s a dramatic view far off to the southeast to what the Hopi call Nuvatuka’Ovi, the Navajo call Doko’oosliid, some locals call the Kachina Peaks, and tourists call the San Francisco Peaks of Flagstaff, Arizona. These peaks mark the west direction of the four corners.

Nuvatuka’Ovi - Kachina Mountains, or the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, Arizona, mark the the west direction of the Four Corners.

From the Hopi mesas it’s as if the whole of the world is visible stretching off into the distances. For those who live in forested or urban areas the expanse of the vista is almost incomprehensible—so wide and so far with no trees to congest the view. The panorama stretches 360 degrees, a whole, wide circle. Everywhere you look, your eye travels mile after mile after mile far off into the distance. Shifting patterns of light mark the day, yet there are power lines here as well. Great metal towers march across the desert.

Scott Kecken was amused to report that on the reservation the colloquial name for toilet paper is "treaty paper.” According to the Kepler Treaty Book, 383 treaties have been written between the US government and various sovereign Native Nations. The US has violated or broken 383 treaties with Native American nations—every treaty ever written, no exceptions.

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Martin Gashweseoma

As the walk came down the road to Titus’ farm from the east toward the west they were met at the gate by a large group of people who smudged them with sacred herbs, honored them for their long sacrifice, and welcomed them. The welcoming group had been watching the walkers through binoculars. The crowd included Martin Gashweseoma, “Little Dan” Evehema, Emory Holmes, Jr., and Roy Steevenz.

“Because we were carrying the Dineh staff, and the elders could see who we are, they also allowed us to carry their Hopi staff,” Joe Soto told me. Joe remarked that Hopi elder Martin Gashweseoma, the principal Hopi spokesperson at the House of Mica (Day 15), was very happy to greet the walk. He asked the walkers to carry his eagle staff from Second Mesa all the way in to Titus' farm.

“As we were coming down from Second Mesa," Joe said, "the skies turned dark and the clouds started to rumble. Then lightening started to fall around us in four directions; and all around us the thunder clapped. It did that several times, then the wind started blowing and then it started to snow. Then from snow it turned into hail. And then from hail it turned into rain.

"From the rain it turned into spring and then from spring it turned into summer. Then everything was okay again as we went into old Oraibi, crossing over to Hotevilla. This was one of the most amazing things that I have been able to witness in our walk.”

According to Joe, the Hopi saw these signs as a blessing. “Traditional Hopi are known to have relations with these things,” he told me. “They were very happy and very contented to see that the signs given were clear and on time, according to the way things should be.”

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Roy Steevensz (author photo)

Roy Steevensz, who is helping to host the walkers at Hopi, is the adopted son of the late Chief Titus. Known as Little Sun, Roy was born in Indonesia. As a young man he joined the merchant marine and sailed the world. His voyages eventually landed him in America where he became involved with Macrobiotics, a way of life based on traditional Oriental philosophy.

Eventually Roy followed his personal vision to live with the Hopi people and to encourage traditional culture and diet. He came to regard the Hopi as holding a key to the destiny of humanity on Earth. He has lived here since 1979.

According to Roy, you can view Hopi as a microcosm of things that go on all around our world. The constant," he said, "the eternal constant is Creator’s law: “The only thing that doesn’t change is change. It’s an exquisite paradox: change is the only thing that doesn’t change.”

Titus, the Hopi man who adoped Roy, had been a famous farmer in Hopi land until his death. Titus always had good humor, and was very idealistic, Roy said, as well as posessed of great spiritual powers. Roy shared some of the teachings he gleaned over his years living at Hopi:

* Good intentions are not enough; you must let your actions be your prayer. Actions are what is real.

* The walk is not over for humanity yet (just as it is not over for our Sunbow 5 group). Now we all have to do our inner walk. The inner walk starts with purification.

* The Hopi play a key role in the survival of the human race, through their respectful communion with the unseen forces that hold nature in balance.

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Tsisnaajini' - Mount Blanca in southwestern Colorado marks the northeast direction of the Four Corners.

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Read Day 176 -- Odyssey of the 8th Fire