Hopi by Page, Susanne; Page, Jake - 1994

Lebanon, Indiana, U.S.A.: Abradale Press - Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, 1994. Hard Back. Fine/Very Good. 10 1/4" x 13 1/4. 225 Pages plus a Fifteen page Un-Numbered Photographic section at the end. This 1994 Abradale Press Edition is a reprint of the 1982 Copyright. Red cloth with silver spine lettering. Tight book with no defects noted and flawless interior photographic and text pages. Dust jacket has light wear particularly at the top spine area. There is a sixteen page color photographic section leading up to the title page and thereafter follows text with full page color photos throughout. The Hopi Indians live in the highlands of northern Arizona and have inhabited the same place for a millennium, far longer than any other people in North America. They are no only the oldest dwellers in the land but are considered by most other Indians to have wisdom and a knowledge of things beyond average comprehension. Peace-loving and knit tightly together by clan relationships, they are intensely spiritual and fiercely independent. Their religion, deep and all-pervading, is a cord that unites them to their beautiful environment. Hopi life today is revealed in the Page's vivid photographs and detailed text. Here are the faces of the young and the old, the innocent and the wise; moments of joy, humor, and sadness. Here the rigors and satisfactions of daily activity, planting and harvesting corn, building a new kiva, carving a kachina doll, as well as some of the rituals that attend daily life. The pages were chosen to document the Hopi way. The Hopi have discouraged photography largely because so many visitors failed to respect the religious nature of Hopi life. However in 1974 tribal and religious leaders decided to seek documentation and they invited the Pages to Hopi. Contents in Seven Chapters: Warning, Traditional Vs. Progressive, The Ceremonial Year, Tasks and Rituals, Pasts, Among the Spirits, and The Land. The color pohotography is stunningly beautiful and is often full single or double page plates. Large, very heavy book that will incur additional shipping charges to most locations.