Hopi Progressivism: Change, continuance, and the Indian Reorganization Act (1906-1936)

Abstract

Despite all the scholarly work on the Hopi, studies primarily focus on the role of the Federal government and Hopi resistance; discussions generally dismiss Hopi Progressives as "assimilationists" and "puppets" of the Federal government. This limited focus has lead us astray in our attempts to analyze the Hopi response to the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) which created the Hopi Tribal Council. This study restructured the framework of analysis by tracing the political changes among Hopi Progressives during the post Oraibi Spilt era (1906-1936). Hopi history served as a model of Hopi political tradition for comparative analysis of Progressive leadership and activities. The results of the comparison demonstrated that Hopi progressivism was rooted in tradition and strove to insure greater sovereignty. Finally, the political changes among Progressives created parallels to the IRA. In giving a new definition to Hopi progressivism, this study expands the framework of the Hopi IRA process.