A Community Sharing the Land

This community of relatives and neighbors worked together to haul water, hunt animals, and gather plants, and they likely assisted each other with large fields on the rims. They shared walls and resources, joy and sorrow, success and failure. Though cross-canyon dwellings may seem difficult to reach, a network of paths quickly closed the gaps, and close communication between households was common and necessary to a cooperative lifestyle. At least five cliff dwellings are visible from here, and not all are on the same level. In Hopi tradition, houses were built close together to remind people that they were supposed to love each other, with a man gathering natural materials and drawing on the goodwill of relatives, clan, and friends built through participation in cooperative projects.

Arizona · United States