The Washington herald., 1909-07-25
LAND OF WOMAN'S RIGHTS
Painted Desert the Home of Suffragist Ideals for Manv
Centuries

Flagstaff, Ariz., July 24-Down here IN
the Great Painted Desert man beles-
cured by the suffragist hosts may find
fully illustrated the fate that will be his
when the woman's rights movement
reaches it's fullest frultion. Long before
the beskirted women of the East even
thought about demanding the ballot their
blanketed sisters IN the Hopi Indian na-
ton had fought out the matter and won.
The Hopis are better known to fame as
the Mokis OF Moquis. but the latter ap-
: pellation was bestowed upon them In
derision by their warlike Navajo and
Apache enemies. Hopi means people OF
peace" Moqui means dead men,"
Hopi women Go not vote. but # is only
because they do not want TO. They do
about everything else that is masculine.
and do il because they Ike II.
Hopi houses are built by the women.
These houses are theirs, and their chill
dren take the mothers name. not the
fathers. When a Hopi maiden makes up
her mind TO marry she does not trouble
herself about asking the consent Of the
man upon whom her eye has alighted
with favor. She asks his mother
The husband does not prepare a home
for his bride; she takes him into hers
The produce which he raises is hers
whenever It is stored in her house. and
no Hopi man ever has property in his
own name.
Hopi houses are OF an architecture
purely Hopi. Always they are built high
on some isolated mes,i. They are often
TWO but never more than three stories in
height. The second story IS built several
feet back Of the first story. so that the
roof Of the latter is a terrace for the sec
ond, and the third recedes still farther.
The women are expert adobe mixers and
moiders. The rocks and the umbers are
carted from the tree clumps down on the
desert on the backs Of burros. This work
is done by the men After the men have
delivered the material the women 90 10
work
Without any OF the tools Of the mason
they lay the stones with precision. The
division Of labor IS complete. some carry
the rocks and the sand some mix the
adobe. some do the laying and the finish
ing. Building a house is great fun. and
the nelghboring women are always glad
10 help the new home builder The hand
is used as a trOwel and with Il the adobe
IS plastered on and the walls smoOthed.
The roof Is a mass of willow and earth
supported by cross-beams and poles The
floor is Of hard packed dirt and The inte-
riOr decorations consist OF gypsum white
washing and symbolic paintings Sheets
OF gypsum formerly served for windows.
/ but nowadays doors and windows from
some far-off planning mill are in almost
every home.
Tradition has II that the ascendency Of
the Hopi woman was secured centuries
ago as the result Of a strike The ancient
I Hopi useu MS women as beasts OF bur
/ den. following the usual Indian custom.
They rebelled and gathered by them
! selves on an unOccupied mesa. There they
held out. resisting al bIandisments and
entreaties and threats, and only consented
10 return when assured that they should
be complete bosses in the house and the
/ village
Generations Of rulership have stamped
the Hopi women as the superior sex.
/ They are beautiful as msidens. good-look-
/ ing as women. and often retain their
rounded faces and fine hair until old age
/ comes on.
/ Compared to them the men are stunted
The women are Of more than average
/ good figure. muscular. and healthy-look-
/ ing. The men grow wizened early and gc
about their tasks as though they didn't
get much out Of life. OF smaller stature
they are often very hardy. and as messen-
/ gers are capable OF going tremendous dis
/ tances without apparent fatigue
! The same difference marks the nentai
/ activities OF the two sexes. The men seem
10 have little 10 concern themselves about
and are dull-witted. while the women are