Hopi Elder Dan Evehema’s Message To Mankind
Hopi Grandfather Dan Evehema, who was the eldest Elder of the Greasewood Clan in Hotevilla before his
passing to Spirit in January 1999, asked that this statement be posted on the internet late in 1996. It was
retrieved from: http://www.timesoft.com/hopi/
“Little Dan” (so-called to distinguish him from "Big Dan" - Dan Katchongva, who passed to Spirit in
1972) was said to be between 105 and 108 at the time of his death. He was perhaps the last living fully
initiated Hopi. He served as an advisor to Thomas Mails during the writing of the book Hotevilla – Hopi
Shrine of the Covenant – Microcosm of the World by Thomas E. Mails and Dan Evehema. Copyright ©
1995. Marlow & Company, 632 Broadway, Seventh floor, New York, NY 10012.
A major portion of the following message was originally delivered by Grandfather David Monongye on
September 6, 1976 to Hopi and Bahanna friends at a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the
founding of Hotevilla. That address appeared in an issue of the newsletter Techqua Ikachi (“Land and
Life”), which was published clandestinely by the Traditional Elders in Hotevilla 45 times between 1975
and 1986. Those newsletters can be found at:
http://www.jnanadana.org/hopi/techqua_ikachi_i.html
GRANDFATHER DAN EVEHEMA'S MESSAGE TO MANKIND
I am very glad to have this time to send a message to you. We are celebrating a time in our
history which is both filled with joy and sadness. I am very glad to have this opportunity to share
these feelings with you because we know many of you are having the same troubles.
We Hopi believe that the human race has passed through three different worlds and life
ways since the beginning. At the end of each prior world, human life has been purified or
punished by the Great Spirit “Massauu” due mainly to corruption, greed and turning away from
the Great Spirit's teachings. The last great destruction was the flood which destroyed all but a few
faithful ones who asked and received a permission from the Great Spirit to live with Him in this
new land. The Great Spirit said, “It is up to you, if you are willing to live my poor, humble and
simple life way. It is hard but if you agree to live according to my teachings and instructions, if
you never lose faith in the life I shall give you, you may come and live with me.” The Hopi and
all who were saved from the great flood made a sacred covenant with the Great Spirit at that
time. We Hopi made an oath that we will never turn away from Him. For us the Creator’s laws
never change or break down.
To the Hopi the Great Spirit is all powerful. He appeared to the first people as a man and
talked with them in the beginning of this creation world. He taught us how to live, to worship,
where to go and what food to carry, gave us seeds to plant and harvest. He gave us a set of
sacred stone tablets into which He breathed all teachings in order to safeguard his land and life.
In these stone tablets were made, instructions and prophecies and warnings. This was done with
the help of a Spider woman and Her two grandsons. They were wise and powerful helpers of the
Great Spirit.
Before the Great Spirit went into hiding, He and Spider woman put before the leaders of the
different groups of people many colors and sizes of corn for them to choose their food in this
world. The Hopi was the last to pick and then chose their food in this world. The Hopi then chose
the smallest ear of corn. Then Massauu said, “You have shown me you are wise and humble. For
this reason you will be called Hopi (people of peace) and I will place in your authority all land
and life to guard, protect and hold trust for Me until I return to you in later days for I am the First
and the Last.”
This why when a Hopi is ordained into the higher religious order, the earth and all living
things are placed upon his hands. He becomes a parent to all life on earth. He is entitled to advise
and correct his children in whatever peaceful way he can. So we can never give up knowing that
our message of peace will reach our children. Then it is together with the other spiritual leaders
the destiny of our future children is placed. We are instructed to hold this world in balance
within the land and the many universes with special prayers and ritual which continue to this
day.
It was to the Spider woman's two grandsons the sacred stone tablets were given. These two
brothers were then instructed to carry them to a place the Great Spirit had instructed them. The
older brother was to go immediately to the east, to the rising sun and upon reaching his
destination was instructed to immediately start to look for his younger brother who shall remain
in the land of the Great Spirit. The older brother's mission when he returned was to help his
younger brother (Hopi) bring about peace, brotherhood and everlasting life on his return.
Hopi, the younger brother, was instructed to cover all land and mark it well with footprints
and sacred markings to claim this land for the Creator and peace on earth. We established our
ceremonials and sacred shrines to hold this world in balance in accordance with our first promise
to the Creator. This is how our migration story goes, until we meet the Creator at Old Oribe
(place that solidifies) over 1000 years ago. It was at that meeting when he gave to us these
prophecies to give to you now at this closing of the Fourth World of destruction and the
beginning of the Fifth World of peace. He gave us many prophecies to pass on to you and all
have come to pass. This is how we know the timing is now to reveal the last warnings and
instructions to mankind.
We were told to settle permanently here in Hopi land where we met the Great Spirit and wait
for Older Brother who went east to return to us. When he returns to this land he will place his
stone tablets side by side to show all the world that they are our true brothers. When the road in
the sky has been fulfilled and when the inventing of something, in Hopi means, gourd of ashes, a
gourd that when drops upon the earth will boil everything within a large space and nothing will
grow for a very long time. When the leaders turned to evil ways instead of the Great Spirit we
were told there would be many ways this life may be destroyed. If humankind does not heed our
prophecy and return to ones original spiritual instructions. We were told of three helpers who
were commissioned by the Great Spirit to help Hopi bring about the peaceful life on earth would
appear to help us and we should not change our homes, our ceremonials, our hair, because the
true helpers might not recognize us as the true Hopi. So we have been waiting all these years.
It is known that our True White Brother, when he comes, will be all powerful and will wear a
red cap or red cloak. He will be large in population, belong to no religion but his very own. He
will bring with him the sacred stone tablets. With him there will be two great ones both very wise
and powerful. One will have a symbol or sign of swastika which represents purity and is Female,
a producer of life. The third one or the second one of the two helpers to our True White Brother
will have a sign of a symbol of the sun. He, too, will be many people and very wise and powerful.
We have in our sacred Kachina ceremonies a gourd rattle which is still in use today with these
symbols of these powerful helpers of our True Brother.
It is also prophesied that if these three fail to fulfill their mission then the one from the west
will come like a big storm. He will be many, in numbers and unmerciful. When he comes he will
cover the land like the red ants and over take this land in one day. If the three helpers chosen by
the Creator fulfill their sacred mission and even if there are only one, two or three of the true
Hopi remaining holding fast to the last ancient teaching and instructions the Great Spirit,
Massauu will appear before all and our world will be saved. The three will lay out a new life plan
which leads to everlasting life and peace. The earth will become new as it was from the
beginning. Flowers will bloom again, wild games will return to barren lands and there will be
abundance of food for all. Those who are saved will share everything equally and they all will
recognize Great Spirit and speak one language.
We are now faced with great problems, not only here but throughout the land. Ancient
cultures are being annihilated. Our people's lands are being taken from them, leaving them no
place to call their own. Why is this happening? It is happening because many have given up or
manipulated their original spiritual teachings. The way of life which the Great Spirit has given to
all its people of the world, whatever your original instructions are not being honored. It is
because of this great sickness called greed, which infects every land and country that simple
people are losing what they have kept for thousands of years.
Now we are at the very end of our trail. Many people no longer recognize the true path of the
Great Spirit. They have, in fact, no respect for the Great Spirit or for our precious Mother Earth,
who gives us all life.
We are instructed in our ancient prophecy that this would occur. We were told that someone
would try to go up to the moon: that they would bring something back from the moon; and that
after that, nature would show signs of losing its balance. Now we see that coming about. All over
the world there are now many signs that nature is no longer in balance. Floods, drought,
earthquakes, and great storms are occurring and causing much suffering. We do not want this to
occur in our country and we pray to the Great Spirit to save us from such things. But there are
now signs that this very same thing might happen very soon on our own land.
Now we must look upon each other as brothers and sisters. There is no more time for
divisions between people. Today I call upon all of us, from right here at home, Hotevilla, where
we too are guilty of gossiping and causing divisions even among our own families; out to the
entire world where thievery, war and lying goes on every day. These divisions will not be our
salvation. Wars only bring more wars never peace. Only by joining together in a Spiritual Peace
with love in our hearts for one another, love in our hearts for the Great Spirit and Mother Earth,
shall we be saved from the terrible Purification Day which is just ahead.
There are many of you in this world who are honest people. We know you spiritually for we
are the “Men's Society Grandfathers” who have been charged to pray for you and all life on earth
never forgetting anything or any one in our ceremonials. Our prayer is to have a good happy life,
plenty of soft gentle rain for abundant crops. We pray for balance on earth to live in peace and
leave a beautiful world to the children yet to come. We know you have good hearts but good
hearts are not enough to help us out with these great problems. In the past some of you have
tried to help us Hopis, and we will always be thankful for your efforts. But now we need your
help in the worst way. We want the people of the world to know the truth of our situation.
This land which people call the Land of the Freedom celebrates many days reminding people
of the world of these things. Yet in well over 200 years the original Americans have not seen a
free day. We are suffering the final insult. Our people are now losing the one thing which give
life and meaning of life--our ceremonial land, which is being taken away from us. Hotevilla is the
last holy consecrated, undisturbed Traditional Native American sacred shrine to the Creator. As
the prophecy says, this sacred shrine must keep its spiritual pathways open. This village is the
spiritual vortex for the Hopi to guide the many awakening Native Americans and other true
hearts home to their own unique culture. Hotevilla was established by the last remaining
spiritual Elders to maintain peace and balance on this continent from the tip of South America up
to Alaska. Many of our friends say Hotevilla is a sacred shrine, a national and world treasure and
must be preserved. We need your help.
Where is the freedom which you all fight for and sacrifice your children for? Is it only the
Indian people who have lost or are all Americans losing the very thing which you originally came
here to find? We don't share the freedom of the press because what gets into the papers is what
the government wants people to believe, not what is really happening. We have no freedom of
speech, because we are persecuted by our own people for speaking our beliefs.
We are at the final stages now and there is a last force that is about to take away our
remaining homeland. We are still being denied many things including the right to be Hopis and
to make our living in accordance with our religious teachings. The Hopi leaders have warned
leaders in the White House and the leaders in the Glass House but they do not listen. So as our
prophecy says then it must be up to the people with good pure hearts that will not be afraid to
help us to fulfill our destiny in peace for this world. We now stand at a cross road whether to
lead ourselves in everlasting life or total destruction. We believe that human beings' spiritual
power through prayer is so strong it decides life on earth.
So many people have come to Hopiland to meet with us. Some of you we have met on your
lands. Many times people have asked how they can help us. Now I hope and pray that your help
will come. If you have a way to spread the truth, through the newspapers, radio, books, through
meeting with powerful people, tell the truth! Tell them what you know to be true. Tell them what
you have seen here; what you have heard us say; what you have seen with your own eyes. In this
way, if we do fall, let it be said that we tried, right up to the end, to hold fast to the path of peace
as we were originally instructed to do by the Great Spirit. Should you really succeed, we will all
realize our mistakes of the past and return to the true path-living in harmony as brothers and
sisters, sharing our mother, the earth with all other living creatures. In this way we could bring
about a new world. A world which would be led by the Great Spirit and our mother will provide
plenty and happiness for all.
God bless you, each one of you and know our prayers for peace meet yours as the sun rises
and sets. May the Great Spirit guide you safely into the path of love, peace freedom and God on
this Earth Mother. May the holy ancestors of love and light keep you safe in your land and
homes. Pray for God to give you something important to do in this great work which lies ahead
of us all to bring peace on earth. We the Hopi still hold the sacred stone tablets and now await the
coming of our True White Brother and others seriously ready to work for the Creator's peace on
earth.
Be well, my children, and think good thoughts of peace and togetherness. Peace for all life on
earth and peace with one another in our homes, families and countries. We are not so different in
the Creator's eyes. The same great Father Sun shines his love on each of us daily just as Mother
Earth prepares the sustenance for our table, do they not? We are one after all.
Chief Dan Evehema, (105) Spiritual leader, Eldest Elder Greeswood / Roadrunner Clan Society
Father / Snake Priest / Kachina Father.
From Hotevilla, Arizona, Hopi Sovereign Nation.
