Waalpi, Arizona, ca. 1890

Cotton, wool, dye

This artifact is a Hopi manta, which is a cotton and wool cloth that is woven by skilled weavers from Arizona. It is made from plant fibers with the embroidery done with wool yarn. This manta is particularly used for dance as it is shown on the manta itself. The dancers are wearing a manta and a kopatsoki, or headdress. Mantas are worn by women for Hopi ceremonies and social dances but made by men. This suggests that women may not have played as subordinate of role as depicted by history textbooks.

The Hopi manta tells us a lot about the innovation of the Native Americans and their social values. They lived off the land and relied on the resources around them to survive. There was great importance placed on gathering to dance and pleasing deities for prosperity. This also shows us that they were artists by intention. The embroidery was not solely for the purpose of survival but it also served the purpose of expression. The weavers took their time to embroider dancers and designs. This broadens American history because it shows that Native Americans were a cultured group of people. They were not struggling to survive; rather, they fluorished.