Indigenous people * Native American Indians * What's new on our site today!

Native Languages of the Americas:
Hopi Legends, Myths, and Stories

This is our collection of links to Hopi folktales and traditional stories that can be read online. We have indexed our Native American folklore section by tribe to make them easier to locate; however, variants on the same legend are often told by American Indians from different tribes, especially if those tribes are kinfolk or neighbors to each other. In particular, though these legends come from the Hopis, the traditional stories of the Pueblo Indians are very similar.

Enjoy the stories! If you would like to recommend a Hopi legend for this page or think one of the ones on here should be removed, please let us know.

Sponsored Links

Important Hopi Mythological Figures

Tawa (also spelled Taiowa, Taawa, and other ways): The Hopi sun god. According to Hopi mythology, Tawa was the first being in existence.

Sotuknang (also spelled Sootukwnangw and other ways): Nephew of Tawa and creator of the universe under his uncle's direction.

Koyangwuti (also known as Kookyangwso'wuuti): Spider Woman, the special benefactor of the Hopi tribe. She created humans from clay (with the assistance of Sotuknang and/or Tawa), and was also responsible for leading them to the Fourth World (the present Earth.) Her Hopi name is pronounced similar to koh-kyang-woo-tee or koh-kyang-so-woo-tee, and in English she is sometimes known as Old Spider Woman or Spider Grandmother.

Kokopelli (also spelled Kookopölö, Kokopele, Kokopeli, and many other ways.) This is the best-known of the Hopi kachina spirits, a fertility spirit associated with the robberfly (pölö in Hopi), represented in dance and art as a well-endowed humpbacked man.

Kachinas (also spelled Katsinas, Katsinam, Katsinim, and other ways): This is a collective Hopi term for supernatural spirit beings, revered by the Hopi and other Pueblo peoples. There are hundreds of different Hopi katsina spirits; some of the most important include Eototo (weather spirit and chief of the kachinas), Angwusnasomtaka (Crow Mother, mother figure of all the kachinas), Kokopelli (the fertility spirit), Koshari (a sacred clown), Mongwa (owl spirit and enforcer of the law,) Angak'china (Long Haired kachina, a spirit of rain and flowers), and Mana (corn maidens, spirits of agriculture.) Kachina spirits are channeled by the Hopi in sacred dances with elaborate ritual dance costumes, and figurines of these sacred dancers are carved from cottonwood root (see our Hopi kachinas art page for pictures of these kachina figurines and links to traditional Hopi artists selling them.)

Cheveyo (also spelled Tseeveyo, Chaveyo, Chevayo, and other ways): An ogre kachina, often used as a bogeyman to frighten naughty children.

Hopi Indian Myths

*Hopi Myths and Stories:
    Collection of Hopi Indian legends.
*Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest:
    Online book about Hopi and other Southwest Indian mythology.
*The White Dawn of the Hopi * Hopi Creation Myth * Creation Story of the Hopi:
    Hopi legends about the origin of the world and humankind.
*Kokopelli:
    Legends about the Southwestern fertility deity Kokopelli.
*How the Hopi Indians Reached Their World:
    Hopi myth cycle about the ancestral people and the Hopi mesas.
*Hopi Literature:
    Legends and oral history in English and Hopi.
*The Hopi Boy and the Sun * Boy and the Sun:
    Hopi legends about the adventures of the Sun's son.
*A Journey To The Skeleton House:
    Hopi legend about the land of the dead.
*Son of Light Kills the Monster:
    Hopi legends about the mythical hero, Son of Light.
*The Revenge of Blue Corn Ear Maiden:
    Hopi legend about a feud between two corn maidens.
*First Journey Through Grand Canyon:
    Hopi legend about the origin of the Snake Clan.
*Migration of the Water People:
    Legend of the Walpi Hopi.
*How the Great Chiefs Made the Moon and the Sun:
    Hopi Indian myth about the origin of the sun and moon.
*Origin of the Clans:
    Hopi legends about the first clans.
*Why Birds Live In Our Hopi Villages:
    Hopi legend about a pact between the bird people and the Hopis.
Origin of the Hopi Snake Dance:
    Hopi Indian legend about the first Snake Dance.
*Rooster, Mockingbird and the Maiden:
    Hopi legend about two birds contesting to win a wife.
*Wind God:
    Hopi myth about how the Little People trapped the wind.
*The Child Who Turned Into an Owl:
    Hopi myth about a neglected child who became an owl.
*The Crow and the Hawk:
    Hopi legend about an unlikely friendship.
*The Jug Boy:
    Hopi tales about a mythical pottery child.
How the Beetles Produced Rain:
    Hopi legend about how the black beetles brought rain to the land.
Prophecy of the Hopi Sacred Tablets:
    Compilation of several Hopi prophecies and warnings about future dangers.
*Hopi Tradition and Mythology:
    Early 20th-century collection of Hopi legends.

Recommended Books on Hopi Mythology
Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links

The Fourth World of the Hopis:
    Excellent collection of Hopi myths, stories, and prophecies.
And It Is Still That Way:
    Charming anthology of legends told by Hopi and other Arizona Indian children.
The Magic Hummingbird:
    Picture book based on a Hopi folktale about a hummingbird that helped two lost children.
Field Mouse Goes to War:
    The story of the Hopi hero Warrior Mouse, with illustrations by a Hopi artist.
The Mouse Couple:
    Children's book illustrating a Hopi legend about a mouse girl's search for a husband.
American Indian Trickster Tales:
    Compilation of more than a hundred stories about Skeleton Man, Coyote and other Native American tricksters.
    (Use discretion sharing these with kids as some of the stories contain adult humor.)

Sponsored Links

Additional Resources

 Hopi religion
 Hopi katsinam
 Katsina dolls
 Hopi Indians
 Hopi language
 Native American religions
 Arizona Indian reservations
 Southwest Indian culture area
 UtoAztecan



Learn more about the Hopi tribe
Read some books by Native American writers
Buy some Southwest arts and crafts



American Indian art * American Indian genealogy * American Indian designs

Would you like to help support our organization's work with the Hopi Indian language?


Native Languages of the Americas website © 1998-2020 * Contacts and FAQ page