Fieldwork location
Northern Arizona
Group studied
Hopi tribe
Ethnographer
Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa and Chip Colwell
Fieldwork context (refer to when the fieldwork was carried out regardless of the publication date)
Fall of 2015
Historical context

Explain how the key concept of materiality is relevant to this passage.
Materiality involves objects, resources, and belongings that have cultural meaning. While to others merely a tree, the following passage explains the value of Juniper trees to Hopi culture. It holds cultural meaning in the sense of cultural resources, sacred practices, historical value, and religious sites to the Hopi people. It is their livelihood -- an integral part of their culture.
Why does anthropology matter? (discuss this question with reference to the passage)
Studying anthropology allows one to understand new perspectives from diverse cultures -- when doing so, we realize certain values and cultural meanings that are placed on certain objects by different cultures. And thus, allows us to further respect these cultures. In the context of the Hopi, we discover why Juniper trees are the heart of their tribe; and why cultural preservation is important to protect the centuries' worth of historical and cultural val

• The article discusses about how the Juniper tree is a very important aspect in the Hopi tribe and are being threatened by the Kayenta Mines.

• Traditionalist

• Traditional

• Tribe
• Religious sites

• Rural

• Species

• Northern Arizona

• Hopi tribe

• Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa and Chip Colwell

• Fall of 2015

• “With cultural origins that stretch back thousands of years in the Southwest, the Hopi Tribe now numbers about 14,000 members who live in rural isolation.“

• The Juniper tree has survived centuries of drought and storms.
• The Juniper provides the Hopis with the necessary elements to provide to their livelihood; shelter, tools, food.
• However, Juniper forests have been declining due to livestock grazing, landscape fragmentation, development projects, etc.

8. Identify the key concepts from the passage (can be more than one)
• Materiality
• Culture
• Change

9. Explain how the key concept of materiality is relevant to this passage.
• Materiality is relevant to this passage as materiality means objects, resources, and belongings that hold cultural meaning. The Juniper tree to the Hopi tribe is an important resource that dates back to their ancestors, and are, to some extent, a part of their livelihood. They receive shelter, food from the tree, and leave offerings on the base of each tree as a sign of respect for the trees' gift. Through these aspects, we can conclude that the Juniper tree holds a very deep cultural meaning, and is a very important aspect of their culture.

10. Why does anthropology matter? (discuss this question with reference to the passage)
• Through this passage, we were shown to light with the fact that these sites are being exploited for money, despite there being centuries of history and cultural relevance to said site. Fieldwork by anthropologists enlightened the culture and history behind the Juniper trees, and taught us destroying these trees is akin to destroying a part of their culture. Anthropology shows us that some objects or other aspects of life hold different meanings and relevancy to each community.

The consequences of Kayenta Mine (owned by Peabody Energy) strip mining expansion on the religious sites and archeological remains of the Hopi culture, and native Hopi people.

Northern Arizona

The Hopi tribe 

Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa and Chip Colwell

Fieldwork context 

Fall of 2015

The Hopi tribe’s livelihood depends on Juniper trees, which is a culture passed down from their ancestors from thousands of years ago. They use Juniper trees for food (berries), shelter, medicine, and tools. They preserve Juniper forests because they also consider it as an area of sacred practices (a place to do prayers, give offerings, and form shrines).

Materiality can mean the objects or belongings that society possesses, but does not necessarily mean it should be regarded as money or wealth. To coal mining corporations such as Peabody Energy, materiality means gaining power over an area, therefore giving them the ‘permission’ to take its resources. However, materiality to the Hopi people means preserving their surroundings to pass it down to the next generation.

Anthropology helps us understand the importance of culture preservation towards human rights.

The article discusses upon the topic of the Juniper tree and its importance to the Hopi culture. It also talks about how many coal and mining projects could be a possible threat towards the Hopi people in maintaining their culture 

Northern Arizona

The Hopi Tribe

Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa and Chip Colwell

Dating back from many years the Hopi has placed their foot in the Southwest for thousands of years with estimably 14,000 members living in rural isolation. The Juniper tree is a symbol of hope and life for the Hopi tribe as it has survived centuries of drought and storm and has provided the Hopi tribe with many things such as good and shelter. Because of the ever growing industrial projects the Juniper tree has been a subject of grazing and logging. 

Materiality is hugely relevant in the passage considering the fact that the Hopi tribe very much holds the Juniper tree near and dear for thousands of years. Although to some cultures trees doesn't hold any significance to the Hopi tribe the Juniper tree means so much to them as it has provided them with many livestocks for thousands of years. The tree holds a lot of cultural meaning to the Hopi Tribe hence why materiality is relevant in this passage.

By studying the lives of the Hopi tribe us who aren't pre exposed to their culture could further understand life from their point of view and to further immerse ourselves in the culture so we could help them since they are the minority and with that they have less power compared to the majority. 

Fieldwork location
Northern Arizona
Group studied
Hopi Tribe
Ethnographer
Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa and Chip Colwell
Fieldwork context
2015 (Fall)
Historical context
During the fall of 2015, Kayenta Mine’s owners/ Peabody Energy (world’s largest coal company), proposed to expand the mining operations; it sparked controversy since it requires to take down the Juniper tree (a prominent symbol in the Hopi culture). The Juniper tree is heavily significant to Hopi culture since it is embedded into cultural practices and social relations of the tribe, providing shelter, food, tools, medicine and other practices. The tree has become a symbol and resource that has been passed upon generations and the Hopi tribe have been religiously preserving the tree and viewing it as sacred resource. 

Explain how the key concept of materiality is relevant to this passage.
The key concept of materiality is relevant to this passage because the Juniper tree is a resource that has cultural significance in the Hopi tribe. The Juniper tree is embedded into cultural practices and social relations of the tribe; providing shelter, food, tools, medicine and other practices “Newborn children are rubbed with juniper ash, while their mothers, who veered toward death during childbirth, are bathed in juniper-infused water. Berries ground to a paste are used to clean new mothers further. Even misbehaving youth are held to the smoke of a smoldering juniper fire to purge them of mischief. Juniper smoke also cleanses Hopis who have encountered the dead.”
Why does anthropology matter?
Anthropology allows us to understand cultures and communities to eliminate discrimination and misunderstandings. Without the passage, I wouldn’t have understood the significance of a tree; companies who seek to take down the tree might have not been educated with the cultural significance of the juniper tree towards Hopi culture either. Studying anthropology and exploring the cultural meaning and attachment of the tree allows us to understand the perspective of the Hopi tribe. 

the article discusses the significance of the juniper tree, which are considered the heart of the Hopi tribe. the trees are under the hreat of coal and mining companies

Northern Arizona

The Hopi tribe

Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa and Chip Colwell

Fall of 2015

the history of the significance of juniper trees to the Hopi tribe date back thousands of years, and the tribe currently live in rural isolation. The juniper trees are used as a means for survival, where it provides medicine, shelter, food(berries). Protecting the trees and its preservation is an important aspect of their culture/traditions

materiality, culture, change

materiality refers to objects, resources and belongings that have cultural meaning, where they are embedded in all kinds of social relations and practices. The juniper trees may seem like a regular tree to other people, but it is only exclusively special given a cultural context, and this cultural context can only be understood by those in the Hopi tribe. the trees hold deep cultural meaning. 

The article tackles the significance of Juniper trees to the culture and traditions of the Hopi Tribe. It mentions the tree’s usage and application within Hopi culture, and how their way of living is threatened by an expansion of a coal mining company. On a larger scale, it covers the contribution of companies or corporations in increasing environmental and cultural damage. 

Hopi Tribe

Fieldwork context 

Research project on Hopi culture’s resources was conducted in 2006, but the anthropologists visited their site again in 2015 to investigate the establishment of the Kayenta Mine. 

With cultural origins that stretch back thousands of years in the Southwest, the Hopi Tribe now numbers about 14,000 members who live in rural isolation

Pinyon-juniper vegetation still covers about 100 million acres across the American West. But these ecosystems have declined over the last century. Since the 1800s, pinyon-juniper forests in the Southwest have been dramatically reduced by livestock grazing, landscape fragmentation, the timber industry, wildfire-control techniques, invasive plant species, and development projects

The Dakota Access pipeline, which carries oil nearly 1,200 miles from North Dakota to Illinois, threatened traditional sites and waterways.

Materiality is the concept that objects, places, or anything tangible holds cultural meaning, represents traits of a culture, and becomes the main component in cultural practices. It is relevant to this passage because the juniper tree embodies the identity of the Hopi tribe as it is utilized in their daily lives to heal their people, banish unwanted behaviours, build their homes, and feed their people, as well as aid their environment in its natural states. Materiality, in this sense, does not only hold cultural meaning, but it gives and drives meaning to the people residing in the Hopi tribe. What has merely been a tool for survival has become what they know to be their lives. The attachments humans hold to not only life, but the act of living life is what sustains our purpose for living. No doubt, the application of the Juniper tree to their daily lives and cultural practices has strengthened their bond with one another as they are collectively sharing an experience that is unique to them. To quote, “Hopis are further troubled by the decline in juniper forests because the tree is not merely a tool for their culture. It is a living testimony to sacred practices.” The concept of sacred practices has allowed cultures to flourish the identities of their people, as well as the collective identity of their community, therefore, through understanding why material objects are deeply preserved within the Hopi tribe, there is an understanding for the Hopi people.

Why does anthropology matter? 

Anthropology shines light on the significance of culture and the cultural behaviours and practices towards the people that reside in that culture. This significance stands important on its own, for the purpose of understanding what is beyond the way of living that we know of, and therefore preserving the acceptance of and tolerance of diversity in order to combat violations of human rights. However, it also stands against the presence of power and change in driving out cultures that have historically been gentrified and massacred by the very same people who displace and disrupt the livelihoods of various Native American tribes in modern times. 

Anthropology unravels how dependent other people are on material things that the general public represented within mass media does not place a significance on, or that others residing in their own culture do not integrate within their cultural practices. It does so through understanding the concepts of power and change itself. Without the knowledge that power is distributed within society, we cannot understand how or why change occurs. 

One of the underlying debates found in the article is modern medicine vs traditional medicine. The Hopi culture relies on plants, herbs, and trees to improve the health and wellbeing of their people, or cure and prevent them from illnesses and diseases. The world continues to face rapid modernization through globalisation, with technological advancements of post-industrial ideals leading the change in world practices. This begs the question of how long traditional medicine will last if many parts of the world, parts of the world such as America, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand are globally regarded as “first-world countries'', are established as powerful leaders in guiding world trends and ways of living through their economic status. By driving out traditional medicine through modernization, the Hopi culture tribe, and other tribes that practice traditional medicine, will lose their identity by being forcibly stopped to practice their culture. Additionally, the lack of supply for traditional medicine will warrant a rise in health issues for the Hopi tribe as it is their primary source for medical ailments. Due to America’s evident marginalization against Native Americans, there is no guarantee Native Americans will be able to replace their traditional medicine for modern medicine under America’s expensive healthcare system, and bias against Native Americans. 

The article discusses the value of Juniper tree. The Juniper tree is considered an important piece and a valuable object in the Hopi culture. Not only that it is valuable but the Juniper tree is a main resource material that supports the life of the people in the Hopi Culture. This includes shelter, warmth, tools and food which can be stated a resource for the Hopi people daily lives basic necessities.

Anthropological terms / vocabulary that I found in the articles

-archeological

-endured

-interconnected

-mischief

-agonized

-colossal

-peabody

-coarse calico

-evergreen

-ascertained

-ancestral 

-pristine

-precarious

-merely

Fieldwork location

The fieldwork took place in Northern Arizona

Group studied

The group studied in this ethnography is the Hopi tribe

Ethnographer

The ethnography was done by ethnographers named Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa and Chip Colwell

Fieldwork context

The research or in this case fieldwork was done in fall 2015 and published on 31st of August 2017

Historical context 

The Hopi is a tribe that has been structured for years and in this fieldwork it seems to be discussing the Hopi tribe specifically in Arizona. The people of the Hopi tribe have been valuing and appraising the Juniper tree for years, the Juniper tree has become a symbol for their culture, the Juniper tree have ease their daily live needs as it has fulfil their basic necessities to live a day to day life, however in fall 2015 Peabody energy which is the worlds largest coal company, made plans to expand the mine in neighbouring ares. That being said, will affect the Juniper tree and the Juniper tree was intended to be cut off. This plan caused controversy to the Hopi tribe as it was considered precious and a symbol for the Hopi people.

Key concepts found in the passage

-Society

-symbolism

-Change 

-Power 

-Materiality

How is materiality relevant to this passage?

The concept “materiality” is enormously significant to this passage knowing that the Juniper tree is considered substantial and meaningful object in the Hopi tribe. It has been taken care of for years and this one tree has been  praise and glorify in the Hopi culture. Considering that the Juniper tree is a big part of the Hopi it has been regard highly leading to become one of the symbol in the Hopi culture.

Why does anthropology matter?

Anthropology is important because without the existence of anthropology society will lack knowledge regarding the uniqueness of one culture and the basic knowings with the knowledge that the world is diverse and many has different aspects in life and different structure. Anthropology matters in the world because it helps others understand why a certain culture does this, why a culture or community highly value few things and why a community from a culture prohibit these type of actions. Without the help of anthropology it will lessen the peace that the world owns and people will easily judge others with their beliefs.