A sandstone petroglyph panel featuring a winding trail of human and animal footprints leading toward a spiral symbol, interpreted as a sipapu. The carvings are etched in deep relief on a textured reddish-brown rock surface.

From Sipapu to Mesa: Tracing Hopi origins through story and science

The Hopi people describe their presence in the Southwest not as a migration from elsewhere, but as an emergence — a sacred unfolding from one world into another. Through the sipapu, a symbolic portal located in the Grand Canyon and replicated in kiva floors, they entered the Fourth World. This narrative is not simply a myth of beginnings. It serves as a spiritual compass, guiding generations to live in balance with the Earth and the Creator’s instructions. ...

July 10, 2025 · 6 min