Moon by Kim Seyesnem Obrzut

While the Hopi culture is known for their traditional crafts, basket weaving is arguably the oldest of them all. It was started at least a thousand years ago and still continues to be an imperative part of our life and our ceremonies. The baskets are used for decoration, food plates, ceremonies and trays to hold our ceremonial objects, such as corn, rattles and gifts. The baskets have also been used for a medium of exchange. The women learned they could help sell or trade the baskets to bring income and food to their families. The first basket a girl weaves is offered to spirits with the intention that she will make many more baskets. The moon is a feminine symbol. It is very powerful. She controls the tides, the rains, the waters, and the seasons. We need the sun for our crops, but to create harmony, we also need the night. She has no face, which symbolizes the egalitarian society of the Hopi people. She represents a people, not an individual. The Hopi thought is: One Mind, one Body and one Spirit.