“I Live Hopi, I Just Don't Speak It”—The Critical Intersection of Language, Culture, and Identity in the Lives of Contemporary Hopi Youth

Abstract

Despite having been immersed in the Hopi culture throughout their lives, many of today's Hopi youth do not understand or speak their heritage language. This article highlights the notion of “affective enculturation”—the development of an emotional commitment to Hopi ideals—cultivated through the myriad practices that comprise the Hopi oral tradition. This ethnographic study focusing on the cultural and linguistic experiences of 3 Hopi youth revealed that (a) even without a strong origin in the language, youth learn to act, think, and feel Hopi through their active participation in their Hopi world and (b) language is only one of the many ways to experience and learn one's culture. Nevertheless, these youth contend that the Hopi language is fundamental to “fully” participating in and understanding the Hopi way of life—a finding that offers hope for reinvigoration and (re)acquisition of the language among all generations.