Hopilavayvenpi: The Hopi Alphabet in Conversation

Description

Hopiikwa paypi i’ Hopilavayit peenaniqa oovi songawnen Hopilavayvenpi i’ hapi penpi.  Niqw nu’ oovi it penpit ang naanangk hin antsa i’ penpi töqtingwuqat put nu’ ang pangqawmani.

This is the Hopi alphabet.  These letters or letter characters are the marks that we use to write the Hopi language and like any alphabet, these letters represent the sounds of speech in the Hopi language.

Tsangaw nu’ Hopiituqayta. Paypi pan hakimuy aw amumi, itaa wuuwuyoqam, itaaso yu’a’atangwu qe’ ura pangqawu, qe’ um hisat uuhopilavayiy suutokni. So’on hak put hisat suutoki, lavayiy’i. Panwisa pu’ itam. Qa navoti’yyungwa itam, yu’a’atotaniqe. Itam qa amumi pan yu’a’atotangwu niiqe panniqw oovi’i. Pay hak hiisay niqw senpi  5 or 6 niqw hakiy a pangqawangwu, um pam’i, pam itaa naatoyla.

I appreciate knowing Hopi. That is the way our elders, our grandmother would speak and remind us, “Don’t ever forget your Hopi language.” One cannot forget it, their language. That is our life now. We don’t know how to speak. We don’t speak to them [our children] this way. That is why, when you are maybe 5 or 6, they tell you, “this is our identity.”                                        –Harlan Nakala, Lenwungwa, Flute Clan, Waalpi