Hopi Agriculture

Methods

1. Flood-water farming

   Crops of corn, squash, and melons are planted in fields and in the major washes and watered as snow melts and through summer cloudbursts.

2. Akchin farming

   Crops of corn, squash, and melons are planted in areas where floodwater spreads out at the mouth of an arroyo (gully). This is the most common method used by the Hopis now and in prehistoric times.

3. Irrigated gardening

   Crops are grown in stepped, rock-walled terraces on the sides of the mesas and irrigated by gravity fed ditches or by hand buckets.

4. Sand Dune Fields of Beans

5. Fruit Trees

Division of Labor

Men's tasks

• Clearing the fields
• Planting and maintenance of the corn
• Harvesting the corn

Women's tasks

• Responsible for caring of the seeds and distribution of harvest products
• Plant and gather vegtables and fruit from terraces
• Assist men in the fields

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