The Billingsley Hopi Dancers

In 1921 the Hopi were told that “church people” petitioned Congress to stop their “pagan” dancing. In 1927, a platform was erected on the U.S. Capital steps where both Houses of Congress assembled with their families to see the Hopi dancers. Following the performance, Congress passed a Resolution giving the Hopi permission to carry on their dancing “for all time”. The dancers continued to perform, culminating in performances at Carnegie Hall in 1955. The Verde Valley Archaeology Center and Hopi Tribe jointly received a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation to preserve a rare 1957 film of the dancers. This presentation provides background on the history of the Hopi dancers and shows portions of the film.

Kenneth Zoll is the Executive Director of the Verde Valley Archaeology Center in Camp Verde. He is also a volunteer docent at cultural heritage sites in the Coconino National Forest. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in cultural astronomy of the Southwest and is a certified instructor in cultural astronomy with the Arizona Archaeological Society. He is currently working with Arizona State University’s Center for Meteorite Studies on the use of meteorites among ancient Southwest cultures. Zoll is the author of several popular books on cultural astronomy and rock art in Central Arizona, as well as several cultural astronomy articles in professional publications.