On February 6, 1999, the world lost one of its leading messengers for non-violence and the spiritual reawakening necessary to change the course of human history off the path towards total destruction and unto the path towards true peace and harmony among all life with the passing of 89 year old Hopi Prophecy spokesman Thomas Banyacya. A sunrise memorial service organized by the International Indian Treaty council was held at 6:30 AM in San Francisco on Sunday, February 28, 1999, at the top of Bernal Hill at the south end of Folsom Street. (415-641-4482 for details).
Inspired by the great Hopi elder Yukiuma, whom he regarded as "The Hopi Gandhi", Banyacya spent seven years in prison in the 1940's because of his steadfast conscientious objection to registering for military service. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was seen by the Hopi spiritual leaders as a fulfillment of their ancient prophecies about "The gourd of ashes falling on the Earth two times" in December of 1948, those leaders from the various Hopi villages and religious societies met for the first time in history to compare their previously secret knowledge as per their ancient instructions handed down through generations. Banyacya was commissioned at that meeting to bring to the outside world the Message of Peace and the warnings for humanity revealed at this meeting. For the rest of his life, he firmly held true to this commitment, despite hardships and criticisms, and traveled widely to carry their message and, in the process, helped to inspire the revival of the traditional Indigenous American cultures over the past decades. Devoting himself totally to this mission, he still lived a simple lifestyle and he and his family survived as best they could in the traditional ways with some help from the minimal donations of people who supported his great work.
Banyacya felt that his life's mission was fulfilled, after decades of unsuccessful attempts, when he was able to bring the Hopi message and spokesmen to the United Nations, (the "house of mica" predicted by the Hopi prophecies), to deliver their messages in 1992 and 1993 in the context of the gathering of global indigenous leaders who came in the occasion of the United Nations designation of 1993 as the International Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples and 1995-2004 as the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples.
His message was simple yet still inscrutable to the mind of "Western Civilization", that all of the problems of modern society are rooted in an error in human thinking clouded by attachments to the world of material comforts and that, to solve all of these problems, we only have to reawaken spiritually to the innate human/spiritual relationship to all life as our relations, and to all people as one human race. He was convinced that the simple spiritually-focused lifestyle is the only one which will survive in these times of increased wars, violence, and even natural disasters brought on by this error in human thinking. His life was an inspiration for so very many people to respect the ancient wisdom of the traditional indigenous cultures of our Beloved Mother Earth. Decades before scientists recognized the currently evident signs of global climate change, he was warning that the actions of industrial society would bring devastating storms, earthquakes, etc. society would be well advised to heed this wisdom and take action before it is too late!
Included below is one of the landmark documents, within which is coded the essence of the traditional teachings of the message of peace, and how to implement it will become clearer if read with humility. Also included below is a document called "The Essence of Hopi Prophecy" composed by someone in consultation with the Hopi elders whom Banyacya represented as their traditional messenger. He taught a generalized meaning of the word Hopi, as any people who truly live as "peaceful people."
The greatest tragedy of his passing is that many documents he had produced and accumulated over the years have not yet reached general public attention, but with the capability of the internet today perhaps his wife and children will get the help that they need to bring out these teachings into this realm of modern communications. They may still be reached as
Banyacya, PO Box 112, Kykotsmovi, AZ 86034.
THE HOPI DECLARATION OF PEACE
It is in the Power of True Hopi People to unify the minds and spirits of all true peace-seeking peoples of the Earth.
"Hopi" means "Peaceful People", and the truest and greatest power is the strength of Peace, because Peace is the Will of the Great Spirit.
But do not think that just because The True Hopi People have been told by the Great Spirit never to take up arms, that the True Hopi People will not fight and even die, for what we know to be the right way of Life.
The True Hopi People know how to fight without killing or hurting.
The True Hopi People know how to fight with Truth and Positive Force in the Light of the Great Spirit.
The True Hopi People Know how to Educate by clear thoughts... good pictures... and by carefully chosen words.
The True Hopi People Know how to show, to all the world's Children, the True Way of Life, by setting an example, by working and communicating in a way that reaches the mind and hearts of all people who are truly seeking the methods of a simple and spiritual Life which is the only Life that will survive.
The True Hopi People PRESERVE THE SACRED KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE WAY OF THE EARTH BECAUSE THE True Hopi People KNOW THAT THE EARTH IS A LIVING, GROWING PERSON, AND ALL THINGS ON IT ARE HER CHILDREN
The True Hopi People Know how to show the Right Way of Life to all the world's people who have ears to listen,...who have eyes to see... and who have hearts to understand three things.
The True Hopi People Know how to generate enough Power to link up the forces of the Minds and spirits of all the True Children of the Earth and to Unify them with the Positive Force of the Great Spirit so that they may put an end to affliction and persecution in all afflicted places in the world"
THE TRUE HOPI PEOPLE DECLARE THAT HOPI POWER BE A FORCE WHICH WILL BRING ABOUT WORLD CHANGE!
The Essence of Hopi Prophecy
[The entire Hopi Prophecy usually takes many days to tell, and many lifetimes to fully understand.
This is a short summary of essential points.]
The Balance of Life
As caretakers of Life, we affect the balance of Nature to such a degree that our own actions determine whether the great cycles of nature bring prosperity or disaster. Our present world is the unfoldment of a pattern we set in motion.
Our divergence from the natural balance is traced to a point preceding the existence of our present physical form. Once we were able to appear and disappear at will, but, through our own arrogance, we took our procreative powers for granted and negated the plan of the Creator.
As a consequence, we became stuck in our physical form, dominated by a continual struggle between our left and right sides, the left being wise but clumsy, and the right being clever and powerful but unwise, forgetful of our original purpose.
The Cycle of Worlds
This suicidal spirit was to govern the entire course of our history through world after world. As life resources diminished in accord with the cycles of nature, we would try to better our situation through our own inventions, believing that any mistakes could be corrected through further inventions. In our cleverness, most of us would lose sight of our original purpose, become involved in a world of our own design, and ultimately oppose the order of the universe itself, becoming the mindless enemy of the few who would still hold the key to survival.
In several previous worlds, the majority have advanced their technology in this way, even beyond what we know today. The consequent violations against nature and fellow human beings have caused severe imbalances which were resolved in the form of war, social disintegration, and natural catastrophes.
As each world reached the brink of annihilation, there remained a small minority who had managed to live in nearly complete accord with the infinite plan, as implied in the name, Hopi. Toward the final changes, they would find themselves beset with signs of disintegration within, as well as enticing offers and severe threats from without, aimed toward forcing them to join the rest of the world.
Our Present World
Our common ancestors were among the small group who miraculously emerged from the last world as it reached its destruction, though they too were tainted with corruption. The seeds of the crisis we face today were brought with us when we first set foot in this world. Upon reaching our present world, our ancestors set out on a long migration to meet the Great Spirit in the form of Maasauu, the Caretaker of this land and all that lives upon it. They followed a special pattenr, however, a serious omen made a separate journey necessary, in order to balance the extreme disorder anticipated in the latter days.
The True White Brother
A Hopi of light complexion, now known as "the true white brother", left the group and traveled in the direction of the rising sun, taking with him a stone tablet which matches a similar tablet held by one of those who went on to meet Maasauu at a place called Oraibi, where the present Hopi villages were established according to his instructions.
The Hopi anticipated the arrival of a race of light-skinned people from the east, predicting many of their inventions, which would serve as signs indicating certain stages in the unfoldment of the pattern the Hopi had studied from antiquity. It was clearly foreseen that the visitors, in their cleverness, might lose sight of their original purpose, in which case they would be very dangerous. Still the Hopi were to watch for one who has not left the spiritual path, and carries the actual stone tablet.
The Swastika and the Sun
Through countless centuries, the Hopi have recalled in= their ceremonies the previous worlds, our emergence to the present world, and our purpose in coming here. Periodically, they have renewed their vow to Maasauu to live the simple, humble way of life laid out for them, and to preserve the balance of nature for the sake of all living things. The knowledge of world events has been handed down in secret religious societies who keep watch as each stage unfolds.
The leaders watched a especially for a series of three world-shaking events, accompanied by the appearance of certain symbols that describe the primordial forces that govern all life, from the sprouting of a seed to global movements such as weather, earthquakes, migrations and wars.
The gourd rattle is a key symbol. A gourd signifies seed force. The shaking of the gourd rattle in ceremonies means the stirring of life forces. On the rattle are drawn the ancient symbols of swastika, showing the spirals of force sprouting from a seed inn four directions, surrounded by a ring of red fire, showing the encircling penetration of the sun's warmth, which causes the seed to sprout and grow.
The first two world-shaking events would involve the f= orces portrayed by the swastika and the sun. Out of the violence and destruction of the first, the strongest elements would emerge with still greater force to produce the second event. When the actual symbols appeared, it would be clear that this stage of the prophecy was being fulfilled.
The Gourd Full of Ashes
Eventually, a "gourd full of ashes" would be invented, which, if dropped from the sky, would boil the oceans and burn the land, causing nothing to grow there for many years. This would be the signal for a certain Hopi to bring out his teachings in order to warn the world that the third and final event would happen soon, and could bring an end to all life, unless people correct themselves and their leaders in time.
Hopi leaders now believe that the first two events were the first and second world wars and the "gourd full of ashes" is the atomic bomb. After the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, teachings formerly kept secret were compared and released to the world. The details presented here are part of those teachings.
The Day of Purification
The final stage, called the "great day of purification", has also been described as a "mystery egg", in which the forces of the swastika and the sun, plus a third force symbolized by the color red, culminate either in rebirth, or total annihilation, we don't know which, but the choice is ours. War and natural catastrophe may be involved. The degree of violence will be determined by the degree of inequity caused among peoples of the world and in the balance of nature. In this crisis, rich and poor will be forced to struggle as equals to survive.
That it will be very violent is now almost taken for granted among the traditional Hopi, but man may still lessen the violence by correcting his treatment of nature and fellow man. Ancient spiritually-based communities, such as the Hopi, must especially be preserved and not forced to abandon their wise way of life and the natural resources they have vowed to protect.
The Fate of Mankind.
The Hopi play a key role in the survival of the human race, through their vital communion with unseen forces that hold nature in balance, as an example of a practical alternative to the suicidal man-made system, and as a fulcrum of world events. The pattern is simple. "The whole world will shake and turn red and turn against those who are hindering the Hopi."
The man-made system now destroying Hopi is deeply involved in similar violations throughout the world. The devastating reversal predicted in the prophecies is part of the natural order. If those who thrive from that system, its money and laws, can manage to stop it from destroying Hopi, then many may be able to survive the day of purification and enter a new age of peace. But if no one is left to continue the Hopi way, then the hope for such an age is in vain.
The forces we must face are formidable, but the only alternative is annihilation. Still, the man-made system cannot be corrected by any means that requires one's will to be forced upon another, for that is the source of the problem. If people are to correct themselves and their leaders, the gulf between the two must disappear. To accomplish this, one can only rely on the energy of truth itself.
This approach, which is the foundation of the Hopi way of Life, is the greatest challenge a mortal can face. Few are likely to accept it, but once peace is established on this basis, and our original way of life is allowed to flourish, we will be able to use our inventive capacity wisely, to encourage rather than threaten life, and to benefit everyone rather than giving advantage to a few at the expense of others. Concern for all living things will far surpass personal concerns, bringing greater happiness than could former= ly be realized. Then all living things whall enjoy lasting harmony.
Written by Thomas V. Tarbet, Jr., and reviewed by a traditional messenger. All rights concerning this publication are reserved by the author, with the exception that it may be copied or transmitted by any means, provided nothing is added or deleted and provided it is not sold.
IF YOU VALUE THE DESTINY OF FUTURE GENERATIONS MORE THAN PERSONAL WELFARE, PLEASE MAKE SURVIVAL OF THE HOPI YOUR PRIMARY CONCERN, AND LET THE SUCCESSFUL RESOLUTION OF THEIR PLIGHT AT THE HANDS OF THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD BE YOUR PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND GREATEST PLEASURE.
For further information
Hopi contacts:
Techqua Ikachi Publications
Box 174
Hotevilla, AZ 86030
Thomas Banyacya, Jr. Interpreter
Box 112, Oraibi, AZ 86039
The above is offered in memory of a dear, peaceful, and gentle man.
Thomas Banyacya also had a poignant sense of humor.
When he visited Santa Barbara in January, 1990, for the Rainbow Uprising Campaign Events, while talking to some young people, he observed:
"I think those people in the United States Government made some mistakes, and a mistake in spelling on their dollar bill. When the white people came, they went everywhere digging up the Earth to find gold. On the dollar bill, it says, 'In God We Trust', but I think they mis-spelled that and they left the L out of 'In Gold We Trust'."