Pumpkin Seed Point Summary

Pumpkin Seed Point: Being within the Hopi

In his book published by Sage Books in 1969, Pumpkin Seed Point: Being within the Hopi, Frank Waters documents in detail his 3 year account of living with the Hopi tribe. Many say that his account is perhaps the best, one in which he relives their rich traditions and history. In his work, Waters composes more of a diary involving his experiences with the Hopi. He shares his introductions to various people he meets over his three year adventure. The book was a very easy read that definitely educated me on the Hopi cultures, traditions, and history. This book is a "beautifully written personal account of Waters' inner and outer experience in this subterranean world".
Frank Waters, known as the "Grandfather of Southwestern Literature", had many associations with the American Indians throughout his life. His father was part Cherokee Indian. He has written several books detailing personal accounts with various Native tribes. In his Hopi account, Waters spent the majority of the time interacting with the
The Hopi government had vowed to protect their land against the Navajo; however, due to the vast difference in tribal population, the Navajos began to intrude on the Hopi land (80,000 Navajos to 5,000 Hopis). Waters was also quick to observe the contention the Hopis and Navajos had amongst each other. The Hopis felt like some the merchants catered more to the Navajos than to them, i.e. the local trading post showed preference to the many Navajos who drove in form the desert with jewelry to pawn. Another area of contention was the local hospital being built by the Public Health Service at the Hopi agency headquarters. Due to the distant location of it, the Hopi felt it was being built more for the encroaching Navajo…after all, they would most likely take up ninety percent of the