Light of the Hopi

Light of the Hopi is a rare, long-form, cross-cultural collaboration exploring the intersections of spirituality, ritual, and contemporary life within Hopi communities, whose ceremonial traditions are among the world’s most enduring.

The Hopi tribe lives in some of the longest continually inhabited villages in the United States, on three mesas in the high desert of what is now northeastern Arizona. Hopi art and spiritual traditions belong to a uniquely intact cultural lineage, appreciated worldwide for its beauty, complexity, integrity, and depth. Historically, the tribe has rarely allowed photography.

For the past nine years, Light of the Hopi has been created in close collaboration with Hopi partners from a wide range of ages and backgrounds, guided by deeply knowledgeable and well-respected elders. Together, we have produced photographs exploring everyday life, spiritual traditions, and the places where these dimensions overlap. Hopi collaborators are involved throughout the process, from the conception and selection of images to writing and exhibitions. The project is structured as an equal artistic and financial partnership.

Ritual and ceremony remain deeply woven into Hopi life year-round. Many practices, dances, artistic traditions, and forms of regalia have rarely or never been photographed, making cultural documentation a priority for the project. Some images that may appear nostalgic to outsiders are simply authentic depictions of living traditions.

The Hopi tribe faces multiple threats to the survival and integrity of its culture, language, and spiritual traditions. Like many Indigenous sovereign nations, the Hopi have endured centuries of systemic racism, economic exploitation, forced labor, violence, and religious persecution. Roughly 70% of the population lives below the poverty line, while arsenic contamination, oil drilling, and uranium mining threaten their water and most sacred lands. These realities are part of the context and motivation for Light of the Hopi, though the project is ultimately rooted in love and respect for Hopi communities, and a desire to share their strength, beauty, and vitality.

Light of the Hopi also seeks to reflect the complexity and diversity of contemporary Hopi identity. Our photographs explore the space between continuity and change: traditional farming practices using modern tools, ritual life within public schools, cross-cultural exchange, reciprocal influence between Hopi culture and American pop culture, and images that pull back the curtain on Light of the Hopi itself. Inspired by years spent with Hopi friends and communities, the work aims to reflect an understanding that Hopi culture is not a sealed world or disappearing relic, nor defined by assimilation or isolation, but a beautiful evolving, living culture navigating the tensions between preservation, modernity, sovereignty, and exchange.

50% of proceeds from photograph sales go directly to the organizations, families, or villages photographed.

To see some of the photographs we've made so far, please visit our gallery. To inquire about exhibition collaborations, please email erika@erikarand.com.