Half a century ago, a young Hopi faced one of his life’s most challenging experiences during a traditional initiation ceremony held in the days leading up to the winter solstice. Recounting this demanding journey, Delfred Leslie shared his tale with author Scott Thybony, emphasizing how the ordeal instilled in him a profound sense of humility. Thybony captures this narrative in his latest Canyon Commentary.
The initiation required the young Hopi to undertake a strenuous climb up First Mesa’s darkened slopes, burdened with forty pounds of ritual objects. This endeavor, which lasted eighteen arduous hours, was a testament to his endurance. The climb culminated at the kiva in Walpi, a pueblo perched hundreds of feet above. Reflecting on the experience, Delfred Leslie stated, “That was one of the toughest things in my life I had to do. I just barely made it.”
In Flagstaff, the retired tribal judge shared these memories. “This is something I want to share with you,” he said. “What I tell you is nothing esoteric. It can be talked about. These are the things I want to preserve.”
The initiation ceremony, revived in 1972 after a forty-year hiatus, combined two traditional events under the guidance of First Mesa leaders. At twenty-two, Delfred was among six chosen to affirm their commitment to the Hopi way. His preparation involved running the mesa, lifting weights, and enduring various weather conditions.
“It was a nine-day ceremony,” he explained. “All of those nine days are spent in the kiva away from your family. Nine days of fasting with no salt, no sugar, no red meat. You eat in the kiva, you sleep in the kiva, everything is kiva.”
On December 18, at 3:00 am, the journey commenced. The initiates descended to the mesa’s base amidst swirling snowflakes and freezing temperatures. “The temperature was in the teens,” Leslie remembered. “The six of us went down, and we got to a place where all the leaders were waiting for us. They blessed us and told us, ‘Go from here until you are told to come back.’” Led by a surprisingly spry elder, they moved at a brisk pace. “’Move it, move it,’ he told us. ‘You got to do it. Don’t give up.’”
Upon reaching the turnaround point, only two initiates persevered on the return to First Mesa. Leslie’s clothes were frozen, his hands numb, and his hair encased in ice. Overcome by exhaustion and pain, he collapsed on the stone steps leading to the ceremonial plaza. “I was sweating profusely despite the freezing winter evening,” he recounted. “I told myself in Hopi, ‘Don’t give up . . . please.’” He crawled the final twenty yards to the kiva, driven by sheer determination. “I was about to give up,” he continued. “I struggled to get to the steps of the kiva. I crawled up there. When I finally made it to the roof of the kiva they called my name. I was home.”
Unable to move, he was assisted into the warmth of the ceremonial chamber. “They put me in a place to sit. I sat down and within ten minutes I found myself sleeping. The old man came. He said, ‘Wake up. You can’t sleep now.”
Completing the initiation, Delfred Leslie became a full-fledged Hopi, privy to the deeper aspects of their traditions. The experience left him profoundly humble. “I thought I was tough,” he admitted. “I thought I could do it, but it was hard on me, very hard. It made me humble in that way.” He realized an essential truth through his trials: “The difficult in life,” the Hopi said, “just makes you stronger, makes you durable, makes you everlasting.”
Scott Thybony is a Flagstaff-based writer. His Canyon Commentaries are produced by KNAU Arizona Public Radio.
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