This ancient Arizona village split in two after a bizarre pushing contest

The Pushing Contest That Split Ancient Oraibi

Oraibi stood as America’s oldest town in 1906, home to 750 Hopi since 1100 AD. But the village soon split in two.

Chief Tawaquaptewa led “Friendlies” who backed U.S. schools for Hopi kids. Yukioma and his “Hostiles” fought to keep the old ways.

After years of fights, they chose a strange fix – a pushing match. For hours, men shoved each other across a line drawn in dirt.

When Yukioma lost, he drew his own line, stepped over it, and walked west. That night, his group left to build Hotevilla village.

The split changed Hopi life forever. You can still walk these ancient stone streets in Old Oraibi today.

America’s Oldest Village Reached Breaking Point in 1906

Oraibi stands as one of America’s oldest communities, with people living there since before 1100 AD.

Around 750 people called this Hopi village in Arizona home by 1905. For hundreds of years, Oraibi led other Hopi settlements as their main cultural center.

Europeans barely visited until the mid-1800s when government workers and church people showed up. Soon, the old Hopi ways faced huge pressure from federal rules that tried to change how they lived.

Two Chiefs Fought Over Their People’s Future

Bear Clan Chief Lololma led the “Friendlies” who wanted to work with the U.S. government. Spider Clan’s Yukioma headed the “Hostiles” who fought to keep Hopi ways unchanged.

After visiting Washington D.C. in 1875, Lololma liked what he saw of American schools and tools. Friendlies thought this would save Hopi land and help their people.

Hostiles believed any deal would ruin sacred Hopi beliefs that guided them for centuries.

School Rules Split Families Apart

The government opened Oraibi Day School in 1893 right in the village. Traditional parents refused to send their kids, fearing they’d forget Hopi language and customs.

Federal rules said all Hopi children must go to school as part of becoming more American. Parents who opposed these ideas wouldn’t let their children learn white American ways.

Both sides refused to give in, and trouble seemed ready to explode.

Soldiers Took Hopi Parents Who Said No

The army arrested 18 Hopis in November 1894 who wouldn’t send kids to school. Officials sent nineteen traditional leaders to Alcatraz Prison for a year as punishment.

Government workers told these prisoners they wouldn’t need to send children to school after coming home.

When the men returned, Indian agents claimed they never made such promises. This lie pushed more Hopi families to fight against government control.

Young Leader Took Over During the Crisis

Chief Lololma died around 1904 after decades of moderate Friendly leadership. Tawaquaptewa became the new Friendly chief at just 33 years old in 1904.

Tribal leaders picked him over his older brothers because they wanted someone with enough energy to force an answer.

Lomahongyoma fought with earlier Friendly leaders, creating more political troubles in the village. By 1906, Oraibi split between two competing groups.

More People Arrived as Tensions Grew

In March 1906, 52 “Hostile” Hopis from Shongopavi village moved to Oraibi to help the traditionalists.

Oraibi grew to about 750 people as both sides got ready for a final showdown. Traditional ceremonies fell apart because the two groups refused to cooperate.

Missionary H.R. Voth tried hard to stop a civil war as things got worse. Fighting broke out briefly at Shongopavi over school attendance before this group moved.

The Old Way to Decide: A Pushing Contest

On September 6, 1906, Yukioma went to Tawaquaptewa and suggested they settle their fight through a physical contest.

Yukioma drew a line in the dirt and said “From here on, all the land is under my care.”

The traditional “push of war” would fix things without bloodshed. Both chiefs agreed that whoever pushed the other across the line would win the dispute.

This peaceful competition would decide the future of their ancient home.

Hundreds Joined the Hours-Long Struggle

The pushing contest started with just the two chiefs locked in physical struggle. The event quickly turned chaotic as friends from each side joined in.

Men from both groups pushed their leaders, trying to force them across the drawn line. The contest lasted several hours as the two sides matched each other in strength.

Missionary Voth stepped in to make sure the physical contest didn’t turn into real fighting.

The Traditionalists Left Their Ancient Home Forever

After hours of struggle, Tawaquaptewa and the Friendlies finally pushed Yukioma across the line. According to traditional accounts, Yukioma stepped over the line and accepted his exile with dignity.

That same night, Yukioma and his followers packed up their belongings and left Oraibi permanently. The Hostile faction built the new village of Hotevilla six miles away as their spiritual center.

September 6, 1906 marked the end of Oraibi as a unified community after nearly a thousand years of cohesion.

More Villages Formed as Reconciliation Failed

Later attempts by displaced residents to move back to Oraibi completely failed. Bad blood remained between Tawaquaptewa’s followers and those who had left.

In 1909, a second group broke away from both Oraibi and Hotevilla to start Bacavi village. Government authorities put Yukioma in jail in 1912 and forced Tawaquaptewa to go to California for education.

The original fight over education and cultural preservation stayed unresolved despite the village splitting into three.

The Ancient Heart of Hopi Culture Stopped Beating

With most of its people gone, Oraibi lost its place as the center of Hopi culture.

Traditional ceremonies stopped and the village’s influence among the Hopi people shrank dramatically. By 1933, Oraibi’s population dropped to just 112 people from 750.

The Bear Clan fell apart when Tawaquaptewa died in 1960, and the village crumbled into ruins. The 1906 split completely changed Hopi society and ended Oraibi’s ancient role.

Visiting Old Oraibi, Arizona

You’ll reach Old Oraibi by taking a rough dirt road three miles west of Kykotsmovi Village off Arizona State Route 264. Stop at the gift shop first to ask permission from residents before entering.

No photography, recording, sketching or note-taking is allowed anywhere in the village. Stay away from kivas with visible ladders.

Ancient Pathways Tours offers one-hour guided visits with Bertram Tsavadawa. Residents sometimes sell traditional crafts and blue-corn piki bread during your visit.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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