Rangjung Rigpe Dorje
Religion	Tibetan Buddhism
School	Karma Kagyu
Other name(s)	His Holiness Rangjung Rigpei Dorje
Personal
Born	(1924-08-14)August 14, 1924 Dergé, Kham, Tibet
Died	November 5, 1981(1981-11-05) (aged 57)
Senior posting
Title	16th Gyalwa Karmapa

Part of a series on Tibetan Buddhism
History
Timeline · Related-topics
Schools
Nyingma · Kagyu · Sakya · Gelug · Bön · Jonang
Key concepts
Three marks of existence · Skandha · Cosmology · Saṃsāra · Rebirth · Bodhisattva · Dharma · Dependent origination · Karma
Major figures
Gautama Buddha · Padmasambhava · Je Tsongkhapa · Dalai Lama · Panchen Lama · Lama · Karmapa Lama · Rinpoche · Geshe · Terton · Tulku
Practices and attainment
Buddhahood · Avalokiteśvara · Four stages of enlightenment · Tantric yoga · Paramitas · Meditation · Laity
Major monasteries
Changzhug · Drepung · Dzogchen · Ganden · Jokhang · Kumbum  · Labrang · Mindroling · Namgyal · Narthang · Nechung · Pabonka · Palcho · Ralung · Ramoche · Sakya · Sanga · Sera · Shalu · Tashilhunpo · Tsurphu · Yerpa
Major festivals
Chotrul Duchen · Dajyur · Losar · Monlam · Sho Dun
Texts
Kangyur · Tengyur · Tibetan canon · Mahayana sutras · Nyingma Gyubum
Art
Sand mandala · Thangka · Ashtamangala · Tree of physiology
Outline  · Comparative studies  · Culture  · List of topics  · Portal
view talk edit

This article's factual accuracy is disputed. Please help to ensure that disputed facts are reliably sourced. See the relevant discussion on the talk page. (January 2009)

The sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje (August 14, 1924–November 5, 1981) (Wylie Rang 'byung rig pa'i rdo rje) was spiritual leader of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He was born in Denkhok in the Dergé district of Kham (Eastern Tibet), near the Yangtze River.

Biography[link]

Jampal Tsultrim, the fifteenth Karmapa's personal attendant, had been entrusted by him with a prediction letter concerning the details of the incarnation of the 16th Karmapa. Certain details^{[clarification needed]} were clarified by the 1st Beru Khyentse Rinpoche, the 11th Tai Situ Rinpoche and the 2nd Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, which helped to successfully locate Rangjung Rigpe Dorje.

He was taken to Palpung Monastery where Situ Pema Wangchok gave him ordination, the Bodhisattva vows and many teachings. Beru Khyentse Lodro Miza Pampa'i Gocha taught him the tantras. Bo Kangkar Rinpoche taught him the sutras. Jamgon Palden Kyentse Oser taught him Mahamudra and the 6 Yogas of Naropa. He regarded Situ Pema Wangchok and Jamgon Palden Kyentse Oser as his main teachers.

In 1931, at the age of seven, he performed his first Black Crown ceremony. Thousands were witness to this amazing event. It was said^{[by whom?]} that a rain of flowers fell and the sky was filled with rainbows.^[1] Even while still very young, the great power of the 16th Karmapa became widely known^{[by whom?]}. It was recorded^{[by whom?]} that he took his attendant's sword and tied it in a knot.^[2] He received his hair cutting ceremony at age thirteen from Thubten Gyatso, 13th Dalai Lama.^[1]

During his education he received all the Kagyu transmissions and was also taught by the Sakya Trizin for many years. In the beginning of the 1940 he went into retreat and in 1947 started a pilgrimage to India together with Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. Rangjung continued his education with the 10th Mindrolling Trichen of the Nyingma School and it was concluded with the Kalachakra initiation of the Gelugpa School. Rangjung had therefore received all the major teachings of all the major Tibetan Buddhist schools.

The 16th Karmapa continued his predecessor's activities, travelling and teaching throughout Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim, India and parts of China. His activity also included locating the rebirths of high reincarnate lamas through his meditation.

Escape from Tibet[link]

Political circumstances altered Tibet radically with the 1950 takeover by the Chinese. Karmapa, along with the Dalai Lama, government officials and other high lamas attended talks in Beijing to negotiate a settlement, which succeeded for a while, but in 1959 the Chinese government insisted on land reform and the conflict with the lamas who owned a lot of land accelerated.

In February of that year, Karmapa took 160 students from Tsurphu Monastery and proceeded overland to Bhutan, taking the lineage's most sacred treasures and relics with them.^[3]

Tashi Namgyal, the King of Sikkim, offered land to the Karmapa near the site where the 14th Karmapa had established a monastery. It was here that his new seat, Rumtek Monastery was built in 1966. The traditional seat of the Karmapa, Tsurphu Monastery, still exists, but the number of monks is restricted.^[4]

Focus on the Western World[link]

In the beginning of the 1970s the Karmapa made the prediction^{[citation needed]} that Tibet would have a hard struggle gaining independence and even if it did, it would not allow the refugees to return. Rumtek would not be a good place either, and although Sikkim and Bhutan are still stable, they can deteriorate as well. However the Western world will embrace Buddhism. And after that predication he sent Lama Gendün to Europe.^[5]

In 1974, with the help of Freda Bedi, he embarked on his first world tour, travelling to Europe, Canada and the United States, giving several Black Crown ceremonies, and an audience was granted by Pope Paul VI. In 1976-77 he began a more exhaustive tour, giving extensive teachings and empowerments and visiting nearly every major city in Europe.

The sixteenth Karmapa helped foster the transmission of Tibetan Buddhism to the West. He established Dharma centers and monasteries in various places around the world in order to protect, preserve, and spread the Buddha's teachings. As part of an initiative by the Tibetan government-in-exile to consolidate the organizations of Tibetan Buddhism, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje became the first formal head of the Kagyu School, although the earlier Karmapas had long been considered the most prestigious and authoritative lamas of that school.

Death[link]

In 1980-81 the Karmapa began his last world tour, giving teachings, interviews and empowerments in South East Asia, Greece, England and the United States. Rangjung Rigpei Dorjé died on November 5, 1981 in the United States in a hospital in Zion, Illinois. Doctors and nurses at the hospital remarked on his kindness and how he seemed more concerned with their welfare than his own.^[6] One doctor was also struck by the Karmapa's refusal of pain medication and the absence of any signs of feeling the profound pain that most patients in his condition report.^[6] Upon his death, against hospital procedure but in keeping with Tibetan tradition and with special permission from the State of Illinois, his body was left in the hospital for three days and his heart remained warm during this time.^[2][6][7] Chief of staff Radulfo Sanchez had no medical explanation for this.^[8]

During the seven weeks between his death and his cremation, the Karmapa's body spontaneously shrank to the size of a small child. He was cremated in Rumtek. His two dogs died on the day of his cremation even though they were healthy.^[9] During the cremation a triple circular rainbow appeared above the monastery in a clear blue sky.^[6] Many photographs exist of this remarkable phenomenon. While his body burnt, an object rolled from the flames to the edge of the stupa to Lopon Chechu Rinpoche. This object was quickly recovered and proved to be the Karmapa's eyes, tongue and heart.^{[citation needed]} This was taken^{[by whom?]} to indicate that the body, speech and mind have come together to be saved as relics for the future and is common in only the highest of accomplished Buddhist yogis - exactly the same thing is said to have occurred during the cremation of Gampopa and the Second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi.^[10]

Legacy[link]

The simple presence of Karmapa would create a profound and lasting blessing on all people coming into contact with him. He himself said that a Buddha should be known by his laugh and it was said^{[by whom?]} that when Karmapa laughed, which he did all the time, one would hear him several houses away.

He also demonstrated a complete ability to communicate with animals, e.g., at a course in Europe, a large raven tapped on the window where Karmapa was teaching. When let in, the bird flew directly to Karmapa, after which he instructed two people to go to a barn a few miles down the road where two other birds were trapped and starving. Of course the birds were discovered and rescued.^[11] Rangjung Rigpe Dorje had a special fondness for birds and he considered a visit to the local petshop in every city in the world an essential part of his travels.

Rangjung Rigpe Dorje was considered by many^{[by whom?]} to be a living Buddha. Like his predecessors, he was primarily a spiritual figure and therefore not involved in politics. He, instead, made efforts to keep the spiritual traditions of Tibet intact and in this way helped to preserve the identity of Tibet as a unique and individual culture. Spiritually, he is an inspiration to hundreds of thousands of people across the world who meditate on him daily.

References[link]

Other sources used:

• Kagyu Life International Volume 3 'A Brief History of the Karma Kagyu Lineage of Tibet' by Topga Yugyal Rinpoche
• Buddhism Today Volume 2 1996 'The Karmapas of Tibet' By Brooke Webb
• Buddhism Today Issue 15 2005 Volume 1 'The Golden kagyu Garland' By Bruce Tawer
• 'Riding the Tiger' by Ole Nydahl
• 'Entering the Diamond Way' by Ole Nydahl

External links[link]

• Biography of the 16th Karmapa at Simhas.org (Ogyen faction)
• Biography of the 16th Karmapa at Diamondway Buddhism (Thaye faction)

v t e Karmapas Recognition of the Seventeenth Karmapa Düsum Khyenpa Karma Pakshi Rangjung Dorje Rolpe Dorje Deshin Shekpa Thongwa Dönden Chödrak Gyatso Mikyö Dorje Wangchuk Dorje Chöying Dorje Yeshe Dorje Changchub Dorje Dudul Dorje Thekchok Dorje Khakyab Dorje Rangjung Rigpe Dorje Trinley Thaye Dorje / Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Karmapa
The 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje (1924 - 1981)
Tibetan name
Tibetan:	རྒྱལ་བ་ཀརྨ་པ་
Wylie transliteration:	rgyal ba karma pa
Tournadre Phonetic:	Karmapa
pronunciation in IPA:	[kaːmapa]
official transcription (PRC):	Garmaba
other transcriptions:	—
Chinese name
traditional:	噶瑪巴
simplified:	噶玛巴
Pinyin:	gámǎbā

Part of a series on Tibetan Buddhism
History
Timeline · Related-topics
Schools
Nyingma · Kagyu · Sakya · Gelug · Bön · Jonang
Key concepts
Three marks of existence · Skandha · Cosmology · Saṃsāra · Rebirth · Bodhisattva · Dharma · Dependent origination · Karma
Major figures
Gautama Buddha · Padmasambhava · Je Tsongkhapa · Dalai Lama · Panchen Lama · Lama · Karmapa Lama · Rinpoche · Geshe · Terton · Tulku
Practices and attainment
Buddhahood · Avalokiteśvara · Four stages of enlightenment · Tantric yoga · Paramitas · Meditation · Laity
Major monasteries
Changzhug · Drepung · Dzogchen · Ganden · Jokhang · Kumbum  · Labrang · Mindroling · Namgyal · Narthang · Nechung · Pabonka · Palcho · Ralung · Ramoche · Sakya · Sanga · Sera · Shalu · Tashilhunpo · Tsurphu · Yerpa
Major festivals
Chotrul Duchen · Dajyur · Losar · Monlam · Sho Dun
Texts
Kangyur · Tengyur · Tibetan canon · Mahayana sutras · Nyingma Gyubum
Art
Sand mandala · Thangka · Ashtamangala · Tree of physiology
Outline  · Comparative studies  · Culture  · List of topics  · Portal
view talk edit

Karmapa's flag

The Karmapa (officially His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa, sometimes spelled Gyalwang Karmapa) is the head of the Karma Kagyu, the largest sub-school of the Kagyupa (Tibetan Bka' brgyud), itself one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

The historical seat of the Karmapas is Tsurphu Monastery in the Tolung valley of Tibet. His Holiness' principal seat in exile is the Dharma Chakra Centre at Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, India. His regional monastic seats are Karma Triyana Dharmachakra in New York, Dhagpo Kagyu Ling in France and Tashi Choling in Bhutan.

Due to a controversy within the Karma Kagyu school over the recognition process, the identity of the current 17th Karmapa is disputed. See Karmapa controversy for details.

Origin of the lineage[link]

The first Karmapa, Düsum Khyenpa (Dus gsum Mkhyen pa) (1110–1193), was a disciple of the Tibetan master Gampopa. A talented child who studied dharma (Buddhist teachings) with his father from an early age and who sought out great teachers in his twenties and thirties, he is said to have attained enlightenment at the age of fifty while practicing dream yoga. He was henceforth regarded as the Karmapa, a manifestation of Avalokitesvara (Chenrezig), whose coming was predicted in the Samadhiraja Sutra^[1] and the Lankavatara Sutra.^[2]

The source of the oral lineage, traditionally traced back to the Buddha Vajradhara, was transmitted to the Indian master of mahamudra and tantra called Tilopa (989-1069), through Naropa (1016–1100) to Marpa and Milarepa. These forefathers of the Kagyu (Bka' brGyud) lineage are collectively called the "golden rosary".

The second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi (1204–1283), is often said to be the first person ever recognized and empowered as a tulku (sprul sku), a reincarnated lama (bla ma).^[3]

Black Crown[link]

The Karmapas are the holders of the Black Crown (Tibetan: Shanag, Wylie: Zhwa-nag) and are thus sometimes known as the Black Hat Lamas. This crown (Tib. rang 'byung cod pan, lit. self-arisen crown), is traditionally said to have been woven by the dakinis from their hair and given to Karmapa, in recognition of his spiritual realization. The physical crown displayed by the Karmapas was offered to the fifth Karmapa by the Chinese Yongle Emperor as a material representation of the spiritual one.

The crown was last known to be located at Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, the last home of the 16th Karmapa, although that location has been subject to some upheaval since 1993 causing some to worry as to whether or not it is still there. An inventory of items remaining at Rumtek is purported to be something the Indian government is going to undertake in the near future.

List of previous Karmapas[link]

1. Düsum Khyenpa (དུས་གསུམ་མཁྱེན་པ་) (1110–1193)
2. Karma Pakshi (ཀརྨ་པཀྵི་) (1204–1283)
3. Rangjung Dorje (རང་འབྱུང་རྡོ་རྗེ་) (1284–1339)
4. Rolpe Dorje (རོལ་པའི་རྡོ་རྗེ་) (1340–1383)
5. Deshin Shekpa (དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པ་)(1384–1415)
6. Thongwa Dönden (མཐོང་བ་དོན་ལྡན་) (1416–1453)
7. Chödrak Gyatso (ཆོས་གྲགས་རྒྱ་མཚོ་) (1454–1506)
8. Mikyö Dorje (མི་བསྐྱོད་རྡོ་རྗེ་) (1507–1554)
9. Wangchuk Dorje (དབང་ཕྱུག་རྡོ་རྗེ་) (1556–1603)
10. Chöying Dorje (ཆོས་དབྱིངས་རྡོ་རྗེ་) (1604–1674)
11. Yeshe Dorje (ཡེ་ཤེས་རྡོ་རྗེ་) (1676–1702)
12. Changchub Dorje (བྱང་ཆུབ་རྡོ་རྗེ་) (1703–1732)
13. Dudul Dorje (བདུད་འདུལ་རྡོ་རྗེ་) (1733–1797)
14. Thekchok Dorje (ཐེག་མཆོག་རྡོ་རྗེ་) (1798–1868)
15. Khakyab Dorje (མཁའ་ཁྱབ་རྡོ་རྗེ་) (1871–1922)
16. Rangjung Rigpe Dorje (རང་འབྱུང་རིག་པའི་རྡོ་རྗེ་) (1924–1981)
17. Controversy over whether the true Karmapa is Ogyen Trinley Dorje (ཨོ་རྒྱན་འཕྲིན་ལས་རྡོ་རྗེ།) (b. 1985), or Trinley Thaye Dorje (ཕྲིན་ལས་མཐའ་ཡས་རྡོ་རྗེ།) (b. 1983)

See also[link]

• Shamarpa
• Thrangu Rinpoche
• Dorje Pakmo
• Karmapa controversy

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Ken Holmes, Karmapa, Altea Publishing 1995, ISBN 0-9524555-4-4. Author's website (While the book and web site favours one candidate for the 17th the information on 1st-16th is useful and was the original source for this article)
• Maheshwari, Anil, The Buddha Cries!: Karmapa Conundrum, UBS Publishers' Distributors LTD. 2000, New Delhi, India. ISBN 81-7476-305-8
• Michele Martin, Music in the Sky: The Life, Art and Teachings of the Seventeenth Karmapa, Karmapa Orgyen Trinley Dorje, Snow Lion Publications 2003, ISBN 1-55939-195-2
• Mick Brown, The Dance of 17 Lives: The Incredible True Story of Tibet's 17th Karmapa, Bloomsbury 2005, ISBN 1-58234-598-8.
• Naher, Gaby. (2004). Wrestling the Dragon: In Search of the Boy Lama Who Defied China. Vintage Books, Random House. Sydney, Australia. ISBN 1-84413-231-5.
• "Buddha's Not Smiling: Uncovering Corruption at the Heart of Tibetan Buddhism Today" by Erik D. Curren, Alaya Press, Feb 2006, Paper. ISBN 0-9772253-0-5.

External links[link]

The history of the Karmapa lineage, including biographical details of the historical Karmapas, can be found at the following web sites. Notice that the websites are written to those loyal to one or other of the rival 17th Karmapas, and their accounts of previous incarnations may not be written from a neutral point of view.

• Karmapa lineage history on kagyuoffice.org, the website of Ogyen Trinley Dorje
• Karmapa lineage history on karmapa.org, the website of Thaye Dorje
• Information on past and present Karmapas from khandro.net, a website supporting Ogyen Trinley Dorje

v t e Karmapas Recognition of the Seventeenth Karmapa Düsum Khyenpa Karma Pakshi Rangjung Dorje Rolpe Dorje Deshin Shekpa Thongwa Dönden Chödrak Gyatso Mikyö Dorje Wangchuk Dorje Chöying Dorje Yeshe Dorje Changchub Dorje Dudul Dorje Thekchok Dorje Khakyab Dorje Rangjung Rigpe Dorje Trinley Thaye Dorje / Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Karmapa

Trinley Thaye Dorje
Religion	Vajrayana
School	Karma Kagyu
Personal
Born	(1983-05-06) May 6, 1983 (age 29) Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, PRC
Senior posting
Title	His Holiness 17th KarmapaCo-claimant along with Ogyen Trinley Dorje
Predecessor	Rangjung Rigpe Dorje
Religious career
Reincarnation	KarmapaCo-claimant along with Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Part of a series on Tibetan Buddhism
History
Timeline · Related-topics
Schools
Nyingma · Kagyu · Sakya · Gelug · Bön · Jonang
Key concepts
Three marks of existence · Skandha · Cosmology · Saṃsāra · Rebirth · Bodhisattva · Dharma · Dependent origination · Karma
Major figures
Gautama Buddha · Padmasambhava · Je Tsongkhapa · Dalai Lama · Panchen Lama · Lama · Karmapa Lama · Rinpoche · Geshe · Terton · Tulku
Practices and attainment
Buddhahood · Avalokiteśvara · Four stages of enlightenment · Tantric yoga · Paramitas · Meditation · Laity
Major monasteries
Changzhug · Drepung · Dzogchen · Ganden · Jokhang · Kumbum  · Labrang · Mindroling · Namgyal · Narthang · Nechung · Pabonka · Palcho · Ralung · Ramoche · Sakya · Sanga · Sera · Shalu · Tashilhunpo · Tsurphu · Yerpa
Major festivals
Chotrul Duchen · Dajyur · Losar · Monlam · Sho Dun
Texts
Kangyur · Tengyur · Tibetan canon · Mahayana sutras · Nyingma Gyubum
Art
Sand mandala · Thangka · Ashtamangala · Tree of physiology
Outline  · Comparative studies  · Culture  · List of topics  · Portal
view talk edit

Trinley Thaye Dorje (Tibetan: ཕྲིན་ལས་མཐའ་ཡས་རྡོ་རྗེ་, Wylie: Phrin-las Mtha'-yas Rdo-rje) (born 6 May 1983, Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China) is a claimant to the title of 17th Karmapa.

The Karmapa is head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Ogyen Trinley Dorje and Thaye Dorje are the persisting claimants to that office and title.

Biography[link]

Trinley Thaye Dorje is the son of the 3rd Mipham Rinpoche of Junyung Monastery, one of several persons believed^{[by whom?]} to be a reincarnation of Ju Mipham, an important lama of the Nyingmapa school, and Dechen Wangmo, the daughter of a noble family descended from King Gesar of Ling.^[1] At the age of six months the boy is reported to have started telling people that he was the Karmapa.^[2] (The identification of the 17th Karmapa is disputed. See Karmapa controversy)

In 1988 Shamar Rinpoche went on a secret visit to Lhasa to investigate whether Thaye Dorje was the reincarnation of the Karmapa, because, he said, the boy appeared to him in a dream.^[3] In March 1994, Thaye Dorje and his family escaped from Tibet to Nepal and then to India, where Shamar Rinpoche formally recognized him as the 17th Karmapa. In 1994 Thaye Dorje was enthroned by the 14th Kunzig Shamarpa as the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa at the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute in New Delhi, India.

Eastern and western education[link]

Thaye Dorje subsequently began an intense period of traditional monastic training. He has received training and transmissions in Buddhist philosophy and practice. His teachers have included the 14th Shamar Rinpoche, Professor Sempa Dorje and Khenpo Chödrak Tenphel. As a result of this, Thaye Dorje was enthroned as Vidhyadhara (Knowledge Holder) by the 14th Shamarpa in December 2003 at the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute.^[4]

Alongside this traditional Buddhist training, Thaye Dorje has received a modern Western education from English and Australian tutors and an intensive introduction to Western philosophy from Professor Harrison Pemberton of Washington and Lee University in the USA.^[5]

Thaye Dorje currently lives in Kalimpong, India where he continues the thorough traditional education required for a holder of the Karmapa title. On May 17, 2006 Thaye Dorje was officially appointed by the Karmapa Charitable Trust as the legal and administrative heir of the 16th Karmapa and can therefore, according to the Trust, live in Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim. However, because the group of monks currently in physical control of Rumtek oppose Thaye Dorje and the legal proceedings between the supporters of the two claimaints have not reached a final conclusion, Thaye Dorje's headquarters remain in Kalimpong for the time being.^[6]

Controversy[link]

Title claim[link]

After the death of H.H. the 16th Karmapa in 1981, the four most senior Karma Kagyu lamas held responsibilities in his absence: the Shamar Rinpoche, the Tai Situ Rinpoche, the Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche and the Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche. Differences between them led to a divide being formed, along with claims that two different individuals are the sole, genuine reincarnation of the 16th Karmapa.^[7] Trinley Thaye Dorje and Ogyen Trinley Dorje have each undergone separate processes of recognition, carried out by different people, at different times, in addition to separate enthronement ceremonies. Both lay claim to the title of H.H. the 17th Karmapa.^[8][9]

Ogyen Trinley Dorje was recognized by Situ Rinpoche and Gyaltsab Rinpoche. On June 30, 1992, following meetings with senior Karma Kagyu leaders, H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama issued an official letter with his seal of confirmation.^[10][11] Ogyen Trinley Dorje's enthronement ceremony took place at Tsurphu Monastery on September 27, 1992.^[12][13] Trinley Thaye Dorje was recognized by Shamar Rinpoche. His enthronement ceremony took place at the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute on March 17, 1994.^[14][15] The 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche died in a car crash on April 26, 1992, prior to either recognition or enthronement ceremony.^[16]

Disciple recognition[link]

Disagreement exists over the recognition of the reincarnated disciples of H.H. the 16th Karmapa.

Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche[link]

Two individuals are claimed to be the sole, genuine reincarnation of H.E. the 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche:

• Chokyi Nyima^[17] is recognized by Ogyen Trinley Dorje
• Yangsi^[18] is recognized by Trinley Thaye Dorje.

See also[link]

• Karmapa
• Karma Kagyu
• Karmapa controversy

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Trinley Thaye Dorje

• Official Homepage of 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje
• page of 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje on MySpace
• Karmapa Documentary Project
• Kagyu Asia

v t e Karmapas Recognition of the Seventeenth Karmapa Düsum Khyenpa Karma Pakshi Rangjung Dorje Rolpe Dorje Deshin Shekpa Thongwa Dönden Chödrak Gyatso Mikyö Dorje Wangchuk Dorje Chöying Dorje Yeshe Dorje Changchub Dorje Dudul Dorje Thekchok Dorje Khakyab Dorje Rangjung Rigpe Dorje Trinley Thaye Dorje / Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Hopi

Hopi portraits
Total population
6,946 (2000)[1]
Regions with significant populations
United States ( Arizona)
Languages
Hopi, English
Related ethnic groups
Zuni, Pueblo peoples

The Hopi are a federally recognized tribe of Native American people, who primarily live on the 2,531.773 sq mi (6,557.26 km²) Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi area according to the 2000 census has a population of 6,946 people.^[1] The Hopi language is one of the 30 of the Uto-Aztecan language family.

The Hopi Reservation is entirely surrounded by the much larger Navajo Reservation. The two nations used to share the Navajo-Hopi Joint Use Area, but this was a source of conflict. The partition of this area, commonly known as Big Mountain, by Acts of Congress in 1974 and 1996, has also resulted in long-term controversy.^[2][3][4]

History[link]

The Hopi and Zuni are believed to have been descended from the ancient Puebloan cultures who constructed large apartment-house complexes in northeastern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico. They lived along the Mogollon Rim, especially from the AD1100s through the 1300s, when they abandoned their large villages. No researchers have been able to determine the reason, although it is likely that a drying of watercourses would have forced the peoples away.

Oraibi[link]

Oraibi is one of four original Hopi villages, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited villages within the territory of the United States. In the 1540s the village was recorded as having 1,500–3,000 residents.^[5]

Early European contact, 1540–1680[link]

The first recorded European contact with the Hopi was by the Spanish in 1540. Spanish General Francisco Vásquez de Coronado went to North America to explore the land. While at the Zuni villages, he learned of the Hopi tribe. Coronado dispatched Pedro de Tovar and other members of their party to find the Hopi villages.^[6] The Spanish wrote that the first Hopi village they visited was Awatovi. They noted that there were about 16,000 Hopi and Zuni people.^[5] A few years later, the Spanish explorer García López de Cárdenas investigated the Rio Grande and met the Hopi. They warmly entertained Cardenas and his men and directed him on his journey.^[6]

In 1582–1583 the Hopi were visited by Antonio de Espejo’s expedition. He noted that there were five Hopi villages and around 12,000 Hopi people.^[5] During these early years, the Spanish explored and colonized the southwestern region of the New World, but never sent many forces or settlers to the Hopi country.^[6] Their visits to the Hopi were random and spread out over many years. Many times the visits were from military explorations.

The Spanish colonized near the Rio Grande and, because the Hopi did not live near rivers that gave access to the Río Grande, the Spanish never left any troops on their land.^[7] The Spanish were accompanied by missionaries, Catholic friars. Beginning in 1629, with the arrival of 30 friars in Hopi country, the Franciscan Period started. The Franciscans had missionaries assigned and built a church at Awatovi. The Hopi originally were against conversion to Catholicism. After an incident where Father Porras purportedly restored the sight of a blind youth by placing a cross over his eyes, the Hopi at Awatovi believed in Christianity. Most Hopi in the other villages continued to resist conversion, wanting to maintain their own ways.^[6]

Pueblo Revolt of 1680[link]

The priests were not very successful in converting the natives, and persecuted the Hopi for keeping their religion. The Spaniards took advantage of Hopi labor and the products they produced. The harsh treatment by the Spanish caused the Hopi to become less tolerant.^[7] The only significant conversions were at the pueblo of Awatovi.^[6] Eventually the Rio Grande Pueblo Indians suggested a revolt in the year 1680, and Hopi supported them.^[7]

This was the first time that different Pueblo people had worked together to drive the Spanish colonists away. The Hopi revolted against the Spanish, attacking missions, killing friars and destroying the Catholic churches. After the revolt it took two decades for the Spanish to reassert their control over the Rio Grande Pueblos. Spanish influence in the distant Hopi country was limited, but by 1700, the friars had begun rebuilding a smaller church at Awatovi. During the winter of 1700–01, the other Hopi villages sacked Awatovi at the request of the village chief, killed the men of the village, and carried off the women and children. Despite intermittent attempts in the course of the 17th century, the Spanish failed to reestablish a presence in the Hopi country.^[6]

Hopi-U.S relations, 1849–1946[link]

Nampeyo Ceramic jar, circa 1880

In 1849, James S. Calhoun was appointed official Indian agent of Indian Affairs for the Southwest Territory of the U.S. He had headquarters in Santa Fe and was responsible for all of the Indian residents of the area. The first formal meeting between the Hopi and the U.S government occurred in 1850 when seven Hopi leaders made the trip to Santa Fe to meet with Calhoun. They wanted the government to provide protection against the Navajo, an Apachean-language tribe, but distinct from other Apache. At this time, the Hopi leader was Nakwaiyamtewa.

The US established Fort Defiance in 1851 in Arizona, and placed troops in Navajo country to deal with their threats to the Hopi. General James J. Carleton, with the assistance of Kit Carson, was assigned to travel through the area. They “captured” the Navajo natives and forced them to the fort. As a result of the Long Walk of the Navajo, the Hopi enjoyed a short period of peace.^[8]

In 1847, Mormons founded Utah and tried to convert the Indians to Mormonism.^[7] Jacob Hamblin, a Mormon missionary, first made a trip into Hopi country in 1858. He was on good terms with the Hopi Indians, and in 1875 a LDS Church was built on Hopi land.^[8]

Education[link]

In 1875, the English trader Thomas Keams escorted Hopi leaders to meet President Chester A. Arthur in Washington D.C. Loololma, village chief of Oraibi at the time, was very impressed with Washington. As he concluded that education allowed the whites to live that way, he returned wanting a formal school to be built for the Hopi children.^[8] In 1886, twenty of the Hopi leaders signed a petition sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs requesting that a school be built on their land.^[5] In 1887, Thomas Keams opened Keams Canyon Boarding School at Keams Canyon for the Hopi children.^[8]

The Oraibi people did not support the school and refused to send their children 35 miles (56 km) away from their villages. The Keams School was organized to teach the Hopi youth the ways of European-American civilization: forcing them to use English and give up their traditional ways.^[5] The children were forced to abandon their tribal identity and completely take on the European-American culture. They received haircuts, new clothes, took on Anglo names, and learned English. The boys learned farming and carpentry skills, while the girls were taught ironing, sewing and “civilized” dining. Keams School also reinforced American religions. The American Baptist Home Mission Society provided the students with services every morning and religious teachings during the week.^[9] In 1890, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs arrived in Hopi country with other government officials to review the progress of the new school. Seeing that few students were enrolled, they returned with federal troops who threatened to arrest the Hopi parents if they refused to send their children to school. The Commissioner took children to fill the school.^[5]

Hopi land[link]

The Hopi have always viewed their land as sacred. Agriculture is a very important part of their culture, and their villages are spread out across the northern part of Arizona. The Hopi and the Navajo did not have a conception of land being bounded and divided. They lived on the land that their ancestors did. On December 16, 1882 President Arthur passed an executive order creating a reservation for the Hopi. It was much smaller than the Navajo reservation, which was the largest in the country.^[5]

The Hopi reservation was originally a rectangle 55 by 70 miles (110 km), in the middle of the Navajo Reservation, with their village lands taking about half of the land.^[10] The reservation prevented encroachment by white settlers, but it did not protect the Hopis against the Navajos.^[5]

The Hopi and the Navajo continued to fight over land, and they had different models of sustainability, as the Navajo were sheepherders. Eventually the Hopi went before the Senate Committee of Interior and Insular Affairs to ask them to help provide a solution to the dispute. The tribes argued over around 1,800,000 acres (7,300 km²) of land in northern Arizona.^[11] In 1887 the U.S government passed the Dawes Allotment Act. The purpose was to divide up communal tribal land into individual allotments by household, to encourage a model of European-American style subsistence farming on individually owned family plots of 640 acres (2.6 km²) or less. The Department of Interior would declare remaining land "surplus" to the tribe's needs and make it available for purchase by U.S citizens. For the Hopi, the Act would destroy their ability to farm, which was their main means of income. The Bureau of Indian Affairs did not set up land allotments in the Southwest.^[12]

Oraibi split[link]

Abandoned house and panoramic view from Oraibi village

The chief of the Oraibi, Lololoma, was very enthusiastic regarding Hopi education, but the people were divided on this issue. Most of the village was conservative and refused to allow their children to attend school. The Indians were referred to as the “hostiles” because they opposed the American government and its attempts to force assimilation. The rest of the Oraibi were called the “friendlies” because of their acceptance of the white people. The “hostiles” refused to let their children attend school. In 1893, the Oraibi Day School was opened in the Oraibi village. Although the school was within the village, the traditional parents still refused to allow their children to attend.

In 1894, a group of Hopi parents announced that they were against the ideas of Washington and did not want their children to be exposed to the culture of the white American people. The government sent in troops to arrest the 19 parents and sent them to Alcatraz Prison, where they stayed for a year.^[5] Another Oraibi leader, Lomahongyoma, competed with Lololoma for village leadership. In 1906 the village split after a conflict between Hostiles and Friendlies. The conservative Hostiles left and formed a new village, known as Hotevilla.^[8]

Hopi recognition[link]

At the turn of the century, the U.S government established day schools, missionaries, farming assistants and physicians on every Indian reservation. This policy required that every reservation set up its own Indian-police and Tribal courts, and appoint a chief or leader who would represent their tribe within the U.S government. In 1910 in the Census for Indians, the Hopi Tribe had a total of 2,000 members, which was the highest in 20 years. The Navajo at this time had 22,500 members and have consistently increased in population. During the early years of this century, only about 3% of Hopis lived off the reservation.^[10] In 1924 Congress officially declared Native Americans to be U.S citizens.

Under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, the Hopi established a constitution to create their own tribal government, and in 1936 elected a Tribal Council.^[8] The Preamble to the Hopi constitution states that they are a self-governing tribe, focused on working together for peace and agreements between villages in order to preserve the “good things of Hopi life.” The Constitution consists of thirteen different “Articles,” all with a different topic of interest. The articles cover the topics of territory, membership, and organization of their government with a legislative, executive and judicial branch. The rest of the articles discuss the twelve villages recognized by the tribe, lands, elections, Bill of Rights and more.^[13]

Hopi-Navajo land disputes[link]

From the 1940s to the 1970s, the Navajo kept moving their villages closer and closer to Hopi land, causing the Hopi to raise the land issue with the U.S government. This resulted in the establishment of “District 6” which placed a boundary around the Hopi villages on the first, second, and third mesas, thinning the reservation to 501,501 acres (2,029.50 km²).^[8] In 1962 the courts issued the “Opinion, Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law and Judgment,” which stated that the U.S government did not grant the Navajo any type of permission to reside on the Hopi Reservation that was declared in 1882; and that the remaining Hopi land was to be shared with the Navajo.^[14]

Between 1961–1964, the Hopi tribal council signed leases with the U.S government that allowed for companies to explore and drill for oil, gas and minerals within Hopi country. This drilling brought over 3 million dollars to the Hopi Tribe.^[15] In 1974, The Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act was passed. It created the Navajo-Hopi Indian Relocation Commission, which forced the relocation of any Hopi or Navajo living on the other’s land. In 1992, the Hopi Reservation was increased to 1,500,000 acres (6,100 km²).^[14]

Today[link]

The Hopi tribe is federally recognized and headquartered in Kykotsmovi, Arizona. Their current tribal chairperson is Leroy Shingiotewa.^[16] The tribal council was established on December 19, 1936, and the current administration is as follows:

Economic development[link]

The Hopi tribe earns most of its income from natural resources. On the 1,800,000-acre (7,300 km²) reservation, a significant amount of coal is mined yearly.^[12] Peabody Western Coal Company is one of the largest coal operations on Hopi land, with long-time permits for continued mining.^[18]

The tribe's 2010 operating budget was $21.8 million, and projected mining revenues for 2010 was $12.8 million.^[19]

The Hopi Economic Development Corporation is the tribal enterprise tasked with creating diverse, viable economic opportunities. The HEDC oversees the Hopi Cultural Center and Walpi Housing Management. Other HEDC businesses include the Hopi Three Canyon Ranches, between Flagstaff and Winslow; and the 26 Bar Ranch in Eagar; Hopi Travel Plaza in Holbrook; three commercial properties in Flagstaff; and the Kokopelli Inn in Sedona.^[20]

Tourism is a source of income, and the tribe's opening of the 100-room Moenkopi Legacy Inn and Suites in Moenkopi, Arizona, near Tuba City, Arizona,^[21] is the second hotel on the reservation. It provides non-Hopi a venue for entertainment, lectures, and educational demonstrations, as well as tours and lodging. The project is expected to support 400 jobs.^[22] The tribe operates the Tuuvi Travel Center and Tuuvi Café in Moenkopi.^[23]

The Hopi people have repeatedly voted against gambling casinos as an economic opportunity.^[24]

Culture[link]

Lewis Tewanima, Olympian athlete, 1911

Girl in the Hopi Reservation.

The name 'Hopi' is a shortened form of their autonym, Hopituh Shi-nu-mu ("The Peaceful People" or "Peaceful Little Ones").^[25] The Hopi Dictionary^[26] gives the primary meaning of the word "Hopi" as: "behaving one, one who is mannered, civilized, peaceable, polite, who adheres to the Hopi way." In the past, Hopi sometimes used the term "Hopi" and its cognates to refer to the Pueblo peoples in general, in contrast to other, more warlike tribes.^[27]

Hopi is a concept deeply rooted in the culture's religion, spirituality, and its view of morality and ethics. To be Hopi is to strive toward this concept, which involves a state of total reverence and respect for all things, to be at peace with these things, and to live in accordance with the instructions of Maasaw, the Creator or Caretaker of Earth. The Hopi observe their traditional ceremonies for the benefit of the entire world.

Traditionally, Hopi are organized into matrilineal clans. When a man marries, the children from the relationship are members of his wife's clan. These clan organizations extend across all villages. Children are named by the women of the father's clan. On the twentieth day of a baby's life, the women of the paternal clan gather, each woman bringing a name and a gift for the child. In some cases where many relatives would attend, a child could be given over forty names, for example. The child's parents generally decide the name to be used from these names. Current practice is to either use a non-Hopi or English name or the parent's chosen Hopi name. A person may also change the name upon initiation into one of the religious societies, such as the Kachina society, or with a major life event.

The Hopi practice a complete cycle of traditional ceremonies although not all villages retain or had the complete ceremonial cycle. These ceremonies take place according to the lunar calendar and are observed in each of the Hopi villages. Like other Native American groups, the Hopi have been influenced by Christianity and the missionary work of several Christian denominations. Few have converted enough to Christianity to drop their traditional religious practices.

Traditionally the Hopi are highly skilled micro or subsistence farmers. The Hopi also are part of the wider cash economy; a significant number of Hopi have mainstream jobs; others earn a living by creating high-quality Hopi art, notably the carving of Kachina dolls, the expert crafting of earthenware ceramics, and the design and production of fine jewelry, especially sterling silver.

Notable Hopi[link]

Michael Kabotie (1942—2009), silversmith and painter

• Thomas Banyacya (born ca.1909 - 1999), Interpreter and Spokesman for Hopi Traditional leaders
• Jean Fredericks (b. 1906–?), Hopi photographer and former Tribal Council chairman^[28][29]
• Diane Humetewa, US Attorney for the District of Arizona
• Fred Kabotie (ca. 1900–1986), painter and silversmith
• Michael Kabotie (1942–2009), painter, sculptor, and silversmith
• Charles Loloma (1912–1991), jeweler, ceramic artist, and educator
• Linda Lomahaftewa, printmaker, painter, and educator
• Helen Naha (1922–1993) potter
• Tyra Naha, potter
• Dan Namingha, (born 1950), Hopi-Tewa painter and sculptor
• Elva Nampeyo, potter
• Fannie Nampeyo, potter
• Iris Nampeyo (Nampeyo) (ca. 1860–1942), potter
• Lori Piestewa (1979–2003), US Army Quartermaster Corps soldier killed in Iraq War
• Dextra Quotskuyva (b. 1928), potter
• Don C. Talayesva (b. 1890–?), autobiographer and traditionalist
• Lewis Tewanima (1888–1969), Olympic distance runner and silver medalist
• Tuvi (Chief Tuba) (ca. 1810–1887), first Hopi convert to Mormonism after whom Tuba City, Arizona, was named

Historic photographs of Hopi[link]

• 

  Hopi Womens Dance, 1879, Oraibi, Arizona, photo by John K. Hillers

• 

  Dancer's Rock, 1879, Walpi, Arizona, photo by John K. Hillers

• 

  Traditional Hopi Village of Walpi, c. 1920.

• 

  Traditional Hopi Homes, c. 1906, photo by Edward S. Curtis

• Hopi snakepriest.jpg

  Kopeli, Hopi Snake Priest.

• 

  Hopi Basket Weaver c. 1900, photo by Henry Peabody

• 

  Hopi Basket Weaver.

• 

  Hopi girl, photo by Edward S. Curtis

• NampeyoHopiEndHerWork.1900.ws.jpg

  Iris Nampeyo, world famous Hopi ceramist, with her work, c. 1900, photo by Henry Peabody

• Hopi walpi.jpg

  Hopi girl at Walpi. c. 1900, with "squash blossom" hairdo indicative of her eligibility for courtship

• 

  Four young Hopi Indian women grinding grain, c. 1906, photo by Edward S. Curtis

• 

  Hopi woman dressing hair of unmarried girl, c. 1900, photo by Henry Peabody

See also[link]

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Adams, David Wallace. “Schooling the Hopi: Federal Indian Policy Writ Small, 1887–1917.” The Pacific Historical Review, Vol. 48, No. 3. University of California Press, (1979): 335–356.

• Brew, J.O. “Hopi Prehistory and History to 1850.” In Alonso Ortiz, vol. ed., Southwest, vol. 9, in William C. Sturtevant, gnl. ed., Handbook of North American Indians. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1979: 514–523.

• Clemmer, Richard O. “Hopi History, 1940–1974.” In Alonso Ortiz, vol. ed., Southwest, vol. 9, in William C. Sturtevant, gnl. ed., Handbook of North American Indians. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1979: 533–538.

• Clemmer, Richard O. “Roads in the Sky.” Boulder, Colorado.: Westview Press, Inc., 1995: 30–90.

• Constitution of the Hopi Tribe. National Tribal Justice Resource Center’s Tribal Codes and Constitutions. Online. Available: http://www.tribalresourcecenter.org/ccfolder/hopi_const.htm. November 13, 2009.

• Dockstader, Frederick J. “Hopi History, 1850–1940.” In Alonso Ortiz, vol. ed., Southwest, vol. 9, in William C. Sturtevant, gnl. ed., Handbook of North American Indians. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1979: 524–532.

• Hopi Cultural Preservation Office. Online. Available: http://www.nau.edu/~hcpo-p/. November 12, 2009.

• Hopi Education Endowment Fund. Online. Available: http://www.hopieducationfund.org/partners.html. November 13, 2009.

• Johansson, S. Ryan., and Preston, S.H. “Tribal Demography: The Hopi and Navaho Populations as Seen through Manuscripts from the 1900 U.S Census.” Social Science History, Vol. 3, No. 1. Duke University Press, (1978): 1–33.

• U.S Department of State, Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute: Hearing before the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, 1974. Washington DC: U.S Government Printing Office, (1974): 1–3.

• Whiteley, Peter M. “Deliberate Acts.” Tucson, Arizona: The University of Arizona Press, 1988.: 14–86.

Further reading[link]

• Clemmer, Richard O. "Roads in the Sky: The Hopi Indians In A Century of Change". Boulder: Westview Books, 1995.
• "Voice of Indigenous People – Native People Address the United Nations" Edited by Alexander Ewen, Clear Light Publishers, Santa Fe NM, 1994, 176 pages. Thomas Banyacya et al. at the United Nations
• Susanne and Jake Page, Hopi, Abradale Press, Harry N. Abrams, 1994, illustrated oversize hardcover, 230 pages, ISBN 0-8109-8127-0, 1982 edition, ISBN 0-8109-1082-9
• Alph Secakuku, "Hopi Kachina Tradition: Following the Sun and Moon" 1995
• Alfonso Ortiz, ed. Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 9, Southwest. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1979. ISBN 0-16-004577-0.
• New York Times article, "Reggae Rhythms Speak to an Insular Tribe" by Bruce Weber, September 19, 1999
• Frank Waters, The Book of the Hopi. Penguin (Non-Classics), (June 30, 1977), ISBN 0-14-004527-9
• Frank Waters, Masked Gods:Navaho & Pueblo Ceremonialism, Swallow Press, 1950; Ohio University Press, 1984, ISBN 0-8040-0641-5
• Hopi Nation: Essays on Indigenous Art, Culture, History, and Law, edited by Edna Glenn, John R. Wunder, Willard Hughes Rollings, and C. L. Martin, Ebook, 2008; online at http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/hopination/

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hopi

• Official Website of the Hopi Tribe
• Official website, Hopi Cultural Preservation Office,^{[dead link]}
• A Summary of Hopi Native American History
• Summary of the Hopi Indians, their culture and history, by MNSU Museum staff. Accessed 3/27/09
• General information on Hopi, by LM Smith, Four Corners Postcard, accessed 3/27/09
• The Unwritten Literature of the Hopi by Hattie Greene Lockett at Project Gutenberg
• "Hopi Indians". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07468a.htm. 
• Frank Waters Foundation, retrieved online February 22, 2008
• Sikyatki (ancestral Hopi) pottery