Tuba (Chief)
| Tuba | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1810 Oraibi, Arizona |
| Died | 1887 (aged 77) |
| Nationality | Hopi |
| Other names | Tuvi, Toova |
| Known for | Headman of the Moencopi village; Hopi leader; conversion to the LDS Church |
Tuba (also Tuvi or Toova; c. 1810–1887) was a Hopi leader in the late 19th century. Tuba was the headman of the small Hopi village of Moencopi, roughly fifty miles west of the main villages on the Hopi mesas. However, he apparently was an important person in the village of Oraibi as well. Eventually, Tuba joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and later received his endowment in the St. George Temple. Tuba City, Arizona, was named in his honor.
Tuba was born in Oraibi, Arizona, as a member of the Short Corn Clan, or possibly the Pumpkin Clan. Hopi tradition does not record his birth name, but he told a Mormon missionary that said his Hopi name was "Woo Pah."
Tuba related to this same missionary that during the Mexican–American War (c. 1846), the Mexicans were in full retreat from the environs of the Hopi mesas. However, as they left they caused considerable trouble for the Hopis, and in fact one tried to steal a girl from Oraibi to take south with him. Apparently, Tuba's brother challenged the Mexican interloper to a kind of duel, and the pair fought with bowie knives in the village plaza. Tuba's brother was killed, but Tuba stepped in and killed the Mexican with a spear. This story seems of doubtful historical accuracy for several reasons. Among them, the story recounts that Tuba was eighteen years old when the duel occurred although he would have been in his mid-thirties at the time of the Mexican–American War.
Whatever the case may be, Hopi tradition tells that at some point, Tuba became involved in an unremembered dissension at Oraibi, and left the village to "be at peace". From then on, "Woo Pah" was known among the Hopi as Tuuvi, meaning the outcast or the rejected one.
Tuba settled at Moencopi, or "Running Water," about 50 miles west of Oraibi. Moencopi had played any important part in the Hopi's legendary migration cycle. By Tuba's time, the area was used as summer fields for the villagers at Oraibi due to its springs and streams. The Hopi say that at first, Tuba settled at Moencopi alone with his wife, living there all year long whereas before it had merely been a seasonal settlement. However, soon people of Tuba's Short Corn Clan followed him, and eventually members of other clans until a sizeable community was created.
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