Coming Home: A Hopi Resistance Story

From master Hopi woodcarver Mavasta Honyouti, the story of his grandfather’s experience at a residential boarding school and how he returned home to pass their traditions down to future generations.

When Mavasta Honyouti was a boy he would go with his grandfather to their cornfield, watching him nurture every plant. During breaks, his grandfather would take out a piece of paako root and use his pocketknife to whittle away. He made beautiful carvings that Mavasta would later learn to do himself. 

But Mavasta would often wonder: what was his kwa’a like when he was a boy? And one day, he heard the story. 

Mavasta’s grandfather, like many Native American children across the country in the late 19th and early 20th century, was forced to leave his Hopi reservation as a child and go to a residential boarding school far away. There, the government cut his hair, punished him for speaking his native language, and gave him a new name. But Mavasta's grandfather never forgot who he was – or where he came from – and he tried to escape again and again. Finally, he made it back to their reservation. 

In later years, Mavasta’s kwa’a chose a simple life, taking great care of his family just like he took great care of his plants. His son and later his grandson became acclaimed Hopi katsina woodcarvers, just like him. Coming Home: A Hopi Resistance Story is a deeply personal book – written in both English and Hopi – that features sixteen stunning original painted wood carvings. It is an unforgettable testament to one man rising above a painful piece of history to keep the light of his family and culture alive. 

P R A I S E 

Best of the Year:
Politics and Prose * Cooperative Children's Book Center * Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature * American Indians in Children's Literature 

★ “Honyouti’s rich wood carvings, painted with acrylics, beautifully illuminate this account of ancestral pride, Indigenous power, and intergenerational memory.. This powerful tale is a much-needed reminder that Indigenous peoples’ stories, despite being threaded with trauma, are marked by defiance and pride. A stirring tribute to Hopi culture, language, and resistance.” — Kirkus (starred)

★ “Poignant and heartfelt... Coming Home is an invaluable resource for classrooms, particularly those looking to include stories of resilience and remembrance. It offers young learners an accessible and powerful narrative about the importance of language preservation and the strength of the human spirit. — Booklist (starred)