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How to Make a Hopi Model Home

Members of the Hopi tribe lived in adobe homes.
Jerry Hopman/iStockphoto/Getty Images

The Hopi tribe of Native Americans has the longest history of occupation of a single area in the U.S., according to the Legends of America website. The tribe migrated north from Mexico to areas of what are now Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. Traditionally, Hopi people lived in pueblo homes made of clay and straw. If you’re learning about the Hopi people in school and want to make a model home, it can be an interesting project with the right supplies.

Things You'll Need:

  • 3 To 4 Small Boxes, Different Sizes
  • Medium-Sized Box Lids
  • Glue
  • Modeling Clay
  • Twigs Or Craft Sticks

Use the lid of a medium-sized box for the yard of the home.

Stack several different sizes of small boxes on top of one another to create different levels of the Hopi pueblo home.Three or four are usually enough.

Glue the boxes into place onto the yard base.

Create the outer layer of the home by taking lumps of modeling clay and spreading it in a thin layer onto the stacked boxes. Continue to smooth the clay over the boxes until the entire surface of the home is covered.

Cut twigs or craft sticks to an appropriate size and press them into the clay to form the shape of the windows.

Make ladders to go to the different levels of the Hopi home by taking two twigs of the same length and placing them parallel to one another. Glue smaller twigs between the sticks to create the ladder rungs.

Add any embellishments you desire, such as Hopi people made of clay or pots full of food.

Tip

Before making the Hopi home, it may be helpful to use a picture or illustration as a guide.

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