Hopi Imagery and the Arizona Citrus Industry - Circa 1920’s -1950’s
Art, Adoption, Appropriation Oracle Historical Society Earle G. Clemans Hopi Adoption Certificate
An adopted Hopi certificate is a document given when a non-Hopi individual is formally adopted into a Hopi clan or community in a cultural, honorary, or symbolic way—not as a legal tribal enrollment certificate.
“The nature of a former organization of Shriners known as “The Adopted Hopi Indians of Arizona”. It was a curious group formed in the early 1920’s during a time of intense “fundamentalist” and governmental pressure on the Hopi, attempting to force them to abandon their traditional religious practices. Many cattlemen, citrus growers, and politicians of the period were members of the Masonic orders. To be a Shriner one first had to be a Mason, and to be a member of the Jesters, one had to be first a Mason and then a Shriner. Members of these three related fraternal groups were thus the most influentially connected individuals in early Arizona! The “Adopted Hopi” members encouraged tourism and, was there to be the end of the Hopi traditional “Snake Dances, it would seriously effect Arizona Tourism, Cattle sales, Citrus sales, Gasoline sales and business in general! So…to be a Mason one first needed to believe in only One God! To be a Hopi you already believed in One God…The Sun God! Since the Masons and the Hopi both believed in One God, it was determined that the Masons would do their best to preserve the traditional Hopi religion and also preserve what Masonic businessmen felt was in the best interest of the Arizona economy. This alliance lasted well into the early 1970’s. This is also why numerous AZ citrus labels make some visual reference to Hopi religious tradition. IE; the “Sun God” label itself, the oranges and the grapefruit surrounded by golden rays of the sun, and the presence of the Hopi Symbols of Sun and Rain, etc. This is an abbreviated version of a complicated story of politics, religion, agriculture, economics, and Native American cultural influences.” Royal “John” Medley
Photos from the collections of the Medley and Clemans families provide an insight to life in the 1920s – 1950s and the Hopi Adoption Certificate of Earle G. Clemans.
Click here to view the presentation in which all contents and intellectual property are protected by Copyright 2025 by Royal John Medley.
Oracle Historical Society – visit the museums and explore the town.
Art, Adoption, Appropriation Oracle Historical Society Chief Kolchaftewa, MW Billingsley, Chief Lansa
Citrus & Saguaros – An Illustrated History of Citrus in Arizona 1888-1960 – scroll down the Heritage Garden page to find this article.
Lettuce and Landscapes – An Illustrated History of Commercial Row Crops in Arizona (Circa 1920’s-1960’s) – scroll down the Heritage Garden page to find this article.
Step into the Legend of Earl Linwood Francis – An Arizona Life (7/25/1931 – 8/15/1966)
Watch Labeled as Art on the AZPM YouTube Channel – John Royal Medley Jr. has collected more than 280 citrus crate labels that create a unique lens through which to view over a century of Arizona’s history. Themes include Victorian, tourism and cowboy and there is a surprising story involving a Sun Devil.