Contrary to what you might think based on the title of this painting, it’s set in Arizona not India. Classic continental/racial mix up, am I right?

This painting was acquired by the Smithsonian American Art Museum over 100 years ago and has been politically-incorrectly labeled ever since. I guess since Kate T. Cory named the painting herself, the museum doesn’t want to mess with the integrity of the work by renaming it...but I think that of all people Kate T. Cory would be down for some accurate terms. She was the one who respected the Hopi Native Americans enough to live with them for 7 years and adapt to their culture and customs without forcing her own practices down their throats, which was a novel idea at the time.

The Hopi people have a long history of being abused by colonialists but Kate T. Cory was not one of them. She documented the way of life of the Hopi people via paintings and photographs and eventually was asked to become a member of the tribe. This painting, with the Hopi man returning home after a long productive day, encompasses the meaning of Hopituh Shi-nu-mu, the full name for the Hopi people meaning “The Peaceful People” or “The Peaceful Little Ones,” which is really sweet until you realize that they were made to fight for their own land by Spanish settlers. American history would have been so much chiller if everyone had the same mindset as Kate T. Cory.