“A People with Red Caps Will Bring the Final Purification” – The 1972 Hopi Warning by Thomas Banyacya
“Then, the third one, that will finally bring about purification of this land, in this continent, would be a man with red cap, red hat or red cloak. Now, we do not know who that nation is or what people but they say those people will have a large population.”
Thomas Banyacya, Hopi Spiritual Elder, 1972
people with red caps quote in context
The quote comes from Thomas Banyacya (1909–1999), one of the four Hopi messengers chosen in 1948 by the traditional elders of Hotevilla to carry the Hopi prophecies and warnings to the outside world. He made this particular remark, about people with red caps, in 1972 during a series of talks and interviews in California, and it was later widely circulated in books, documentaries, and on the early internet.
The full relevant portion of the prophecy he was relaying is usually paraphrased like this (composite from several recordings of Banyacya and other Hopi elders):
» There will be three great shakings or upheavals.
» The First shook the world with war (World War I).
» The Second was an even greater war (World War II) and the gourd of ashes that fell twice (atomic bombs).
» If mankind does not heed the warning after the second shaking, then there will be a third great shaking — a purification of the land.
» This third one will come from a people who wear red caps or red hats (sometimes translated as red cloaks or red sashes).
» They will come from the East, they will be very numerous, and they will bring the final purification or the Day of Purification.”
Traditional Hopi Interpretation (as explained by Banyacya and other elders)
» The “red cap/hat/cloak” symbol is not necessarily literal red clothing. In Hopi symbolism, red is strongly associated with the direction East and with certain powerful spiritual forces or nations that will arise from the East.
» The prophecy is part of the larger “Emergence to the Fifth World” teachings. The current world is the Fourth World, and it must be purified (by natural disasters, war, or both) before the righteous can enter the Fifth World.
» The elders stressed that this third shaking is avoidable if humanity returns to natural law and peace. If not, the purification will be severe and will remove those who have violated Maasaw’s (the Hopi guardian spirit’s) instructions.
Modern Popular Interpretations (outside Hopi communities)
Over the decades this prophecy has been linked by non-Hopi writers and researchers to several different groups:
1. Communist China / Chinese Army
The most common internet-era interpretation. “Red cap/hat” → red star on Chinese military caps, “large population,” “from the East.” This reading exploded after the Cold War and again in the 2010s–2020s on YouTube and alternative forums.
2. Russia / Soviet Union (earlier version)
In the 1970s–1980s some linked the “red” symbol to the Soviet Union.
3. Native American or Indigenous uprising
A minority view among traditional Hopi and other tribes interpret the “red” people as returning Native forces (red being the sacred color of the East in many tribal traditions).
4. Cardinal directions prophecy
Some Hopi traditionalists say the “people with red caps” nation is not yet revealed and should not be speculatively identified with any existing country or movement.
What Actual Hopi Traditionalists Say Today
Contemporary Hopi elders (especially from the villages that still follow the traditional calendar) generally:
» Do not publicly confirm any specific modern nation as the “red cap/cloak” people.
» Emphasize that the prophecy is a warning, not a prediction set in stone.
» Are cautious about non-Hopi people using the prophecy to push political or apocalyptic narratives.
For example, in 1995 when asked directly about the “red hat” people, elder Dan Katchongva’s son Vernon Masayesva replied:
“We were told not to point the finger and say ‘this is the one.’ When the time is right, the Creator will make it known.”
In short, the “man with the red cap/hat/cloak is part of a much older Hopi warning about a possible third and final global “purification” event, but the Hopi themselves have never officially identified that figure or nation with any existing country. Most of the China/Russia interpretations are modern external overlays.
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