The Indigenous peoples of Arizona are the

Native American people Native Americans, also known as American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Americans, and #Terminology differences, other terms, are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of the mainland United States (Indigenous peopl ...

of the state of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. These include people that have lived in the region since time immemorial; tribes who entered the region centuries ago, such as the

Southern Athabascan Southern Athabaskan (also Apachean) is a subfamily of Athabaskan languages spoken primarily in the Southwestern United States (including Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah) with two outliers in Oklahoma and Texas. The language is spoke ...

peoples; and the

Pascua Yaqui The Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizonais a federally recognized tribe of Yaqui Native Americans in state of Arizona. Descended from the Yaqui people whose original homelands include the Yaqui River valley in western Sonora, Mexico and southern Arizon ...

who settled Arizona in mass in the early 20th century, though small communities had been in the region for hundreds of years prior. Arizona has the third largest Native American population of any U.S. state. Almost a quarter of Arizona is reservation land. The

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native Americans in the United States, Native American Indian reservation, reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwe ...

has the largest reservation in the United States, and the Tohono O'odham Nation in southeast Arizona has the second-largest reservation. There are 17

federally recognized tribes This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...

completely within the borders of Arizona, and 5 more in Arizona whose territory spans multiple states. Of these, 20 tribes are members of the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA).

Native American tribes in Arizona today

Sacaton-Marker-Gila River Indian Reservation-2

Ak Chin Indian Community of the Maricopa (Ak Chin) Indian Reservation, Arizona The Ak Chin Indian Community of the Maricopa (Ak-Chin) Indian Reservation (O'odham language: ʼAkĭ Ciñ O'odham) is a federally recognized tribe and Native American community located in the Santa Cruz Valley in Pinal County, Arizona,

Cocopah Tribe of Arizona The Cocopah Indian Reservation is the reservation of the federally recognized Cocopah Indian Tribe (Cocopah: Xawiłł Kwñchawaay), which represents Cocopah peoples in the United States. As of the 2000 census a resident population of 1,025 pe ...

Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Arizona The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation (Yavapai: A'ba:ja), formerly the Fort McDowell Mohave-Apache Community of the Fort McDowell Indian Reservation, is a federally recognized tribe and Indian reservation in Maricopa County, Arizona about northeast ...

(''formerly the Fort McDowell Mohave-Apache Community of the Fort McDowell Indian Reservation'') # Gila River Indian Community of the Gila River Indian Reservation, Arizona #

Havasupai Tribe of the Havasupai Reservation, Arizona The Havasupai people (Havasupai: ''Havsuw' Baaja'') are an American Indian tribe who have lived in the Grand Canyon for at least the past 800 years. ''Havasu'' means "blue-green water" and ''pai'' "people". Located primarily in an area know ...

Hopi Tribe of Arizona The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country. The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation within the United ...

Hualapai Indian Tribe of the Hualapai Indian Reservation, Arizona The Hualapai (, , yuf-x-wal, Hwalbáy) is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Arizona with about 2300 enrolled members. Approximately 1353 enrolled members reside on the Hualapai Reservation, which spans over three counties in Nort ...

Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians of the Kaibab Indian Reservation, Arizona The Kaibab Indian Reservation is the home of the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians (Southern Paiute Language: Kai'vi'vits), a federally recognized tribe of Southern Paiutes. The Indian reservation is located in northern part of the U.S. state of Ariz ...

Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona The Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizonais a federally recognized tribe of Yaqui Native Americans in state of Arizona. Descended from the Yaqui people whose original homelands include the Yaqui River valley in western Sonora, Mexico and southern Arizo ...

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt River Reservation, Arizona Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantiti ...

San Carlos Apache Tribe of the San Carlos Reservation, Arizona The San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation (Western Apache: Tsékʼáádn), in southeastern Arizona, United States, was established in 1872 as a reservation for the Chiricahua Apache tribe as well as surrounding Yavapai and Apache bands removed fr ...

San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe of Arizona The San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe of Arizona Uto-Aztecan ( Southern Paiute Language: ) is a federally recognized tribe of Southern Paiute Indians in Coconino County, Arizona. History The San Juan Southern Paiutes lived east of the Grand Canyon, ...

# Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona
(''formerly

Papago Indian Tribe Papago may refer to: * An archaic term for Tohono Oʼodham people * An archaic term for the language spoken by the Tohono Oʼodham people * ''Papago'' (moth), a genus of geometer moths * Papago Freeway, I-10 through Phoenix, Arizona * Papago Fre ...

'') #

Tonto Apache Tribe of Arizona The Tonto Apache (Dilzhę́’é, also Dilzhe'e, Dilzhe’eh Apache) is one of the groups of Western Apache people and a federally recognized tribe, the Tonto Apache Tribe of Arizona. The term is also used for their dialect, one of the three di ...

# White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation, Arizona # Yavapai-Apache Nation of the Camp Verde Indian Reservation, Arizona #

Yavapai-Prescott Tribe of the Yavapai Reservation, Arizona The Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe (Yavapai language: Wiikvteepaya), formerly known as the Yavapai-Prescott Tribe of the Yavapai Reservation, a federally recognized tribe of Yavapai people. Fewer than 200 people are enrolled in the tribe. Reserva ...

Multiple states: #

Colorado River Indian Tribes of the Colorado River Indian Reservation, Arizona and California Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of th ...

(These include

Chemehuevi The Chemehuevi are an indigenous people of the Great Basin. They are the southernmost branch of Southern Paiute.

, Mojave,

Hopi The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country. The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation within the United ...

, and

Navajo people The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native American people of the Southwestern United States. With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...

) # Fort Mojave Indian Tribe of Arizona, California & Nevada # Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah # Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, California & Arizona #

Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico The Zuni ( zun, A:shiwi; formerly spelled ''Zuñi'') are Native Americans in the United States, Native American Pueblo peoples native to the Zuni River valley. The Zuni are a Federally recognized tribe and most live in the Zuni Pueblo, New Mexi ...

Indigenous ethnic groups who lived in Arizona

Several of the Colorado River tribes are headquartered across the state line in California but have historical connections to Arizona. These include the

Chemehuevi The Chemehuevi are an indigenous people of the Great Basin. They are the southernmost branch of Southern Paiute.

Cocopah The Cocopah ( Cocopah: Xawitt Kwñchawaay) are Native Americans who live in Baja California, Mexico, and Arizona, United States. In the United States, Cocopah people belong to the federally recognized Cocopah Tribe of Arizona. Name The ...

(Xawitt Kwñchawaay),

Quechan The Quechan (or Yuma) ( Quechan: ''Kwatsáan'' 'those who descended') are a Native American tribe who live on the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation on the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California just north of the Mexican border. Despite t ...

(Yuma), and Mojave (Hamakhava). Many of these are Yuman-speaking peoples. Yuman language-speaking peoples connected to Arizona include the

Havasupai The Havasupai people (Havasupai: ''Havsuw' Baaja'') are an American Indian tribe who have lived in the Grand Canyon for at least the past 800 years. ''Havasu'' means "blue-green water" and ''pai'' "people". Located primarily in an area know ...

(Havasuw `Baaja),

Walapai The Hualapai (, , yuf-x-wal, Hwalbáy) is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Arizona with about 2300 enrolled members. Approximately 1353 enrolled members reside on the Hualapai Reservation, which spans over three counties in Nort ...

Yavapai The Yavapai are a Native American tribe in Arizona. Historically, the Yavapai – literally “people of the sun” (from ''Enyaava'' “sun” + ''Paay'' “people”) – were divided into four geographical bands who identified as separate, i ...

, Mojave,

Hualapai The Hualapai (, , yuf-x-wal, Hwalbáy) is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Arizona with about 2300 enrolled members. Approximately 1353 enrolled members reside on the Hualapai Reservation, which spans over three counties in Nort ...

(Hwal `Baaja), Halchidhoma ( Xalychidom),

, Maricopa ( Piipaash), and

Colorado River Numic language Colorado River Numic (also called Ute , Southern Paiute , Ute–Southern Paiute, or Ute-Chemehuevi ), of the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family, is a dialect chain that stretches from southeastern California to Colorado. Individual ...

–speakers connected to Arizona include the

Southern Paiute The Southern Paiute people are a tribe of Native Americans who have lived in the Colorado River basin of southern Nevada, northern Arizona, and southern Utah. Bands of Southern Paiute live in scattered locations throughout this territory and ha ...

Southern Ute The Southern Ute Indian Reservation (Ute dialect: Kapuuta-wa Moghwachi Núuchi-u) is a Native American reservation in southwestern Colorado near the northern New Mexico state line. Its territory consists of land from three counties; in descendin ...

and

Chemehuevi The Chemehuevi are an indigenous people of the Great Basin. They are the southernmost branch of Southern Paiute.

. The Navajo (

Diné The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native American people of the Southwestern United States. With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...

) and Apache are Southern Athabascan-speaking people who migrated into the American Southwest from the north, possibly around 1300 CE. Apache bands connected to Arizona include the Dilzhe'e Apache,

Chiricahua Chiricahua ( ) is a band of Apache Native Americans. Based in the Southern Plains and Southwestern United States, the Chiricahua (Tsokanende ) are related to other Apache groups: Ndendahe (Mogollon, Carrizaleño), Tchihende (Mimbreño), Sehend ...

, San Carlos Apache (Nné, Coyotero, or Western Apache),

White Mountain Apache The Fort Apache Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation on the border of New Mexico and Arizona, United States, encompassing parts of Navajo, Gila, and Apache counties. It is home to the federally recognized White Mountain Apache Tribe of th ...

Oʼodham language Oʼodham (pronounced ) or Papago-Pima is a Uto-Aztecan language of southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico, where the Tohono Oʼodham (formerly called the Papago) and Akimel Oʼodham (traditionally called Pima) reside. In 2000 there were es ...

–speakers include the

Akimel O'odham The Pima (or Akimel O'odham, also spelled Akimel Oʼotham, "River People," formerly known as ''Pima'') are a group of Native Americans living in an area consisting of what is now central and southern Arizona, as well as northwestern Mexico in ...

(formerly Pima), Tohono O'odham, and

Hia C-eḍ Oʼodham The Hia C-eḍ Oʼodham ("Sand Dune People"), also known as Areneños or Sand Papagos are a Native American peoples whose traditional homeland lies between the Ajo Range, the Gila River, the Colorado River, and the Gulf of California. They are ...

Pueblo peoples The Puebloans or Pueblo peoples, are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Currently 100 pueblos are actively inhabited, among which Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, Z ...

living in Arizona include the

Tewa The Tewa are a linguistic group of Pueblo Native Americans who speak the Tewa language and share the Pueblo culture. Their homelands are on or near the Rio Grande in New Mexico north of Santa Fe. They comprise the following communities: * ...

, and Zuni (A:shiwi). The Yaqui people speak a

Uto-Aztecan language Uto-Aztecan, Uto-Aztekan or (rarely in English) Uto-Nahuatl is a family of indigenous languages of the Americas, consisting of over thirty languages. Uto-Aztecan languages are found almost entirely in the Western United States and Mexico. Th ...

Precontact cultures of Arizona

Ancestral Pueblo peoples The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, were an ancient Native American culture that spanned the present-day Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, an ...

Four Corners The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...

area *

Hohokam Hohokam () was a culture in the North American Southwest in what is now part of Arizona, United States, and Sonora, Mexico. It existed between 300 and 1500 AD, with cultural precursors possibly as early as 300 BC. Archaeologists disagree about ...

(Ho:-ho:gam), as far north as the Valley of the Sun and as far south as Mexico. * Mogollon, southeast Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora, Chihuahua, west Texas *

Patayan Patayan is a group of prehistoric and historic Native American cultures in parts of modern-day Arizona, west to Lake Cahuilla in California, and in Baja California, from AD 700 to 1550. This included areas along the Gila River, Colorado Riv ...

, far western Arizona, California *

Sinagua The Sinagua were a pre-Columbian culture that occupied a large area in central Arizona from the Little Colorado River, near Flagstaff, to the Verde River, near Sedona, including the Verde Valley, area around San Francisco Mountain, and signifi ...

, area around present-day Flagstaff

References

External links

U.S. Department of the Interior

Tribal Leaders Directory Spring/Summer 2005

– timeline, map, cultures
Ak Chin Indian Community of the Maricopa (Ak Chin) Indian Reservation

Cocopah Tribe of Arizona

Colorado River Indian Tribes of the Colorado River Indian Reservation, Arizona and California

Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation

Fort Mojave Indian Tribe of Arizona, California & Nevada

Gila River Indian Community

Havasupai Tribe of the Havasupai Reservation

Hopi Tribe of Arizona

Hualapai Indian Tribe of the Hualapai Indian Reservation

Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians of the Kaibab Indian Reservation

Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah

Pascua Yaqui, Arizona, Mexico

Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, California & Arizona

Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt River Reservation

Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona

Tonto Apache Tribe of Arizona

White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation

Yavapai–Apache Nation of the Camp Verde Indian Reservation

Yavapai–Prescott Tribe of the Yavapai Reservation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arizona, Indigenous peoples of

Native American tribes in Arizona today

Indigenous ethnic groups who lived in Arizona

Precontact cultures of Arizona

See also

References

External links