Keams Canyon (

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 ...

: Pongsikya or Pongsikvi; nv, ) is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

(CDP) in

Navajo County Navajo County is in the northern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 106,717. The county seat is Holbrook. Navajo County comprises the Show Low, Arizona Micropolitan Statistical Area. Navajo County c ...

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 ...

, United States. The population was 304 at the 2010 census. Pongsikya is a narrow box canyon that is named after a plant of edible greens that survived along the seasonal stream that drains from Antelope Mesa and flows through the three mile long canyon. Here William Keam, and then his cousin Thomas Keam, operated a trading post during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. They served the Navajo Indians and opened the door to commercial trade for the Hopi Indians. The nearest trading post was some fifty miles away and Keam's trading post was 13 miles east of the Hopi Indian's settlements on First Mesa. With the opportunity for full year round trade nearby, the regional Indians quickly identified the canyon with the traders and the name Keams Canyon took hold.Pecina, Ron and Pecina, Bob. Neil David’s Hopi World. Schiffer Publishing 2011. . Pages 8,9, and 38-41.

Geography

Keams Canyon is located at (35.812849, -110.204154). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 260 people, 74 households, and 44 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 106 housing units at an average density of 11.4/sq mi (4.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 7.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.4%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 89.6% Native American, and 2.3% from two or more races. 1.9% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 74 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 20.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.56. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 35.8% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 3.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 124.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 135.7 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $35,694, and the median income for a family was $36,111. Males had a median income of $28,889 versus $35,272 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $14,619. About 10.5% of families and 23.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 28.6% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over.

Education

The Cedar Unified School District serves Keams Canyon. The closed

White Cone High School White Cone High School was a high school in Keams Canyon, Arizona, and the only high school in the Cedar Unified School District. which also includes the Jeddito elementary school. It was created in 2005 to offer a public district school in the a ...

(2005-2012) was in the district and town. The independent and open

Hopi Junior/Senior High School Hopi Junior Senior High School (HJSHS) is a tribal junior high and high school in Keams Canyon, Arizona. It is operated in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) as a grant day school. Administration * Superintendent – Steven Be ...

is also located in Keams Canyon.

References

{{Authority control Census-designated places in Navajo County, Arizona Hopi Reservation