Arizona

Havasupai Tribe

Havasupai Indians (blue or green water people). A small isolated tribe of the Yuman stock (the nucleus of which is believed to have descended from the Walapai) who occupy Catract canyon of the Rio Colorado in north west Arizona.  Whipple was informed in 1850 that the “cosninos” roamed from the Sierra Mogollon to the San Francisco mountains and along the valley of the Colorado Chiquito. The tribe is a peculiarly interesting one, since of all the Yuman tribes it is the only one which has developed or borrowed a culture similar to, though less advanced, than that of the Pueblo … Read more

Society of Mississippi Choctaw 1916

A sharp distinction is to be drawn between the Indians in Mississippi and the so-called Mississippi Choctaw “claimants.” The former are few in numbers and easily ascertainable, while the latter are numerous and scattered from Bayou Labatre, Alabama on the east to Mesa City, Arizona on the west. A number of these claimants are banded together in an organization known as “Society of Mississippi Choctaws.” Bayou Labatre, Alabama Sarah E. Bosarge Andrews Armenia Bosarge Andrews Claral Bosarge Akridge Bessie Golman Bosarge Amile Bosarge Hubert Bosarge Hubbard Bosarge John J. Briant George H. Briant Albert L. Demore Nora Wintzell Golman Mac … Read more

Tewa Pueblo Indians

Tewa Pueblo Indians. Along the valley of the Rio Grande in the northern part of New Mexico, except for one pueblo, Hano, in the Hopi country, Arizona. They constituted a major division of the Tanoan linguistic family, itself a part of the Kiowa-Tanoan stock.

Zuñi Indians

Zuñi Indians. Located on the north bank of upper Zuni River, Valencia County, New Mexico. The Zuni constitute the Zunian linguistic stock. According to Cushing (1896), the Zuni are descended from two peoples, one of whom came originally from the north and was later joined by the second, from the west or southwest (from the country of the lower Colorado), who resembled the Yuman and Piman peoples in culture.

Navaho Indians

Navaho Indians, Navajo Indians. Located in northern New Mexico and Arizona with some extension into Colorado and Utah. With the Apache tribes, the Navaho formed the southern division of the Athapascan linguistic family.

Santos, and Eskiminzeen the Stammerer

Santos

Far away near the Aravipa River in Arizona, one of “Uncle Sam’s” young officers rode at the head of a company of soldiers. They had marched eighteen miles already in a deep ravine, the bottom of which was filled with coarse sand. In the rainy season this ravine was filled with water, but now it was what the Mexicans call a ” dry arroyo, ” for there had been no rain for many weeks. Just at the mouth of this arroyo was the Aravipa River, coursing serpent-like across their path. It was not very broad nor very deep, but they … Read more

Walapai Indians

The Walapai Indians, also known as the “pine-tree folk,” are a Native American tribe belonging to the Yuman branch of the Hokan linguistic stock. Closely related to the Havasupai and Yavapai, they historically occupied the region along the middle Colorado River, above the Mohave, extending southward toward Bill Williams Fork. The tribe’s numerous villages were spread across different geographic divisions, including north, west, central, east, and southern areas. First encountered by European explorers in the 16th and 18th centuries, the Walapai population has fluctuated significantly over time, reflecting the broader historical challenges faced by Yuman tribes in the region.

The Moqui Indians

The Indians of Arizona are, perhaps, the most interesting of any of the American aborigines. They are as unique and picturesque as is the land which they inhabit; and the dead are no less so than the living. The Pueblo Indians, with which the Moquis are classed, number altogether about ten thousand and are scattered in twenty-six villages over Arizona and New Mexico. They resemble each other in many respects, but do not all speak the same language. They represent several wholly disconnected stems and are classified linguistically by Brinton as belonging to the Uto-Aztecan, Kera, Tehua and Zuni stocks. … Read more

Pima Indians

Pima Indians. Signifying “no” in the Nevome dialect and incorrectly applied through misunderstanding by the early missionaries. Also called: Â’-â’tam, own name, signifying “people,” or, to distinguish them from the Papago Â’-â’tam â’kimûlt, “river people.” Nashteíse, Apache name, signifying “live in mud houses.” Paǐnyá, probably name given by Havasupai. Saikiné, Apache name, signifying “living in sand (adobe) houses,” also applied to Papago and Maricopa. Teχ-păs, Maricopa name. Tihokahana, Yavapai name. Widshi ǐti’kapa, Tonto-Yuma name. Pima Connections. The Pima gave their name to the Piman linguistic stock of Powell, which is now recognized to be a subdivision of the great Uto-Aztecan … Read more

The Cliff Dwellers

In the canons of the Colorado river and its tributaries are found the ruins of an ancient race of cliff dwellers. These ruins are numerous and are scattered over a wide scope of country, which includes Arizona and portions of Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. Many of them are yet in a good state of preservation, but all show the marks of age and decay. They are not less than four hundred years old and are, in all probability, much older. Their preservation is largely due to their sheltered position among the rocks and an exceptionally dry climate. The houses … Read more

Hopi Indians

The Hopi Indians, whose name is derived from “Hópitu,” meaning “peaceful ones,” are a Puebloan tribe located primarily on three mesas in northeastern Arizona. Although their language belongs to the Shoshonean branch of the Uto-Aztecan family, they are distinct as the only Shoshonean group to adopt a Pueblo culture. The Hopi people have a rich history marked by migrations, village settlements, and interactions with Spanish explorers and missionaries beginning in the 16th century. Despite disruptions, such as the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the Hopi maintained their cultural and social identity. Today, they are recognized not only for their unique blend of linguistic and cultural influences but also for ceremonies like the Snake Dance, which have drawn significant interest from scholars and the public alike.

Arizona Indian Tribes

Arizona Indian Tribes provides an overview of the historical presence, cultural connections, and geographical locations of several Native American tribes in Arizona. It focuses on tribes such as the Apache, Cocopa, Halchidhoma, Havasupai, and others, detailing their linguistic affiliations, significant villages, and interactions with European explorers and settlers. The piece highlights how these tribes adapted to changing territorial boundaries, including the influence of treaties and reservations, as well as population estimates over time. By cataloging their unique histories and connections, the article offers insight into the diverse and complex landscape of Native American heritage in Arizona.

Uncle Sam and his Unruly Wards

When Kearny was about to set out from Santa Fe for his march to California he appointed Charles Bent to act as Governor of New Mexico. By virtue of his office as Governor, Bent became also Superintendent of Indian Affairs. For many years he had lived in or near New Mexico, so he was well qualified to supply the Government at Washington with exact information concerning the various Indian tribes inhabiting the Territory. This he did in a condensed but illuminating report to William Medill, Commissioner of Indian Affairs. First, Bent mentions the Jicarilla Apaches, numbering five hundred souls. He … Read more

Victory with Dishonor

When General Nelson A. Miles relieved Crook, April 12, 1886, there were still at large thirty-six Chiricahua hostiles seventeen men, including Geronimo and Nachez, and nineteen women and children. In addition to this murderous band, led by Geronimo and Nachez, Mangus was still somewhere in the Sierra Madre with a party of eleven men, women, and children. He had, however, cut himself off from all contact with the other renegades in August, 1885; and, so far as was known, had committed no depredations since that time. On the other hand, of the five hundred and twelve Chiricahua and Warm Spring … Read more

Soldiers, Citizens and Savages

Carleton had done his best to conquer and control the Apaches, but had failed after all. It is natural that an enlightened American who coolly reads today the events of the past should suppose that with the close of the Civil War our Government would have turned its attention seriously to the solution of the Apache problem in the Southwest. But it did not do this. There were pressing and clamorous postwar issues that absorbed the attention of populace and officers of government alike. New Mexico and Arizona were very remote; the white population scant; and knowledge of the condition … Read more

Reaping the Whirlwind

For several years the Indian Bureau had been sowing the wind; now it was harvest time and it was to reap the whirlwind. In his annual reports Agent John P. Clum smugly implies that the transfers, one after another, of Indians from Camp Verde, Camp Apache, the Chiricahua Reservation, and Ojo Caliente, and their concentration on the San Carlos Reservation were successful and satisfactory. It was in reality far otherwise. In every instance the removal of the Indians was a breach of good faith on the part of the Government, was contrary to the best judgment of Army officers in … Read more