© 2006 by "DiscoveringArizona Inc." · All Rights Reserved · E-Mail: jayq@discoveringarizona.com
The present day reservation is comparable in size to the state of Rhode Island. A very private people, the Hopi have practiced their philosophy, teachings and religion for millennia.
The vast Navajo Reservation surrounds the small Hopi reservation in northeastern Arizona. The largest tribe in population in the U.S., the Navajo have a reservation that is the size of West Virginia or Ireland. Industries range from weaving and jewelry to manufacturing of circuit boards for computers and other electronic equipment. Most American anthropologists and archaeologists believe the Navajos came from north-central Asia thousands of years ago, having crossed the Bering Strait during the last Ice Age.
Many migrations followed, including a group of Southern Athabaskans who may have traveled as far south as present-day Salt Lake City. Navajo oral tradition tells of how Changing Woman created the original four clans from her own body and how the Navajo people returned from the west to their homelands in the Four Corners region of the American Southwest.
If you plan to visit an Indian reservation, know that:
· Each reservation operates under its own government and its own rules for visitors.
· Photography is a particularly important issue. Fees and restrictions vary. Contact each individual tribe regarding its policy. Do not attempt to take photos or make recordings or sketches without checking.
· Photographs are for private use only and are not to be reproduced or resold without written permission.
· Often, dances are part of religious ceremonies. Please observe them as you would a church service, with respect and quiet attention.
Please refrain from talking to the dancers until they have finished performing.
· Please don't applaud after religious dances.
· Do not climb walls or other structures. Some are several hundred years old and damage easily.
· Sacred areas and graveyards are restricted areas and are not open to the public.
· Alcohol and drugs are not tolerated.
· Like any village, a reservation is home to those who live there and should be respected as such. Although most reservations are open to the public during daylight hours, homes are private and should be entered only by invitation.
· Beware of buying arts and crafts that are not authentic. The Indian Arts and Crafts Association, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, issues a brochure that gives you tips on how to be an "educated" buyer. Contact them by telephone at (505) 265-9149, by fax at (505) 265-8251, by e-mail at iaca@ix.netcom.com, or through their web site at www.iaca.com. (This information is from the Arizona Office of Tourism Website.)
Additional Info: Museums, trading posts and galleries in Arizona carry an excellent selection of Native American art, weaving, katsinas, baskets and pottery. See the Don’t Miss section of this page for recommended museums and cultural sites. As you visit these museums, museum shops and galleries, know that many tribes create fine art as textiles, jewelry, pottery and basketry. However:
· The Navajo are best known for outstanding textiles and silver and turquoise jewelry.
· The Hopi are best known for hand-carved Katsina dolls, along with baskets, silver jewelry and pottery.
· The Tohono O’odham and other O’odham people are celebrated for their basketry.
· The Maricopa people are known for their red pottery.
· The Apaches are best known for beadwork and Burden Baskets.
· The Fort Mojave/Quechan tribes are best known for beadwork.
Visit: Arizona Heritage Traveler
The vast Navajo Reservation surrounds the small Hopi reservation in northeastern Arizona. The largest tribe in population in the U.S., the Navajo have a reservation that is the size of West Virginia or Ireland. Industries range from weaving and jewelry to manufacturing of circuit boards for computers and other electronic equipment. Most American anthropologists and archaeologists believe the Navajos came from north-central Asia thousands of years ago, having crossed the Bering Strait during the last Ice Age.
Many migrations followed, including a group of Southern Athabaskans who may have traveled as far south as present-day Salt Lake City. Navajo oral tradition tells of how Changing Woman created the original four clans from her own body and how the Navajo people returned from the west to their homelands in the Four Corners region of the American Southwest.
If you plan to visit an Indian reservation, know that:
· Each reservation operates under its own government and its own rules for visitors.
· Photography is a particularly important issue. Fees and restrictions vary. Contact each individual tribe regarding its policy. Do not attempt to take photos or make recordings or sketches without checking.
· Photographs are for private use only and are not to be reproduced or resold without written permission.
· Often, dances are part of religious ceremonies. Please observe them as you would a church service, with respect and quiet attention.
Please refrain from talking to the dancers until they have finished performing.
· Please don't applaud after religious dances.
· Do not climb walls or other structures. Some are several hundred years old and damage easily.
· Sacred areas and graveyards are restricted areas and are not open to the public.
· Alcohol and drugs are not tolerated.
· Like any village, a reservation is home to those who live there and should be respected as such. Although most reservations are open to the public during daylight hours, homes are private and should be entered only by invitation.
· Beware of buying arts and crafts that are not authentic. The Indian Arts and Crafts Association, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, issues a brochure that gives you tips on how to be an "educated" buyer. Contact them by telephone at (505) 265-9149, by fax at (505) 265-8251, by e-mail at iaca@ix.netcom.com, or through their web site at www.iaca.com. (This information is from the Arizona Office of Tourism Website.)
Additional Info: Museums, trading posts and galleries in Arizona carry an excellent selection of Native American art, weaving, katsinas, baskets and pottery. See the Don’t Miss section of this page for recommended museums and cultural sites. As you visit these museums, museum shops and galleries, know that many tribes create fine art as textiles, jewelry, pottery and basketry. However:
· The Navajo are best known for outstanding textiles and silver and turquoise jewelry.
· The Hopi are best known for hand-carved Katsina dolls, along with baskets, silver jewelry and pottery.
· The Tohono O’odham and other O’odham people are celebrated for their basketry.
· The Maricopa people are known for their red pottery.
· The Apaches are best known for beadwork and Burden Baskets.
· The Fort Mojave/Quechan tribes are best known for beadwork.
Visit: Arizona Heritage Traveler
In Arizona, American Indian tribes contribute greatly to the spiritual, cultural and economic life of the state. Home to 22 federally recognized tribes, communities and nations, each tribe has its own vibrant culture.
These include the Ak-Chin Indian Community, Cocopah Tribe, Colorado River Indian Tribes, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, Fort Yuma-Quechan Tribe, Gila River Indian Community, Havasupai Tribe, Hopi Tribe,
These include the Ak-Chin Indian Community, Cocopah Tribe, Colorado River Indian Tribes, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, Fort Yuma-Quechan Tribe, Gila River Indian Community, Havasupai Tribe, Hopi Tribe,
Hualapai Tribe, Kaibab Paiute Tribe, Navajo Nation, Pascau Yaqui Tribe, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, San Carlos Apache Tribe, San Juan Southern Paiute, Tohono O’odham Nation, Tonto Apache Tribe, White Mountain Apache Tribe, Yavapai-Apache Nation and Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe. The Zuni Tribe has a land base in Arizona, but its population lives in New Mexico.
While most reservations and tribal communities welcome visitors to experience their culture, tourism opportunities vary greatly among the tribes. Some, like the Navajo Nation and the White Mountain Apache Tribe, support a wide range of tourism experiences. Others limit tourism to inviting visitors to patronize their casinos.
Because tribes are sovereign nations, they have their own government, court system and ordinances. Tribal governments must provide for the health, social services and education of their members and also construct and maintain infrastructure, including roads and water and sewer systems. To generate revenue, tribes in Arizona are engaged in a variety of economic activities from gaming to golf courses, tourism, agriculture, ranching, and manufacturing.
While most reservations and tribal communities welcome visitors to experience their culture, tourism opportunities vary greatly among the tribes. Some, like the Navajo Nation and the White Mountain Apache Tribe, support a wide range of tourism experiences. Others limit tourism to inviting visitors to patronize their casinos.
Because tribes are sovereign nations, they have their own government, court system and ordinances. Tribal governments must provide for the health, social services and education of their members and also construct and maintain infrastructure, including roads and water and sewer systems. To generate revenue, tribes in Arizona are engaged in a variety of economic activities from gaming to golf courses, tourism, agriculture, ranching, and manufacturing.
Human experience, occupation and industry in what is now Arizona can be traced back at least 12,000 years. Anthropologists have identified several groups of these earliest occupants including the Anaszai, Hohokam, Mogollon and Salado people. At museums and Indian ruin sites throughout the state, visitors may see structures built by these people and artifacts made by them.
Contemporary tribes in Arizona may be grouped into six major historical “families”: the Desert People, River People, Pais, Apaches, Navajo and Hopi. Within these larger groups, people share traditions, culture and even language.
People who share the Desert culture are the Tohono O'odham Nation, Gila River Indian Community, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Ak-Chin Indian Community. Each has historically occupied arid desert lands in central and southern Arizona. Farming techniques, fed by an intricate system of canals, supported life for millennia. Farming continues to be important to the economies of many of these tribes today.
The River people come from the area of the Colorado River and include members of the Fort Mojave, Cocopah, Chemehuevi, and Quechan tribes. Historically, the river was a major organizing principle for the River people. Today, the Colorado River supports agriculture and recreation activities and continues to be important to their economies.
Members of the Yavapai Apache, Hualapai, Havasupai, and Yavapai-Prescott tribes are all Pais. Historically, these groups of people extended from Baja, California well into northwestern Arizona. Linguistically and culturally related, the Yavapai separated from the larger Pai group around 1750. According to the Encyclopedia of American Indians, Pai myth attributes that split to a mud ball fight between children that spread to their parents.
The Yavapai became known by the other Pais as “The Enemy” and fought their most bitter battles against the Pai to the north. East of the Verde River, the Yavapai encountered Western Apache bands migrating westward. Although the two groups of people spoke very different languages, they mingled more than they fought and in time generated a border population that was never really understood by Euro-Americans. The Hualapai and Havasupai consider themselves to be guardians of the Grand Canyon.
Western Apaches include the White Mountain Apache Tribe, the San Carlos Tribe, Tonto Apache Tribe, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, and the Yavapai-Apache tribes. Historically, Apaches traveled through much of central and eastern Arizona.
Cochise, Geronimo and Mangus Colorado are among the better known Apache leaders. Today’s Apache leaders have made great strides in careful management of natural resources, which has led to enterprises that run the gamut from timber to skiing.
Contemporary tribes in Arizona may be grouped into six major historical “families”: the Desert People, River People, Pais, Apaches, Navajo and Hopi. Within these larger groups, people share traditions, culture and even language.
People who share the Desert culture are the Tohono O'odham Nation, Gila River Indian Community, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Ak-Chin Indian Community. Each has historically occupied arid desert lands in central and southern Arizona. Farming techniques, fed by an intricate system of canals, supported life for millennia. Farming continues to be important to the economies of many of these tribes today.
The River people come from the area of the Colorado River and include members of the Fort Mojave, Cocopah, Chemehuevi, and Quechan tribes. Historically, the river was a major organizing principle for the River people. Today, the Colorado River supports agriculture and recreation activities and continues to be important to their economies.
Members of the Yavapai Apache, Hualapai, Havasupai, and Yavapai-Prescott tribes are all Pais. Historically, these groups of people extended from Baja, California well into northwestern Arizona. Linguistically and culturally related, the Yavapai separated from the larger Pai group around 1750. According to the Encyclopedia of American Indians, Pai myth attributes that split to a mud ball fight between children that spread to their parents.
The Yavapai became known by the other Pais as “The Enemy” and fought their most bitter battles against the Pai to the north. East of the Verde River, the Yavapai encountered Western Apache bands migrating westward. Although the two groups of people spoke very different languages, they mingled more than they fought and in time generated a border population that was never really understood by Euro-Americans. The Hualapai and Havasupai consider themselves to be guardians of the Grand Canyon.
Western Apaches include the White Mountain Apache Tribe, the San Carlos Tribe, Tonto Apache Tribe, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, and the Yavapai-Apache tribes. Historically, Apaches traveled through much of central and eastern Arizona.
Cochise, Geronimo and Mangus Colorado are among the better known Apache leaders. Today’s Apache leaders have made great strides in careful management of natural resources, which has led to enterprises that run the gamut from timber to skiing.
The Hopi, and specifically Hopi clans, have occupied sites throughout the greater southwest since 500 A.D. The Hopi claim this as the longest authenticated history of occupation of a single area by any Native American tribe in the U.S.
Archaeologists refer to the Hopi ancestors as the Anasazi (Old Pueblo); the Hopi call them “Hisatsinom” (People of Long Ago). For the last thousand years the Hopi have lived on or near mesas in northeastern Arizona.
Can't Find What You're Looking For?
Try Google Search!
Try Google Search!
