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Native Americans in Arizona

Four Major Cultural Groups

Native Americans in Arizona can be divided into Four major Cultural Groups

    The Athapascan Tribes

    The Athapascan tribes include the Navajo and the Apache. At different times of the year, they moved to places where they knew there would be fresh water and plants for their animals. They visited the same places year after year. They were also warriors. They fought with other groups for rights to their land.

    Pueblo Indians

    The only Pueblo Indians now in Arizona are the Hopi. Their ancestors have lived on the same mesas for over 1,000 years. A mesa is a hill with a flat top. It is smaller than a plateau. It was easy for Hopi to protect their homes, because it was hard for enemies to hide when they had to climb to the top of the mesa to attack.

    Desert People

    Water is important to the desert farming people. The Colorado and Gila Rivers have helped the people survive. The Pima, Tohono O'odham, Yaqui, Cocopah, Maricopa, Mohave and Yuma are often thought of as part of this group, but they look different and have different cultures.

    Plateau Tribes

    The Havasupai, Hualapai, Paiute, and Yavapai live in Northern Arizona. Most of the Plateau tribes used to be hunters and gatherers. Only the Havasupai were farmers

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