Native Americans

Havasupai (Native Americans of the Southwest)

Havasupaiis a name meaning "People of the Blue-Green Water." With the Hualapai, from whom they may be descended, they are also called the Pai (Pa’a) Indians ("the People"; Hualapai are Western Pai, and Havasupai are Eastern Pai). With the Hualapai and the Yavapai, the Havasupai are also Upland Yumans, in contrast to River Yumans such […]

Hopi (Native Americans of the Southwest)

Hopifrom Hopituh Shi-nu-mu, "Peaceful People." They were formerly called the Moki (or Moqui) Indians, a name probably taken from a Zuni epithet. Location The Hopi are the westernmost of the Pueblo peoples. First, Second, and Third Mesas are all part of Black Mesa, located on the Colorado Plateau between the Colorado River and the Rio […]

Hopi-Tewa (Native Americans of the Southwest)

The Hopi-Tewa are a small group (roughly 700) of Native Americans living mostly on the Hopi Reservation. These Indians are descended from immigrants who settled at First Mesa (Tewa Village [Hano] and Polacca) following the Pueblo rebellion, around 1700. They speak a variety of Tewa, a Tanoan language, and have some distinct cultural attributes.

Hualapai (Native Americans of the Southwest)

Hualapai, or Walapai (Xawdlapdiya), "Pine Tree People," were named after the pinon pine nut. With the Havasupai, they are called the Pai (Pa’a) Indians ("the People": the Hualapai are the Western Pai, and the Havasupai are the Eastern Pai). They are also described, with the Havasupai and the Yavapai, as Upland Yumans, in contrast to […]

Isleta Pueblo (Native Americans of the Southwest)

Isletafrom the Spanish missions San Antonio de la Isleta and San Augustin de la Isleta (isleta means "little island"). The word "pueblo" comes from the Spanish for "village." It refers both to a certain style of Southwest Indian architecture, characterized by multistory, apartmentlike buildings made of adobe, and to the people themselves. The pueblos along […]

Jemez Pueblo (Native Americans of the Southwest)

Jemez from the Spanish Jemez, taken from the Jemez self-designation. The Jemez name for their pueblo is Walatowa, "at the pueblo in the canada" or "this is the place." The word "pueblo" comes from the Spanish for "village." It refers both to a certain style of Southwest Indian architecture, characterized by multistory, apartmentlike buildings made […]

Laguna Pueblo (Native Americans of the Southwest)

Laguna, Spanish for "lake," refers to a large pond near the pueblo. The word "pueblo" comes from the Spanish for "village." It refers both to a certain style of Southwest Indian architecture, characterized by multistory, apartmentlike buildings made of adobe, and to the people themselves. The Pueblos along the Rio Grande are known as eastern […]

Mojave or Mohave (Native Americans of the Southwest)

Originally Tzi-na-ma-a. Mojaveis a Hispanicization of the Yuman Aha-makave, meaning "beside the water." Location The Mojave traditionally lived in the Mojave Valley and along the northern lower Colorado River. Today, Mojave Indians live primarily on the Fort Mojave Reservation (Arizona) and on the Colorado River Indian Reservation (Arizona and California). Population Roughly 20,000 Mojaves lived […]

Nambe Pueblo (Native Americans of the Southwest)

Nambe is a Spanish rendition of a similar-sounding Tewa name, loosely interpreted as "rounded earth." The word "pueblo" comes from the Spanish for "village." It refers both to a certain style of Southwest Indian architecture, characterized by multistory, apartmentlike buildings made of adobe, and to the people themselves. The pueblos along the Rio Grande are […]

Navajo (Native Americans of the Southwest)

Navajo is a Tewa word meaning "planted fields." The Navajo call themselves Dine’e (Di ‘n?), "the People." Like the Apache, they are of Athapaskan descent. Location Dinetah, the traditional Navajo homeland, is located on the lower Colorado Plateau, between the San Juan and Little Colorado Rivers, about 75 miles northwest of Santa Fe. Today’s Navajo […]

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