Arizona Indigenous Peoples

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Indigenous Peoples of Arizona

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• Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona

Learn about the Indigenous Peoples of Arizona, lists and links to the Federally recognized tribe, historical tribes, the reservations and agencies, Indian school records and repositories for record availability.

To get started in Indigenous Peoples of the United States Research

Click here for a map of Federal Lands and Indian Reservations

Arizona has 21 federally recognized tribes. Some sources count the Pueblo of Zuni as an Arizona tribe. However, the Pueblo of Zuni lands are primarily in New Mexico, with only a small portion in Arizona. If the Pueblo of Zuni is included there would be 22 tribes.

The state is home to over 294,000 Native Americans. To learn how to get started with Native American research, find research facilities, and Native American websites click here.

Current Federally Recognized Tribes

A federally recognized tribe is an American Indian or Alaska Native tribal entity that is recognized as having a government-to-government relationship with the United States, with the responsibilities, powers, limitations, and obligations attached to that designation, and is eligible for funding and services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The following is a list of the currently federally recognized tribes in the State of Arizona:. The list links go to the pages for the tribe as opposed to reservation links shown below.

Ak-Chin Indian Community, Arizona (Tribe)
Yavapai-Apache Nation, Arizona (Tribe)
Navajo Nation, Arizona (Tribe)
Cocopah Indian Reservation, Arizona (Tribe)
Colorado River Indian Tribes, Arizona (Tribe)
White Mountain Apache Tribe, Arizona (Tribe)
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Arizona (Tribe)
Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, Arizona (Tribe)
Gila River Indian Community, Arizona (Tribe)
Havasupai Indian Reservation, Arizona (Tribe)
Hopi Tribe, Arizona (Tribe)
Hualapai Tribe, Arizona (Tribe)
Kaibab-Paiute Tribe, Arizona (Tribe)
Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Arizona (Tribe)
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Arizona (Tribe)
San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona (Tribe)
Tohono O’odham Nation, Arizona (Tribe)
Tonto Apache Tribe, Arizona (Tribe)
Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe, Arizona (Tribe)
Fort Yuma-Quechan Tribe, Arizona (Tribe)
San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, Arizona (Tribe)

Some Historical Tribes and Bands of Arizona

The following list of American Indians who have lived in Arizona has been compiled from older sources, such as Hodge's Handbook of American Indians... and from Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America. Some may simply be variant spellings for the same tribe.

As you can see from the following list, some of the historical names of the tribes have changed and some are no longer in common usage:
See also Arizona Indigenous Tribes

• Apache

The individual Apache Tribes have the following websites"

Nnee-San Carlos Apache
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation
Mescalero Nation
White Mountain Apache Tribe
Chiricahua Apache Nde Nation
Jicarilla Apache Nation
Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas
Yavapai Prescott Indian Tribe
Yavapai-Apache Nation
Tonto Apache Tribe

---

The following websites contain information on the named individual tribes

• Cocopah
• Halchidhoma
• Halyikwamai
• Havasupai
• Hopi
• Hualipai (Walapai)
• Kohuana
• Maricopa
• Mohave
• Navajo
• Pueblo
• Paiute
• Papago
• Pima
• Quahatika
• Sobaipuri
• Yuma
• Zuni
  

The following websites contain information on those groups defined as "bands" in the older sources:

• Mohave-Apache
• Pascua-Yaqui
• Tonto-Apache
• Yavapai-Apache
• Yavapai-Prescott

Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino was said to have visited the following tribes in the area now called Arizona:

The tribes Father Kino met with are the Cocopa, Eudeve, Hia C-ed O'odham (called Yumans by Kino), Kamia, Kavelchadon, Kiliwa, Maricopa, Mountain Pima, Opata, Quechan, Gila River Pima, Seri, Tohono O'odham, Sobaipuri, Western Apache, Yavapai, and the Yaqui (Yoeme).

About Reservations

There is a clear distinction between the Indian Tribes and the Indian Reservation System. A federal Indian reservation is an area of land reserved for a tribe or tribes under treaty or other agreement with the United States, executive order, or federal statute or administrative action as permanent tribal homelands, and where the federal government holds title to the land in trust on behalf of the tribe.

From the mid-1800s, the official policy of the United States government toward the American Indian was to confine each tribe to a specific parcel of land called a reservation. Agencies were established on or near each reservation. A government representative, usually called an agent (or superintendent) was assigned to each agency. Their duties included maintaining the peace, making payments to the Native Americans based on the stipulations of the treaties with each tribe, and providing a means of communication between the native population and the federal government.

Sometimes, a single agency had jurisdiction over more than one reservation. And sometimes, if the tribal population and land area required it, an agency may have included sub-agencies.

The boundaries of reservations, over time, have changed. Usually, that means the reservations have been reduced in size. Sometimes, especially during the later policy of "termination," the official status of reservations was ended altogether. Compiling a list of reservations is difficult because several reservations extend into more than one state.

The State of Arizona does not tax Indian lands and Indian owned property on reservations. Incomes of Indians residing on reservations are not taxed by the State if wholly derived from reservation sources. The Federal Government does not exempt individual Indians from income or other federal taxes. Indian people of Arizona are also exempt from state and local sales taxes on consumer goods purchased on the reservation, unless such taxes are imposed by the tribal government. However, the State of Arizona collects taxes from reservation residents on sales of gasoline, electricity, natural gas, and telephone service.

Arizona Tribal Lands and Reservations. EPA. United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Arizona's Indian Reservations Map by Arizona Geographic Alliance.

Arizona's Native American Tribes by Economic Development Research Program, The University of Arizona.

BIA Reservation map Western Region: Arizona, Nevada and Utah.

Map of Indian Lands in the United States, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Current List of Reservations

• Ak-Chin Indian Community, Arizona (Reservation)
• Yavapai-Apache Nation, Arizona (Reservation)
• Navajo Nation, Arizona (Reservation)
• Cocopah Indian Reservation, Arizona (Reservation)
• Colorado River Indian Tribes, Arizona (Reservation)
• Fort Apache Indian Reservation, White Mountain Apache Tribe, Arizona (Reservation)
• Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Reservation
• Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, Arizona (Reservation)
• Gila River Indian Community, Arizona (Reservation)
• Havasupai Indian Reservation, Arizona (Reservation)
• Hopi Tribe, Arizona (Reservation)
• Hualapai Tribal Nation, Arizona (Reservation)
• Kaibab-Paiute Tribe, Arizona (Reservation)
• Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Arizona (Reservation)
• Papago Reservation, Arizona
• Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Arizona (Reservation)
• San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona (Reservation)
• Tohono O'odham Nation, Arizona (Reservation)
• Tonto Apache Tribe, Arizona (Reservation)
• Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe, Arizona (Reservation)
• Fort Yuma-Quechan Tribe, Arizona (Reservation)
• San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, Arizona (Reservation)

Agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:

• Allotment records
• Annuity rolls
• Census records
• Correspondence
• Health records
• Reports
• School census and records
• Vital records

The following list of agencies that have operated or now exist in Arizona has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians, and others.

A brief history of each agency and an explanation of the availability of at least some records for each are listed on the page for the agency.

• Camp Apache Agency
• Camp Grant Agency,
• Camp McDowell Agency
• Camp Verde Agency
• Cannon Agency,
• Chinle Agency,
• Chiricahua Agency
• Colorado River Agency, Rt. 1, Box 9-C, Parker, AZ 85344
• Eastern Navajo Agency
• Fort Apache Agency, P.O. Box 560, Whiteriver, AZ 85941
• Fort Defiance Agency
• Fort Mojave Agency
• Fort Yuma Agency, P.O. Box 1591, Yuma, AZ 85364
• Gila River (Pima) Agency , P.O. Box 8, Sacaton, AZ 85247
• Havasupai Agency
• Hopi Agency
• Kaibab Agency
• Moqui Pueblo Agency,
• Navajo Agency
• Navajo Service
• Northern Navajo Agency
• Papago Agency, P.O. Box 578, Sells, AZ 85634
• Phoenix Agency
• Pima Agency, P.O. Box 8, Sacaton, AZ 85247
• Rio Verde Agency
• Salt River Agency, Rt. 1, P.O.Box117, Scottsdale, AZ
• San Carlos Agency , P.O. Box 209, San Carlos, AZ 85550
• San Xavier Agency
• Sells Agency
• Shiprock Agency (see under New Mexico)
• Southern Navajo Agency
• Truxton Canon Agency, Valentine, AZ 86437
• Tuba City Agency
• Tucson Agency
• Western Navajo Agency
• Window Rock Area Office
• Yuma Agency (see under Fort Yuma, above)

Allotment Records

The General Allotment Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1887, marking the establishment of the allotment of land to individuals as the official and widespread policy of the federal government toward the Native Americans. Under this policy, land (formerly land held by the tribe or tribal land) was allotted to individuals to be held in trust until they had shown competency to handle their own affairs. The Bureau of Indian Affairs was the trustee.

Individual Native Americans were given a prescribed amount of land on a reservation based upon what land was available and the number of tribal members living on that reservation. Generally, the amount of land allotted was 160 Acres for each head of family, 80 Acres for each single person over eighteen years of age, 80 Acres for each orphan child under eighteen years of age, and 40 Acres for each single person under eighteen years of age. This was dependent upon there being sufficient land available on the existing reservation. If the total acreage on the reservation was insufficient, the amounts of land were pro-rated accordingly.

Not all tribes and reservations were allotted.

Allotted Tribes of Arizona

• Camp Verde, Yavapai-Apache Reservation, Colorado River Reservation, Gila River Reservation, Salt River Reservation, San Carlos Reservation, Tohono O’odham Reservation (Papago)
  

Indian Schools

The Office of Indian Affairs (now the Bureau of Indian Affairs) established a network of schools throughout the United States, beginning with Carlisle Indian School, established in 1879. Some of these schools were day schools, usually focusing on Indian children of a single tribe or reservation. Some were boarding schools which served Indian children from a number of tribes and reservations.

In addition, other groups such as various church denominations established schools specifically focusing on American Indian children. (read more...)

The following list of Indian Schools in Washington has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians, and others.

Many school records are included in the agency records.

• Camp McDowell School (1913 changed to Salt River)
• Camp Verde School
• Chinle Boarding School
• Cottonwood Day School 1968-1989 under the Chinle Subagency (records National Archives at Riverside)
• Fort Yuma Boarding School
• Havasupai School
• Holbrook School
• Hopi Agency, School records 1937 census , 1950-51 enrollment.(FamilySearch Library film 1249787 items 1 and 2.)
• Kaibab School
• Navajo Extension
• Navajo training School 1895-1922 under the Navajo Agency (National Archives at Riverside)
• Phoenix School 1891-1990 (National Archives at Riverside)
• Pima Agency, School records, 1903-1938. (FamilySearch Library film 1249794 Items 3-4.)
• Pinon Boarding School
• Rice Station School
• San Xavier School
• Theodore Roosevelt School 1927-1939 under the Fort Apache Indian Agency (National Archives at Riverside)
• Western Navajo School

Indian Health Agencies

• Kayenta Sanatorium
• Phoenix Sanatorium
• San Xavier Sanatorium
• Winslow Sanatorium

Missions

Missions were established by religious denominations to serve the Indians.

Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records
Special Collections and Archives
Raynor Memorial Libraries
Marquette University
1355 W. Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233

P.O. Box 3141
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-3141

• Website

Other Repositories

• Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
• Arizona Commission of Indian Affairs, 1645 W. Jefferson, Suite 201, Phoenix, AZ 85007
• Intertribal Council of Arizona, 124 W. Thomas Road Suite 201, Phoenix, AZ 85013

Labriola National American Indian Data Center

The Labriola National American Indian Data Center is a research collection with current and historic information on government, culture, religion and world view, social life and customs, tribal history, and information on individuals from the United States, Canada, Sonora, and Chihuahua, Mexico.

The Labriola Center is located on the second floor of Hayden Library on the Arizona State University Tempe campus.

Northern Arizona University, Cline Library, Special Collections

The Cline Library may have the largest collection of material on Indians of northern Arizona. Check the library catalog at Cline Library Home.

The Doris Duke American Indian Oral History Project

From 1966 to 1972, several universities conducted oral history interviews with Native Americans. The project was funded by Doris Duke, heiress of the Duke tobacco family. The University of Oklahoma was one of the universities that participated in the project. Transcripts] of those interviews are online through the University of Oklahoma in Norman. See American Indian Oral Histories

Maps

• Map of Indian Lands: Region 9 -- Reservations, Rancherias, Colonies... EPA map, Feb. 2000

FamilySearch Library

Histories of Arizona Indians are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under ARIZONA - MINORITIES, as well as under ARIZONA - NATIVE RACES. Other records of American Indians are listed in the Subject Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under the names of the tribes.
For a complete list of available records utilize the FamilySearch Catalog....search by Tribe and locality

• Records of the Arizona Superintendency (M 0734). (on eight FS Library films starting with 1694796.)

See Also

• Arizona Church-- a list of missions is given.
• Arizona History -- the calendar of events has dates of importance to American Indians.
• Arizona Military -- a list of forts is given.

Links:

• Arizona Indian Reservations and Tribal addresses
• Northern Arizona University, Center for American Indian Economic Development
• The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
• Community and Regional Profiles
• Wick R. Miller Papers

Bureau of Indian Affairs

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm copies of Bureau of Indian Affairs records, such as pre-1940 census, school, and vital records, for a few agencies, including the Fort Apache, Pima, and Yuma. The original documents are at the National Archives— Pacific Region (Laguna Niguel)

• National Archives— Pacific Region (Laguna Niguel)

References

Bibliography

See the Bibliography of Native North Americans an online resource available at many libraries. This is a product of EBSCO Publishing.

• Dutton, Bertha P. American Indians of the Southwest. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, 1983. WorldCat 424863732
• "Accompanying Pamphlet for Microcopy 1011", National Archives Microfilm Publications, Appendix.
• American Indians: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington DC: National Archives Trust Fund Board, National Archives and Records Administration, 1998.
• Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives; Record Group 75, Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
• Hill, Edward E. (comp.). Guide to Records in the National Archives of the United States Relating to American Indians. Washington DC: National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration, 1981.
• Hill, Edward E. The Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1880: Historical Sketches. New York, New York: Clearwater Publishing Company, Inc., 1974.
• Historical Sketches for Jurisdictional and Subject Headings Used for the Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1880. National Archives Microcopy T1105.
• Hodge, Frederick Webb. Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico. Washington D.C.:Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin #30 1907. Available online.
• Isaacs. Katherine M., editor. Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America. U.S. Data Sourcebook, Volume 11 Appendices, Bureau of Indian Affairs List of American Indian Reservations, Appendix E, Indian Reservations. Omnigraphics, Inc., 1991.
• Klein, Barry T., ed. Reference Encyclopedia of the American Indian. Nyack, New York: Todd Publications, 2009. 10th ed. WorldCat 317923332; FS Catalog book 970.1 R259e.
• Malinowski, Sharon and Sheets, Anna, eds. The Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. Detroit: Gale Publishing, 1998. 4 volumes. Includes: Lists of Federally Recognized Tribes for U.S., Alaska, and Canada – pp. 513-529 Alphabetical Listing of Tribes, with reference to volume and page in this series Map of “Historic Locations of U.S. Native Groups” Map of “Historic Locations of Canadian Native Groups” Map of “Historic Locations of Mexican, Hawaiian and Caribbean Native Groups” Maps of “State and Federally Recognized U.S. Indian Reservations. WorldCat 37475188; FS Catalog book 970.1 G131g.

Vol. 1 -- Northeast, Southeast, Caribbean

Vol. 2 -- Great Basin, Southwest, Middle America

Vol. 3 -- Arctic, Subarctic, Great Plains, Plateau

Vol. 4 -- California, Pacific Northwest, Pacific Islands

• Wick R. Miller. Miller, Wick R. 1931. The Wick Miller Papers (1931-1994) contain correspondence, research files, field notes, word lists, notebooks, articles and reprints, pamphlets, maps, class syllabi, tests and assignments, student papers, and manuscripts. Wick Miller (1932-1994) was an anthropological linguist and pioneer in language acquisition studies.WorldCat 447297763 Wick R. Miller Papers
• National Atlas of the United States of America -- Federal Lands and Indian Reservations Available online.
• Preliminary Inventory No. 163: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Washington DC: National Archives and Records Services. Available online
• Sturtevant, William C. Handbook of North American Indians. 20 vols., some not yet published. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1978– .

Volume 1 -- Not yet published

Volume 2 -- Indians in Contemporary Society (pub. 2008) -- WorldCat 234303751

Volume 3 -- Environment, Origins, and Population (pub. 2006) -- WorldCat 255572371

Volume 4 -- History of Indian-White Relations (pub. 1988) -- WorldCat 19331914; FS Catalog book 970.1 H191h v.4.

Volume 5 -- Arctic (pub. 1984) -- WorldCat 299653808; FS Catalog book 970.1 H191h v.5.

Volume 6 -- Subarctic (pub. 1981) -- WorldCat 247493742; FS Catalog book 970.1 H191h v.6.

Volume 7 -- Northwest Coast (pub. 1990) -- WorldCat 247493311

Volume 8 -- California (pub. 1978) -- WorldCat 13240086; FS Catalog book 970.1 H191h v.8.

Volume 9 -- Southwest (pub. 1979) -- WorldCat 26140053; FS Catalog book 970.1 H191h v.9.

Volume 10 -- Southwest (pub. 1983) -- WorldCat 301504096; FS Catalog book 970.1 H191h v.10.

Volume 11 -- Great Basin (pub. 1986) -- WorldCat 256516416; FS Catalog book 970.1 H191h v.11.

Volume 12 -- Plateau (pub. 1998) -- WorldCat 39401371; FS Catalog book 970.1 H191h v.12.

Volume 13 -- Plains, 2 vols. (pub. 2001) -- WorldCat 48209643

Volume 14 -- Southeast (pub. 2004) -- WorldCat 254277176

Volume 15 -- Northwest (pub. 1978) -- WorldCat 356517503; FS Catalog book 970.1 H191h v.15.

Volume 16 -- Not yet published

Volume 17 -- Languages (pub. 1996) -- WorldCat 43957746

Volume 18 -- Not yet published

Volume 19 -- Not yet published

Volume 20 -- Not yet published

• Swanton John R. The Indian Tribes of North America. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin #145 Available online.
• Waldman, Carl. Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. New York, New York: Facts on File, 2006. 3rd ed. WorldCat 14718193; FS Catalog book 970.1 W146e 2006.
• Weaver, Thomas, and Emil W. Haury. Indians of Arizona: A Contemporary Perspective. Tucson, Ariz: University of Arizona Press, 1974. FS Library 970.1 W379i WorldCat 834949