About Havasupai

Supai People

The Supai people are called Havasu 'Baaja meaning the people of the blue-green waters. The Supai tribe is located in Supai, Arizona just a couple miles from the Havasupai campground. The tribe consists of about 650 tribal members. The native language, Havasupai, is a preferred method for communicating and a language rich in history and tradition. It has been a written language for about 20 years.

History

In the early 1800's during the fall and winter months, the Supai would live with their families on the upper plateau regions above the canyon walls while subsisting by hunting. During the spring and summer months, the Supai moved back to the canyon and planted gardens. When the Supai reservation was created in 1882, the federal government confined the Supai tribe to the 518 acres at the bottom of the canyon and they lost almost 90% of their land. This loss of the land had a major influence on culture and economy in the the tribe. It forced the Supai to seek labor outside of the canyon. Eventually the tribe began to rely on tourism, as people found their way to the canyon and waterfalls. In 1975, Congress reallocated 185,000 acres of the original Supai hunting grounds back to the tribe.

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