Havasupai
Havasupai is an Indiantribe in America.The Havasupai Indians have lived on their land for over 800 years. They are considered nomads, as they used to spend the summer and spring months in the canyon farming, while spending the winter and fall months on the plateau hunting. In 1882, the U.S. government formed the Havasupai Indian Reservation which consisted of 518 acres of land inside the canyon. For 93 years they were confined to staying inside the canyon, which led to an increased reliance on farming and outside revenue (tourism). In 1975, the U.S. Government reallocated 185,000 acres of land back to the Havasupai. As of today the tribe consists of 639 members, and around 200 others who claim Havasupai heritage.
The Tribe is governed by a seven member Tribal Council democratically elected by the people. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is the entity charged with law enforcement and protection for the Tribe, while the Indian Health Service clinic provides health care and emergency services. The Tribe is the largest employer of tribe members, which runs Federal programs for the tribe members. Other members often work as packers and/or workers for tourist ventures, or work at the lodge, tourist offices, the café, etc.
Language
Main article: Havasupai languageHavasupai is a dialect of the Upland Yuman, which is spoken by less than 600 people on the Havasupai Indian Reservation, located in and around the Grand Canyon. It is the only Native American language in the United States of America spoken by 100% of its indigenous population. The Havasupai dialect is nearly identical to the dialect of the Hualapai, although the two groups are socially and politically distinct (Kendall 1983:5). It is a little more distantly related to the Yavapai dialects. Grammatical descriptions, vocabularies, and texts documenting Havasupai have been published (Mithun 1999:578).
