Hualapai
Encyclopedia
The Hualapai or Walapai (Hualapai: Hwalbáy) are a tribe of Native Americans
who live in the mountains of northwestern Arizona
, United States
. The name is derived from "hwa:l," the Hualapai word for ponderosa pine, "Hualapai" meaning "people of the ponderosa pine". Their traditional territory is a 100-mile (160-kilometre) stretch along the pine-clad southern side of the Grand Canyon
with the tribal capital located at Peach Springs.
and the local volunteer fire department. Alcoholism
and obesity are major problems among many Native American people, so there are community-wide anti-drug and anti-alcohol efforts.
s. Business matters are guided by the Hualapai Enterprise Board, a committee of independent, business-minded tribal members and non-members. Complete banking services are provided by Arizona's major financial institutions in Kingman.
Full-time employment is provided mostly through government programs.
Federal taxes
The Hualapai language is a Yuman language, closely related to Havasupai and more distantly to Yavapai. It is still spoken by most people over 30 on the Reservation as well as many young people. The Peach Springs School District runs a successful bilingual program for all local students, both Hualapai and non-Hualapai, in addition to immersion camps.
Villages: Hadū'ba, Hai'ya, Hathekáva-kió, Huwuskót, Kahwāga, Kwa'thekithe'i'ta, Mati'bika, Tanyika'
Villages: Chimethi'ap, Ha-kamuê', Háka-tovahádja, Hamte', Ha'theweli'-kio', Ivthi'ya-tanakwe, Kenyuā'tci, Kwatéhá, Nyi'l'ta, Quwl'-nye-há, Thawinūya, Waika'i'la, Wa-nye-ha', Wi'ka-tavata'va, Wi-kawea'ta, Winya'-ke-tawasa, Wiyakana'mo
Villages: Crozier (amerikan. Bez.), Djiwa'ldja, Hak-tala'kava, Haktutu'deva, Hê'l, Katha't-nye-ha', Muketega'de, Qwa'ga-we', Sewi', Taki'otha'wa, Wi-kanyo
Villages: Agwa'da, Ha'ke-takwi'va, Haksa', Hānya-djiluwa'ya, Tha've-nalnalwi'dje, Wiwakwa'ga, Yiga't
Villages: Hakeskia'l, Hakia'ch, Ka'nyu'tekwa', Tha'va-ka-lavala'va, Wi-ka-tāva, Witevikivol, Witkitana'kwa
Villages: Chivekaha', Djimwā'nsevio', Ha-djiluwa'ya, Hapu'k, Kwakwa', Kwal-hwa'ta, Kwathā'wa, Tak-mi'nva
Villages: Hake-djeka'dja, Ilwi'nya-ha', Kahwa't, Tak-tada'pa
was caused by an increase in traffic through the area on the Fort Mojave-Prescott Toll Road which elevated tensions and produced armed conflicts between the Hualapai and the European American
. The war broke out in May 1865, when the Hualapai leader Anasa
was killed by a man named Hundertinark in the area of Camp Willow Grove and in March 1866. In response, a man named Clower was killed by the Hualapai, who also closed the route from Prescott, Arizona
to the Colorado River
ports due to the conflict. It was not until W. H. Hardy and the Hualapai leaders negotiated a peace agreement at Beale Springs that the raids and the fighting subsided. However, the agreement lasted only nine months when it was broken with the murder of Chief Wabyuma during a dispute with the Walker party over the treaty. After the chief's murder, raids by the Hualapai began in full force on mining camps and settlers. The cavalry from Fort Mojave
responded, with the assistance of the Mohave
, by attacking Hualapai rancherias and razing them. The Hualapai began to surrender as whooping cough and dysentery
weakened their ranks; they were led by Chief Leve Leve of the Yavapai people
. The warrior Sherum, who was known for his tenacity as a warrior, later surrendered, thus marking the end of the Hualapai Wars in 1870. It is estimated that one-third of the Hualapai people were killed during this war either by the conflict or disease.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
who live in the mountains of northwestern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The name is derived from "hwa:l," the Hualapai word for ponderosa pine, "Hualapai" meaning "people of the ponderosa pine". Their traditional territory is a 100-mile (160-kilometre) stretch along the pine-clad southern side of the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
with the tribal capital located at Peach Springs.
The Reservation
The community is governed by the Hualapai Tribal Council which includes a chairperson, vice-chairperson, and seven other council members. Law enforcement is provided by the Hualapai Nation Tribal Police Department which came into existence in 2002. The department consists of a Chief Of Police, Deputy Chief, Criminal Invesigator and 11 sworn, Arizona state certified Patrol Officers. Fire protection is provided by the BIABureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
and the local volunteer fire department. Alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and obesity are major problems among many Native American people, so there are community-wide anti-drug and anti-alcohol efforts.
Average temperature and precipitation
Economy
The tribal economy is based on tourism, river-rafting, cattle-ranching, hunting expeditions, and timber-cutting, as well as crafting of traditional and modern folk artFolk art
Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic....
s. Business matters are guided by the Hualapai Enterprise Board, a committee of independent, business-minded tribal members and non-members. Complete banking services are provided by Arizona's major financial institutions in Kingman.
Full-time employment is provided mostly through government programs.
Current growth
There has been rapid economic, social, and governmental progress.- More than 200 new homes have been built recently.
- About 14 miles (23 kilometers) of town curbed.
- An improved community water and sewer system provides infrastructure for future growth.
- 300 streetlights were installed in 1999.
Taxes
State taxes- 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 they are wholly derived from reservation sources. 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.
Federal taxes
- The federal government does not exempt individual Indians from income taxes or other federal taxes.
History and culture
Ceremonies
Major traditional ceremonies of the Hualapai include the "Maturity" ceremony and the "Mourning" ceremony. Nowadays the modern Sobriety Festival is also celebrated in June.Afterlife
The souls of the dead are believed to go northwestward to a beautiful land where plentiful harvest grow. This land is believed to be seen only by Hualapai spirits.Traditional dress
Traditional Hualapai dress consists of full suits of deerskin and rabbit skin robes.Hualapai language
- See also: Hualapai language
The Hualapai language is a Yuman language, closely related to Havasupai and more distantly to Yavapai. It is still spoken by most people over 30 on the Reservation as well as many young people. The Peach Springs School District runs a successful bilingual program for all local students, both Hualapai and non-Hualapai, in addition to immersion camps.
Traditional housing
Conical houses formed from cedar boughs using the single slope form called a Wikiup.Hualapai bands and villages
The Hualapai were divided into seven bands, which were composed of several extended family groups, living in small villages:- Mata`va-kapai (Northern People)
Villages: Hadū'ba, Hai'ya, Hathekáva-kió, Huwuskót, Kahwāga, Kwa'thekithe'i'ta, Mati'bika, Tanyika'
- Soto`lve-kapai (Western People)
Villages: Chimethi'ap, Ha-kamuê', Háka-tovahádja, Hamte', Ha'theweli'-kio', Ivthi'ya-tanakwe, Kenyuā'tci, Kwatéhá, Nyi'l'ta, Quwl'-nye-há, Thawinūya, Waika'i'la, Wa-nye-ha', Wi'ka-tavata'va, Wi-kawea'ta, Winya'-ke-tawasa, Wiyakana'mo
- Ko`o`u-kapai (Mesa People)
Villages: Crozier (amerikan. Bez.), Djiwa'ldja, Hak-tala'kava, Haktutu'deva, Hê'l, Katha't-nye-ha', Muketega'de, Qwa'ga-we', Sewi', Taki'otha'wa, Wi-kanyo
- Nyav-kapai (Eastern People)
Villages: Agwa'da, Ha'ke-takwi'va, Haksa', Hānya-djiluwa'ya, Tha've-nalnalwi'dje, Wiwakwa'ga, Yiga't
- Hakia`tce-pai/Talta`l-kuwa (Cane People ?)
Villages: Hakeskia'l, Hakia'ch, Ka'nyu'tekwa', Tha'va-ka-lavala'va, Wi-ka-tāva, Witevikivol, Witkitana'kwa
- Kwe`va-kapai (Southern People)
Villages: Chivekaha', Djimwā'nsevio', Ha-djiluwa'ya, Hapu'k, Kwakwa', Kwal-hwa'ta, Kwathā'wa, Tak-mi'nva
- Hual`la-pai (Pinery People)
Villages: Hake-djeka'dja, Ilwi'nya-ha', Kahwa't, Tak-tada'pa
Hualapai War
The Hualapai WarHualapai War (1865-1870)
The Hualapai War, or Walapai War, was an armed conflict fought from 1865 to 1870 between the Hualapai native Americans and the United States in Arizona Territory. The Yavapai also participated on the side of the Hualapai and Mohave scouts were employed by the United States Army...
was caused by an increase in traffic through the area on the Fort Mojave-Prescott Toll Road which elevated tensions and produced armed conflicts between the Hualapai and the European American
European American
A European American is a citizen or resident of the United States who has origins in any of the original peoples of Europe...
. The war broke out in May 1865, when the Hualapai leader Anasa
Anasa
Anasa is a genus of leaf-footed bug in the Coreinae subfamily. The nine described species within this genus are:* A. andresii* A. armigera * A. bellator* A. cornuta* A. maculipes* A. repetita...
was killed by a man named Hundertinark in the area of Camp Willow Grove and in March 1866. In response, a man named Clower was killed by the Hualapai, who also closed the route from Prescott, Arizona
Prescott, Arizona
Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. It was designated "Arizona's Christmas City" by Arizona Governor Rose Mofford in the late 1980s....
to the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
ports due to the conflict. It was not until W. H. Hardy and the Hualapai leaders negotiated a peace agreement at Beale Springs that the raids and the fighting subsided. However, the agreement lasted only nine months when it was broken with the murder of Chief Wabyuma during a dispute with the Walker party over the treaty. After the chief's murder, raids by the Hualapai began in full force on mining camps and settlers. The cavalry from Fort Mojave
Fort Mojave
Fort Mohave was originally named Camp Colorado when it was established on April 19, 1859 by Lieutenant Colonel William Hoffman during the Mohave War...
responded, with the assistance of the Mohave
Mohave
Mohave or Mojave are a Native American people indigenous to the Colorado River in the Mojave Desert. The Fort Mojave Indian Reservation includes parts of California, Arizona, and Nevada...
, by attacking Hualapai rancherias and razing them. The Hualapai began to surrender as whooping cough and dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
weakened their ranks; they were led by Chief Leve Leve of the Yavapai people
Yavapai people
Yavapai are an indigenous people in Arizona. Historically, the Yavapai were divided into four geographical bands that considered themselves separate peoples: the Tolkapaya, or Western Yavapai, the Yavapé, or Northwestern Yavapai, the Kwevkapaya, or Southeastern Yavapai, and Wipukpa, or Northeastern...
. The warrior Sherum, who was known for his tenacity as a warrior, later surrendered, thus marking the end of the Hualapai Wars in 1870. It is estimated that one-third of the Hualapai people were killed during this war either by the conflict or disease.
See also
- Grand Canyon SkywalkGrand Canyon SkywalkThe Grand Canyon Skywalk is a transparent horseshoe-shaped cantilever bridge and tourist attraction in Arizona near the Colorado River on the edge of a side canyon in the Grand Canyon West area of the main canyon...
- Bat Cave mineBat Cave mineThe Bat Cave guano mine , located in the western Grand Canyon of Arizona at river mile 266, above Lake Mead, was an unusual, expensive and noteworthy mining operation. The cave was apparently discovered in the 1930s by a passing boater. After several unsuccessful attempts by others to mine the...
- Kiowa GordonKiowa GordonKiowa Joseph Gordon is an American actor, best known for his role in the Twilight Saga as Embry Call.- Early life :...
– actor in New Moon (movie) - Lucille Watahomigie - Hualapai linguist
Sources
- Intertribal Council of Arizona (Hualapai)
- Hualapai Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, Arizona United States Census Bureau
- Hualapai Tribe
- The Havasupai and the Hualapai
- Camp Beale's Springs – Mohave Museum
Further reading
- Billingsley, G.H. et al. (1999). Breccia-pipe and geologic map of the southwestern part of the Hualapai Indian Reservation and vicinity, Arizona [Miscellaneous Investigations Series; Map I-2554]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.