Whitehurst - Grand Canyons Tusayan Village

Indigenous peoples called northern Arizona home 4,000 years before Europeans first settled in northern Arizona. The Anasazi, Cohonina, Paiutes, Navajo, and Cerbat were among the first to inhabit the Grand Canyon. The Havasupai tribe, descended from the Cerbat, has been in the area for roughly 800 years. They are known as the only permanent residents within the Grand Canyon. While Havasupai is the tribes common name, they are also known as the Havasu Baaja, which experts say means the people of the blue-green waters.

Reaching the tribe can be an arduous task, as they can only be accessed by an 8-mile hike or via helicopter. Supai, the city located within Grand Canyon, is one of only a few remote locations that still receive mail via mule deliveries. Even so, the tribe plays host to roughly 30,000 visitors each year, thanks to a number of attractions that draw visitors to the area. Gorgeous waterfalls, including Havasu Falls and Mooney Falls, are among the attractions for tourists visiting the land. Much of the land around the area was severely altered in August 2008, following a large flood that washed through the area. Navajo Falls was obliterated in the flood, and a number of new waterfalls were formed.

The Havasupai people, who would farm within the canyon during the summer and spring, once used the land on the South Rim frequently. They would spend their winters and fall hunting near the South Rim in areas such as Pasture Wash. When the U.S. government formed the Havasupai Indian reservation in 1882, made up of roughly 518 acres, the tribe was left to survive solely within the canyon. That changed in 1975, when government officials gave roughly 185,000 acres of land back to the Havasupai.

The tribe has had a long relationship with the Tusayan area. Red Butte, a sacred site for the tribe, is located just south of Tusayan and often appears as a small mountain to those traveling north on Highway 64 to Grand Canyon.

A Paiute woman is visible in this photograph taken within the Grand Canyon in 1898. The woman is pictured standing next to a Hawe structure with a burden basket and a child on her back. This particular member of the Paiute tribe married into the Havasupai tribe, according to historical record. (Photograph by Maude and Bartoo; courtesy of the National Park Service.)

Havasupai chief Watahomagie is pictured in 1944 as he tends to a field in the Havasupai village. Watahomagie was photographed while mowing alfalfa by hand. Behind him is the Supai Formation, a popular attraction for those who make the trip to the village area each year. (Photograph by Harold C. Bryant; courtesy of the National Park Service.)

This 1944 photograph shows the magnificent view overlooking the Havasupai farmlands. In it one can see the scale of the houses and nearby animals as compared to the walls of the Grand Canyon in the background. The lands are irrigated by the Havasupai. (Photograph by Harold C. Bryant; courtesy of the National Park Service.)

Hamteq, a young male member of the Havasupai tribe, is pictured in 1899. Hamteq, which according to national park historians means nighthawk in the traditional Havasupai language, is standing beside one of the tribes ponies. This particular pony has been saddled for its journey. (Photograph by Peabody; courtesy of the National Park Service.)