Yavapai
The Yavapai are a Native American tribe indigenous to central and western Arizona, with a history dating back to around 1100 C.E. Traditionally, they were hunters and gatherers, adept at utilizing the natural resources around them, relying on wild game and various plants for sustenance. Their shelters included natural caves and constructed huts made from timber and stone. Throughout their history, the Yavapai have experienced both cooperation and conflict with neighboring tribes, including the Walapai and Havasupai, while maintaining particularly amicable relations with the Navajo and Apache peoples.
The arrival of European explorers in the 14th and 15th centuries marked the beginning of significant external contact, which intensified during the Arizona gold rush in the 1860s. This led to the forced relocation of the Yavapai to several reservations, including the Colorado River Reservation and others in Arizona. Today, the Yavapai Apache Nation consists of distinct communities, with a population that engages in farming, traditional crafts, and increasingly, gaming as a source of economic support. The tribe's governance structure is maintained through an elected board, and their spirituality reflects a blend of traditional beliefs and Christianity. The Yavapai Apache Nation continues to play a vital role in the cultural and economic landscape of the region.
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Yavapai
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Southwest
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Yuman
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Western and central Arizona
- POPULATION SIZE: 2,596 (2025; Yavapai-Apache Nation); 900 (2025; The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation); 159 (2025; Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe)
The Yavapai are an Indigenous American nation that have lived in central and western Arizona since around 1100 CE. Primarily hunter-gatherers, the Yavapai followed the cycles of nature, moving through areas as they harvested wild plants and hunted animals. Wild game was obtained either by hand or projectiles, such as a stick, or by employing a bow and arrow.
As they migrated, the Yavapai made their shelters in caves and in domed stone or timber huts. Occasionally, hostilities erupted between the Yavapai and the Hualapai, Havasupai, Tohono O’odham, Pima, and Maricopa. The Yavapai were most friendly with the Navajo, Hopi, Mojave, Quechan (Yuma), and especially the Apache, whom they sometimes married.
The first European incursion occurred in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries when Spanish explorers passed through Yavapai territory. When the Arizona gold rush hit in the 1860s, contact with outsiders, especially European Americans, increased greatly. The Yavapai usually sought peace with these invaders. The Yavapai's numbers dwindled because of various hardships, and in 1865, the two thousand remaining Yavapai were moved to the Colorado River Reservation, the first of many reservations they would be relocated to; others included Fort McDowell, Rio Verde, San Carlos, Camp Verde, Middle Verde, Clarkdale, and Prescott. With the exceptions of River Verde and San Carlos, the Yavapai continue to inhabit these reservations.
Prior to US government intervention, the Yavapai were led by articulate members and by shamans notable for their powerful dreams and their healing skills. Past influential Yavapai leaders include Chief Yuma Frank, Chief Viola Jimulla, and Carlos Montezuma.
In the twenty-first century, the Yavapai make their living primarily from farming, working for wages, and making and selling traditional crafts. The Yavapai is governed by an elected board. Contemporary Yavapai spirituality is expressed in a variety of forms, including Christian denominations and the Holy Ground Church, which emphasizes the sacred relationship between humanity and the earth that supports it.
Beginning in the 1990s, gambling and casinos became a significant source of revenue for the Yavapai nation. This venture, however, got off to a contentious start as Yavapai Bingo operations initially ran afoul of Arizona Governor Fife Symington. Acting at his request, on May 12, 1992, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided the Fort McDowell Gaming Center Bingo located on Yavapai reservation lands outside of Phoenix. As the FBI attempted to load confiscated gaming equipment onto moving trucks, a large crowd materialized, formed primarily of Yavapai Indigenous Americans, and surrounded the FBI operation and its approximately 150 agents. The FBI personnel became blockaded as crowd members employed passenger and commercial vehicles to cordon the area. Through the subsequent hours, the crowd grew in size to several hundred people. As violence appeared imminent, Yavapai leaders and Governor Symington agreed to a ten-day cooling-off period. Although the gaming equipment was eventually confiscated, the incident set in motion the precedent where legalized gambling was allowed on Indigenous Americans reservations, and twenty-eight states have since allowed it.
In the twenty-first century, there are three federally recognized Yavapai Indigenous American nations: the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, the Yavapai-Apache Nation, and the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe, all located in central Arizona. These nations operate casino businesses to fund social services, education, and cultural preservation efforts. The Yavapai are actively working to revitalize their languages and cultural practices through various community initiatives.
Bibliography
Alexander, Kathy. "The Yavapai – Fierce Warriors of the Colorado River." Legends of America, May 2024, www.legendsofamerica.com/na-yavapai. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
Braatz, Timothy. "Upland Yuman (Yavapai and Pai) Leadership across the Nineteenth Century." American Indian Quarterly, vol. 23, no. 3/4, 1999, pp. 129-147.
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, fmyn.org. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
“Greetings from the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe.” Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe, www.ypit.com/about‗ypit.htm. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
Krol, Debra Utacia. "How a Native American Tribe Changed the Gambling Industry by Standing Up to the FBI." azcentral, 18 Sept. 2024, www.azcentral.com/in-depth/news/local/scottsdale/2022/05/20/fort-mcdowell-yavapai-nation-arizona-gambling/9839162002. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
Sleeper-Smith, Susan. Why You Can't Teach United States History without American Indians. University of North Carolina Press, 2015.
"Yavapai Apache." Nature, Culture and History at the Grand Canyon, grcahistory.org/history/native-cultures/yavapai-apache. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
Yavapai-Apache Nation, yavapai-apache.org. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.