Papago Indians

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Ancestral Homeland: Sourthern Arizona

Various Names / Spellings: also known as Tohono O'odham

Tribal Headquarters
Tohono O'odham Nation P. O. Box 837 Sells, AZ 85634 Phone: 1.520.383.2028 Fax: 1.520.383.3379

Reservation Population 2010: Tohono O'odham 10,201

Gila River 11,712

Maricopa (Akchin) 1,001

Total is 22,914


 * Tohono O'odham Nation Official Website

History
Before the arrival of the whites, the Pima were civilized and fighting on and off against the Apache (they were really Chippewa's) who lived to their east. After the white invasion, the Apache forced their way further west and south. Apaches may have lived as far south as the northern part of the Mexican State of Sinaloa.

By the mid 18th century, the Apache were living in southeastern Arizona and sending their soldiers as far west as the Colorado River (the Yuma region or land of the Yuma Apache), to combat the white invaders.

After the revolver was invented, the United States quickened their westward expansion and by the 1840s were causing trouble in Arizona. The Pima could not avoid that trouble. Nor could the Apache. A Reservation was created for the Pima in 1859. However, as more whites invaded, more Pima joined the Apache.

In 1872, the United States created the Chiricahua Apache Reservation which borders the eastern lands of the Pima. It was located in southeastern Arizona and eradicated soon after by the United States. After the Chiricahua Reservation was eradicated, many of the Apache and Pima were relocated to the San Carlos Reservation.

Not all Apache and Pima relocated to San Carlos however. Many continued to live throughout the Chiricahua Reservation and fight the invading whites. After Geronimos fight in 1886, the fighting stopped. For the next 30 years, the Pima (they were really the Kickapoo Chippewa's) continued to live in southern central Arizona and southeastern Arizona (where the old Chiricahua Reservation was located) and northern Sonora.

The Papago Reservation includes the first Papago Reservation created for the Pima at San Xavier on July 1, 1874. The Gila Bend Reservations were created on December 12, 1882 and modified (reduced in size supposedly) on June 17, 1909 (probably for Chippewa's from Montana) and in 1987 was transferred to the United States. Replacement lands were put into trust in 2004. In 1916, negotiations led to the creation of the largest part of the Papago Reservation. It's likely over 200 Chippewa's from Rocky Boys Reservation (those who were forced off Reservation rolls) from Montana, were relocated to the Papago Reservation.

By 1916, the United States commenced to negotiate with the 2,000 Pima (they were really the Chippewa people known as the Kickapoo who are really Saginaw Chippewa) living in extreme southern Arizona and southeastern Arizona. Not wanting Mexico an attraction (the Mexican Civil War was about over by 1916), the United States agreed to set aside a very large Reservation for the Pima. It actually happened in 1909, or during the beginning of the Mexican Civil War.

Today, these five Reservations which include Gila Bend, Gila River, Maricopa or Akchin, Papago (Tohono O'odham), and San Xavier are known as the Tohono O'odham Reservation. They prefer Tohono O'odham Nation. It was originally known as the Papago Reservation. Most of the citizens of the Tohono O'odham Reservation are Chippewa.

The Reservation was originally larger and included Gila Bend Reservation to the northwest and the Gila River and Maricopa or Akchin Reservation to the north. Thus, the reason for including the populations of those two Reservations. The original Papago Reservation was probably created on June 17, 1909. During that time, the United States was preparing to commence another Chippewa Deportation out of the Reservations they created for the Chippewa's after the 1896 Deportations. They commenced the Deportations in November of 1909. Exactly how many Montana Chippewa's were deported to Arizona in 1909, is unknown.

In 1902, the population of Gila Bend Reservation was 693, while San Xavier had a population of 531. It was also reported in 1902, that the Nomadic Papago of Arizona (they had no Reservation and supposedly were Pima but were really the Kickapoo Saginaw Chippewa's) had a population of 2,046. So the total Papago population in 1902 was 3,270.

By the time of the Indian Reorganization Act's 1930s population estimates, Gila Bend had a population of 228, San Xavier had a population of 525, and Papago had a population of 5,146. An increase in the Papago population can be attributed to the population decline at Gila Bend and the relocation of the Montana Chippewa's, to Arizona.

Brief Timeline
1687: Father Eusebio Kino teaches the Papago to grow wheat, chickpeas, onions, and melons

1853: The Gadsden Purchase brings Papago lands to the United States

1876: The tribe makes peace with the Apache

1917: Sells Reservation established

1986: Tribe changes name from Papago to Tohono O' odham

Reservations
Sells Resrvation

Tohono O'odham Reservation

Agencies
Pima Agency

Superintendencies
New Mexico Superintendency

Arizona Superintendency

Vital Records

 * Pima Agency, M595, births and deaths 1924-1932,
 * http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Kappler/Vol1/HTML_files/APP1027.html 1902 Populations For Indian Agencies
 * http://thorpe.ou.edu/IRA/IRAbook/tribalgovpt1tblA.htm IRA 1930s Population Estimates For Indian Agencies

Important Web Sites

 * Tohon O'odham also know as Papago Tribe Wikipedia
 * Constitution and By-Laws of the Papago Tribe Arizona. Approved January 6, 1937.
 * Tohono O'odham Nation Official Website
 * Tohono O'odham Tribe Wikipedia