North of the Hualapai land is the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. The side canyon of the Grand Canyon once served as shelters and homes for the Hualapai people. The walls and side canyons are filled with many artifacts that remain of the people who roamed and lived in the area. The canyons served as refuge for the Hualapai people at the time of the rounding up of the Hualapai by the Army. The floor of the side canyon were once covered with lush gardens. Petroglyphs are found on many of the walls of the canyons telling about their history and some are maps showing the main trails athat lead to manyu different locations in Northern Arizona.

The Colorado River is a significant landmark for the Hualapai. Historically, all the Yuman language family tribes were located on or near or in close proximity to the Colorado River. There is a common binding creation myth which took place at "Spirit Mountain" Wikahme, along the Colorado River near Bullhead City, Arizona.

The Hualapai are a tribe who hunted game, gathered seeds and cultivated gardens wherever water was available. Today they are settled in the Northwestern corner of Arizona on approximately one million acres, a reservation established by executive order in 1883. There are about 946 people living in the tribal headquarters. Although the Hualapais experienced the "forced march to La Paz", they have endured and managed to maintain their language and culture.

Hualapai Tribe

The Hualapai live on a reservation encompassing a million acres along 108 miles of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon.

The Hualapai are descendents from one people, a group known archaeologically as the Cerbat. Culturally, they consider themselves part of the "Pai," meaning the people, and their presence along the Colorado dates to A.D. 600.

An Executive Order created the reservation in 1883. Peach Springs, the tribal capital, is 50 miles east of Kingman on Historic Route 66, owes its name to peach trees growing at springs nearby.

Occupying part of Coconino, Yavapai, and Mohave Counties, the reservation's topography varies from rolling grassland to forest and the rugged canyons of the Colorado River. Elevations range from 1,500 feet at the Colorado River to over 7,300 feet at Aubrey Cliffs on the eastern portion of the reservation.

The population of the Hualapai Tribe is 1,532 and the median age is 23.6 (1990 U.S. Census). Tribal, public school, state and federal governmental services provide the bulk of current full-time employment.

The prinicpal economic activities are tourism, cattle ranching, timber sales, and arts and crafts.