What are the Pima Indians known for?
The Pima Indians were excellent farmers and extended the Hohokam’s already large irrigation system with reservoirs, dams, and over 200 miles of irrigation ditches. They developed strains of drought-resistant corn and were able to raise several crops a year to store and trade.
What do the Pima Indians call themselves?
River People
The Pima, who speak a Uto-Aztecan language and call themselves the “River People,” are usually considered to be the descendants of the Hohokam. Like their presumed ancestors, the Pima were traditionally sedentary farmers who lived in one-room houses and utilized the rivers for irrigation.
Where is the Pima Indian Reservation in Arizona?
Consisting of 52,600 acres, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is located 15 miles northeast of Phoenix. It is adjacent to Scottsdale, Tempe, Fountain Hills and Mesa.
What language is Pima?
Oʼodham (pronounced [ˈʔɔʔɔðam]) or Papago-Pima is a Uto-Aztecan language of southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico, where the Tohono Oʼodham (formerly called the Papago) and Akimel Oʼodham (traditionally called Pima) reside.
What does Pima mean in Native American?
Pima people. The Pima /ˈpiːmə/ (or Akimel Oʼodham, also spelled Akimel Oʼotham, “River People”, formerly known as Pima) are a group of Native Americans living in an area consisting of what is now central and southern Arizona.
What was the original name of the Pima people?
First called the Pima Indians by exploring Spaniards who encountered them in the 1600s, these early Americans called themselves “Akimel O’odham,” meaning the River People. The Piman peoples, who live in the Senoran Desert region are descendants of the prehistoric Hohokan Culture.
Why do the Pima Indians not say the names of deceased people?
The Pima Indians believed such an act would bring bad luck to the children and their future. Similarly, people in the tribe do not say aloud the names of deceased people, in order to avoid bad luck by calling their spirits back among the living. But the word or words in the name are not dropped from the language.
Who are the Pima and Papago Indians of Arizona?
Pima and Papago Indians of Southern Arizona. Pima Indians, the indigenous people who lived in the area around Mission Tumacácori in the 17 th century, referred to themselves simply as “People”. Such was the case in most technologically primitive cultures around the world that had little or no contact with other groups.