Indigenous Peoples in Arizona: Overview

Native Americans have inhabited what is now Arizona for thousands of years. It remains a state with one of the largest percentages of Native Americans in the United States, and has the second largest total Native American population of any state. In addition, the majority of the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American reservation in the US, and the entire Tohono O'odham Nation, the second largest, are located in Arizona. Over a quarter of the area of the state is reservation land.

Arizona is home to 22 Native American tribes that represent more than 296,000 people. A total of 20 Reservations cover more than 19,000,000 acres, ranging in size from the very large Navajo Reservation, which is the size of West Virginia or Ireland, to the small Tonto Apache Reservation that covers just over 85 acres.

Visitors who want to travel to Arizona reservations may do so without prior permission. But if you want to know where to buy arts and crafts or observe dances or rodeos, you should contact the tribal offices in advance of your travel. Many tribes today are committed to diversifying their economies so in addition to casinos, you can visit and enjoy tribally-owned shopping malls, RV parks and convenience stores, resort hotels and golf courses along with trying your luck at the tables and machines.

  POPULATION DEMOGRAPHICS AS OF 2010