Havasupai means “people of the blue-green water.”
Havasupai's have dwelt in the Grand Canyon and the rest of north-central
Arizona for more than 1,000 years, practicing summertime
irrigated farming in the canyons and wintertime hunting on the
plateaus.
The Havasupai Reservation of the Havasupai Tribe is at the end
of Indian Route 18 off of Historic Route 66. The reservation consists
of 188,077 acres of canyon land and broken plateaus abutting the
western edge of the National Park along the south rim of the Grand
Canyon. All the residents live in Supai Village, in 3,000-foot-deep
Havasu Canyon, through which a perennial creek flows over three
breathtakingly beautiful high waterfalls and several smaller ones.
The reservation was established in 1880 and substantially enlarged
in 1975. An encampment at Grand Canyon National Park still
remains home to several Havasupai families.
The tribe is best known for its location, traditional cultural life,
beautiful arts and crafts, and community alcohol and drug abuse
prevention efforts.
Tourism is the basis of the tribe's modern economy. More than
12,000 guests a year hike or ride horseback into the canyon to stay
at the village's Lodge or campgrounds near Havasu Falls. Guests
arrive via an eight-mile trail from Hualapai Hilltop, most by foot or
horseback and a few by chartered helicopter. The number of visitors
allowed is limited to prevent overcrowding. Guests must make
advance reservations by phone or mail with the Tourist Office or
Lodge before embarking; a deposit is required.
The tribe also operates a full-menu cafe with an outdoor seating
area, a fully stocked grocery store, a museum and cultural center,
and an art and silkscreen studio. All supplies, including the mail,
are packed in by horse and mule train.
The location of the Havasupai Reservation, deep within an inner
gorge of the Grand Canyon, provides startling and spectacular
scenery. Called the “Shangri-la of the Grand Canyon.” the reservation
is surrounded by layers of cliffs towering more than half a mile
above the canyon bottom, the village itself forms an oasis of greenery
within the desert environment. Havasu Creek flows through the
village, over a series of waterfalls, and joins the Colorado River in
the bottom of the main canyon. Four of the waterfalls form gorgeous
morning-glory pools around their base. These natural travertine tubs filled with sparkling turquoise water are irresistible to photographers and swimmers.
The annual Havasupai Peach Festival is held the second weekend
of August and includes a rodeo, traditional dancing, and
pageantry. A community health fair is held once a year and a
Grandmother Canyon Gathering every fall.
