Associated Tribes

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Inter-tribal Working Group members pose for a photo during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Inter-tribal Cultural Heritage Site, May 17, 2022. The group is continuing its efforts to develop the exhibit plan for the Desert View Welcome Center, and is working on the next strategic plan.

NPS photo/Dan Pawlak

 

The Grand Canyon region has been home to Native people since time immemorial.

The Grand Canyon is a place of immeasurable importance to Native people in the Southwest. The park shares boundaries with three federally recognized tribes; a total of 11 federally recognized tribes are traditionally associated with what is now Grand Canyon National Park. Park staff have been working with tribal people for more than 40 years, developing numerous innovative and collaborative tribal partnerships during that time.

We gratefully acknowledge the Native peoples on whose ancestral homelands we gather, as well as the diverse and vibrant Native communities who make their home here today.

 

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As we celebrate Native American Heritage, take a moment, wherever you are, to listen to the wind and the stories it carries. The history played out on public lands, like Grand Canyon National Park, has been dramatic and difficult, but learning from our shared past, present, and future will bring this nation together.

 

Traditionally Associated Tribes

There are 11 tribes that have historic connections to the lands and resources now found within Grand Canyon National Park.

• Havasupai Tribe – AZ
• Hopi Tribe – AZ
• Hualapai Tribe – AZ
• Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians – AZ
• Las Vegas Band of Paiute Indians – NV
• Moapa Band of Paiute Indians – NV
• Navajo Nation – AZ
  • Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation
• Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah – UT
• San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe – AZ
• The Pueblo of Zuni – NM
• Yavapai-Apache Nation – AZ

 

The map shows approximate locations of the traditional territories of the 11 tribes that have cultural connections to Grand Canyon; (the canyon is shown in dark green).

NPS

 

We Are Still Here

Indigenous people are the first inhabitants and caretakers of the land that later became the United States of America and Grand Canyon National Park. Native people of this land still exist today and continue to have deep cultural connection to this land. They are the first to live in harmony with the environment and have intergenerational and invaluable knowledge of the landscape that can be utilized to solve some of the problems faced by federal land managers today. We would like to thank the Indigenous communities that continue to work in partnership with the Grand Canyon on the stewardship of these lands.

“The first people of this land need to be the first people our visitors see when they visit Grand Canyon. It’s important to me that we show the world that the indigenous people of this land are here" says Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent, Ed Keable. "We need to provide the support so they can tell their histories of the canyon and talk about their futures with the Grand Canyon.”

To discover what the park is doing to promote first-voice interpretation with our digital audiences, follow us on Facebook and Twitter and use the hashtag, #grandcanyonfirstvoices.

 

Concept renderings of the site, designed by Andy Dufford of Chevo Studios

The Desert View Vision

The Desert View Inter-tribal Cultural Heritage Site is one example of the future of first-voice interpretation at Grand Canyon National Park. The Park continues to work with the Inter-Tribal Working Group, tribal members, the Grand Canyon Conservancy, and a talented and motivated group of staff and designers who share a vision for Desert View as a vibrant and living landscape. Desert View will create opportunities for tribal members to provide first voice interpretation of the Grand Canyon so that park visitors can experience Grand Canyon from a truly local perspective.

We are pleased to announce that in January 2022 construction began on the first elements of the Desert View Inter-tribal Cultural Heritage Site. The Grand Canyon NPS Trail Crew is currently working on the new amphitheater in collaboration with Chevo Studios, out of Denver, Colorado. As part of this project, trail crew will also begin working on realignment of Desert View area trails to make them compliant with accessibility standards. Work will continue through summer 2022.

Desert View facilities will, for the most part, be accessible to the public during construction; however, there will be detours and occasional closures as needed for work adjacent to doors. During construction, access to these facilities may not be universally accessible. For the most up-to-date photos of progress being made to the Desert View area, please visit the park’s Flickr album.

 

Working with Indigenous communities

 

 

 

Additional Resources