Where are the indigenous tribes that comprise the 'Pima' people located?

The Pima "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. The majority population of the surviving two bands of the Akimel Oʼodham are based in two reservations: the Keli Akimel Oʼotham on the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) and the On'k Akimel Oʼodham on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC).

The short name, "Pima," is believed to have come from the phrase pi 'añi mac or pi mac, meaning "I don't know," which they used repeatedly in their initial meetings with Spanish colonists. The latter referred to them as the Pima. This term was adopted by later English speakers: traders, explorers and settlers.

As of 2014, the majority of the population lives in the federally recognized 'Gila River Indian Community (GRIC)'. In historic times, a large number of Akimel Oʼodham migrated north to occupy the banks of the Salt River, where they formed the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC).

Both tribes are confederations of two distinct ethnicities, which include the Maricopa.

Today the GRIC is a sovereign tribe residing on more than 550,000 acres (2,200 km2) of land in central Arizona. It is self-governed by an elected Governor, Lieutenant Governor and 18-member Tribal Council. The council is elected by district with the number of electees determined by district population. There are more than 19,000 enrolled members overall.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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14 Comments

Bob Blumrick

Ira Hayes, one of the Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima, was a Pima. Johnny Cash sang about him.

Jules B-T

How did I know that? Because I live in PIMA COUNTY, AZ!

Russell Ipson

Living in Phoenix, if I got this wrong, they would kick me out of the state. They actually own the land that The University of Phoenix Stadium where the Arizona Cardinals play.

Helga U. Williams

I think the Pima tribe runs the Talking Stick Casino outside of Phoenix. 🙄

earlepg

George Oliver Prince, For me it was helpful to have read about American Indian tribes.

Lawanta

I have friends who lived in Bapchule, on the Gila River Reservation in the late 1980s. They were missionaries to the Pima, with a ministry in church planting. In the early 1990s they moved to Yuma to work with the Cocopah natives, where they built a Quonset church on their own property.

Pat Wells

Pima, AZ makes the answer fairly obvious---city and county named after the Pima Tribe.

Howard Groopman

Yesterday on Jeopardy there was a similar question.

Thor Johnson

I picked up a Sioux Indian hitchhiking outside of Flagstaff in 1972 who ad just gotten into a fight with some Pima's in Phoenix the night before so it helped me know the answer.

Richard G Schwartz

Thanks for the information Brian.

Kimberly Kennedy

There are Pima tribes in northern Mexico as well. Historically they were closely related, but separated by the formation of the U.S.

Brian McFarlane

I lived in Pima County, Arizona for 31 years. They don't talk in schools about the "Pima Massacre", where the most prominent families in Tucson slaughtered a group of Native American men, women and children over the theft of a couple of horses by two young braves, who basically went on a 'joy ride'. These families have streets in Tucson named after them!