The Hualupai (aka Walapai) Native Americans

The Hualapai, meaning "People of the Tall Pine," have lived along the Colorado and the Grand Canyon for centuries.

The Hualapai are descendants of the "Pai," whose earliest physical remains have been found along the Willow Beach bank near the Hoover Dam, dating back as early as A.D. 600. Traditionalhunters and gatherers, they were first discovered by Spanish explorers in the 1500's. From 1865-1868, the Hualapai were involved in the Hualapai War, as a result of encroaching settlers upon their lands.

The Hualapai Reservation was established by an executive order in 1883, when the tribe numbered around 700. Today, the Hualapai live on a reservation encompassing a million acres along 108 miles of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon.

Their tribal capital is located at Peach Springs, Arizona, with a total population of some 1,600 members. Their economy is based on tourism, river-rafting, cattle-ranching, hunting expeditions, and timber-cutting, as well as crafting of traditional and modern folk arts.