Indigenous languages of Arizona
Tohono O'odham Nation. Also, Arizona has the largest number of Native American language speakers in the United States.[3]
Distribution
There are twelve Native American languages spoken in Arizona, in addition to three other languages that are primarily spoken outside the state and one language with a disputed existence.
Population estimates are based on figures from Ethnologue and U.S. Census data, as given in sub-pages below. The twelve languages are shown in the table below:
| Language | Classification | Number of speakers | Total ethnic population | Tribe(s) included | Location(s) in Arizona | Significant external populations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navajo | Na-Dene: Southern Athabaskan | 170,000 | 300,000 | Navajo |
Navajo Nation | New Mexico |
Western Apache |
Na-Dene: Southern Athabaskan | 13,000 | 20,000 | San Carlos Apache, Tonto Apache |
Tonto Apache Tribecall/Tonto Apache Indian Reservation |
|
| Yavapai | Yuman : Pai |
163 | 1,420 | Yavapai |
Yavapai-Apache Nation, Yavapai-Prescott Tribe |
|
Havasupai-Hualapai |
Yuman : Pai |
1,530 | 2,437 | Hualapai |
Hualapai Indian Reservation |
|
| Quechan/Yuma | Yuman : River |
250 | 1,200 | Quechan |
Fort Yuma Indian Reservation | California |
| Mojave | Yuman : River |
100 | 750 | Mohave | Colorado River Indian Reservation |
California |
| Maricopa | Yuman : River |
160 | 400 | Maricopa | Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Gila River Indian Reservation (Maricopa Colony ) |
|
| Cocopah | Yuman : Delta |
400 | 1,000 | Cocopah |
Cocopah Indian Reservation | Mexico (Baja California, Sonora) |
| Hopi | Uto-Aztecan: Northern: Hopi | 5,000 | 18,000 | Hopi |
Hopi Indian Reservation |
|
| Colorado River Numic | Uto-Aztecan: Northern: Numic | 2,000 | 5,000 | Southern Paiute, Ute |
Colorado River Indian Reservation |
Nevada, Utah, Colorado, California |
O'odham |
Uto-Aztecan: Southern: Piman | 10,000 | 20,000 | Tohono O'odham/Papago |
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community |
Sonora |
| Yaqui | Uto-Aztecan: Southern: Taracahitic | 15,000 | 25,000 | Yaqui people |
Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation, Guadalupe | Sonora (Yaqui River Valley) |
Halchidhoma |
Yuman |
? | Halchidhoma |
Other minority Native American languages
In addition to the languages listed in the table above, there are three other Native American languages spoken in Arizona that are primarily found in New Mexico, located immediately to the east:
- Zuni Pueblo, which is located in northern New Mexico. Out of the approximately 10,000 people that form the Zuni tribe, only 538 live in Arizona, located on trust lands in Apache County. Unlike many other Native American languages, a vast majority of Zuni are able to speak their language, and Zuni is at a comparatively lower risk of extinction.[4]
- First Mesa: Hano and Polacca. The Tewa language is considered endangered.
- Mescalero Indian Reservation in southwestern New Mexico. A few Chiricahua also live on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservationin southeastern Arizona, but this language is a minority language on the reservation.
See also
- Native Americans in the United States
- Indigenous peoples of Arizona
- Indigenous languages of the Americas
- Uto-Aztecan languages
- Yuman languages
- Southern Athabaskan languages
References
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) 2010 Census Bureau - ^ State DOTs and Native American Nations
- ^ Language Magazine » Census Shows Native Languages Count
- ^ Newman, Stanley. (1996). Sketch of the Zuni language. In I. Goddard (Ed.) Handbook of North American Indians: Languages (Vol. 17, pp. 483–506). Washington: Smithsonian Institution.
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