Tohono O'odham people

The Tohono O’odham (/tˈhɑːnə ˈɑːtʊm/, or /tɑːˈhnə ˈɑːtəm/) are a group of Native Americans who reside primarily in the Sonoran Desert of eastern Arizona and northwestern Mexico. "Tohono O’odham" means "Desert People". The governmental entity for the tribe is the Tohono O'odham Nation.

Although the Tohono O’odham were previously known as the Papago, (meaning "tepary-bean eater"), they have largely rejected this name. It was applied to them by conquistadores who had heard them called this by other Piman bands that were very competitive with the Tohono O’odham. The term Papago derives from Ba:bawĭkoʼa, meaning "eating tepary beans." That word was pronounced papago by the Spanish.

The Tohono O'odham Nation, or Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation, is located in southern Arizona, encompassing portions of Pima County, Pinal County, and Maricopa County.

Culture

The Tohono O’odham share linguistic and cultural roots with the closely related Akimel O'odham (People of the River), whose lands lie just south of Phoenix, along the lower Gila River. The Sobaipuri are ancestors to both the Tohono O’odham and the Akimel O’odham who resided along the major rivers of southern Arizona. Ancient pictographs adorn a rock wall that juts up out of the desert near the Baboquivari Mountains.

O'odham

The O'odham peoples, including the Tohono O'odham, the Pima or Akimel O'odham, and the Hia C-ed O'odham, are an indigenous Uto-Aztecan peoples of the Sonoran desert in southern and central Arizona and northern Sonora, united by a common heritage language, the O'odham language. Today, many O'odham live in the Tohono O'odham Nation, the San Xavier Indian Reservation, the Gila River Indian Community, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the Ak-Chin Indian Community or off-reservation in one of the cities or towns of Arizona.

O'odham language

O'odham (pronounced [ˈʔɔʔɔðɦam]) or Papago-Pima is a Uto-Aztecan language of southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico, where the Tohono O'odham (formerly called the Papago) and Pima reside. In 2000 there were estimated to be approximately 9,750 speakers in the United States and Mexico combined, although there may be more due to underreporting.

It is the 10th most-spoken indigenous language in the United States, the 3rd most-spoken indigenous language in Arizona after Western Apache and Navajo. It is the third-most spoken language in Pinal County, Arizona and the fourth-most spoken language in Pima County, Arizona.

Approximately 8% of O'odham speakers in the US speak English "not well" or "not at all", according to results of the 2000 Census. Approximately 13% of O'odham speakers in the US were between the ages of 5 and 17, and among the younger O'odham speakers, approximately 4% were reported as speaking English "not well" or "not at all".

Native names for the language, depending on the dialect and orthography, include Oʼodham ha-ñeʼokĭ, Oʼottham ha-neoki, and Oʼodham ñiok.

Podcasts:

PLAYLIST TIME:

Latest News for: tohono o'odham

Hobbs takes custody of 22 tribal flags evicted from Phoenix VA hospital

Azcentral 25 Mar 2025
... grounds — was echoed by several other tribal leaders, including Tohono O'odham Chairman Verlon Jose, who said veterans from the Tohono O’odham Nation and other Arizona tribes have served in the U.S.

Cartel scout tells border agents he helped smuggle 1K immigrants into US

Azcentral 17 Mar 2025
Besides Vargas-de La Rocha, who was not named at the time, the release noted the arrest near Marana the following day of two more suspected cartel scouts and, in Pisinemo Village on the Tohono O’odham ...

'It will save lives': Missing Indigenous people Amber Alert bill advances at Arizona Senate

Azcentral 13 Mar 2025
Community mourns Indigenous teen Emily Pike, found dead in Arizona ... The bill has garnered much public support, including from the Office of the Navajo Nation President and Vice President, DPS, Tohono O'odham Nation and the Gila River Indian Community.
  • 1
×