Native American Tribes

Fred Harvey postcard 79010 titled A Song In The Kiva, Arizona circa 1910 owned by Jean Walker

The earliest inhabitants of the area were nomadic hunters from the Great Plains who visited the area of the Little Colorado River between 10,000 and 13,000 years ago. Around 5000 B. C. E. the Anasazi Culture developed and started spreading across the Colorado Plateau region. Around 900 C. E. the Sinagua Culture developed in the vicinity of present-day Flagstaff. By about 1400 C. E. both groups were breaking up and disappeared from the region. By the arrival of the Spanish explorers in the 1600's, the tribes in the northern portion of present-day Arizona consisted of the Hopi, Havasupai, Pai (Yavapai and Walapai), and the Paiutes. Later the Navajo moved into the region from New Mexico.