Havasu vs Havasupai vs Supai : What’s the Difference?

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Have you seen pictures of this waterfall?

 

If so, maybe you have seen it called Havasu Falls. Or maybe even Havasupai Falls. Well…WHICH IS IT?? Why is it sometimes Havasu and sometimes Havasupai? AND WHAT IS A SUPAI??

I could give you the short answer first, because that’s all you really want to know, but then there would be no point in me writing a whole blog post on it. So I’ll give you the long answer first. Sit down and enjoy. Please 🙂

In one of the vast valleys of the Grand Canyon, there were a group of Native people who lived along the canyon’s South Rim. In the spring and summer, they resided in the canyon. There, they could plant and grow crops like corn and squash and other yummy edible stuff. In the winter, they would move to higher ground, and hunt and gather along rim and out onto the plateau. They called themselves Havasu ’Baaja, which was then anglicized into Havasupai. Havasu, meaning “blue-green water” and the Pai meaning “people” – so “The People of Blue-Green Water.” You can guess how they got that name. Two other Native tribes also have Pai in their angelized names, Yavapai and Hualapai (who own the Grand Canyon West) and both are in Arizona.

Speaking of anglicism.

A Spanish explorer by the name of Padre Garces found his way to this particular part of the Grand Canyon in 1776. The same year the United States officially declared independence to Great Britain. But honestly, the Havasupai tribe didn’t pay too much attention to him because…what’s the harm in one white person in the 1700s?

The tribe’s land used to encompass 106 million acres, about the size of Delaware.  The Havasupai tribe was semi-nomadic and they moved freely throughout their land.

But then, yanno. Manifest Destiny.

To make a long US history lesson short, the president at the time (Polk) was headstrong about western expansion. Mexico had just lost Texas to the United States, a HUGE chuck of land, but that wasn’t enough for Polk. The US wanted California and New Mexico too, but Mexico refused to sell. So, naturally, America started a war.

So civil, right?

Mexico was maybe 30 years or so into their independence from Spain, so they were not in the best shape. Two years of fighting later, Mexico was defeated and had to secede 1/3 of its territory to the United States in the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. And yanno what land that included? Yes. Arizona. What’s in Arizona? The Grand Canyon.

Now, remember back when I said the Havasupai tribe owned 106 MILLION acres of land? In 1882, the Federal Government established the Havasupai Indian Reservation, which restricted the Havasupai tribe to only 518 acres at the bottom of the canyon. That’s less than 0.000005 of the amount of land they originally possessed. Oh, and their traditional seasonal migration from the bottom of the canyon to the top? That was cut off too. Their agricultural land was under INSANE pressure to feed their people and also restricted financial opportunities. Their traditional way of life (cultural and economic) was shattered, and many members of the tribe were forced to seek work outside of the canyon.

Oh, and you know that cute lil campground tourists camp at when they visit Havasupai? Yeah. That area was historically used for Havasupai cremations. Doesn’t that just make you rest easy? However, missionaries converted the Havasupai tribe to Christianity and urged the Havasupais to bury their dead instead of cremations (don’t worry, they weren’t buried at the campsite). Burying further reduced their land resources though.

And because history only ever gets better for minorities in America, the Santa Fe Railroad opened a line to the Grand Canyon in 1901. The increase of nearby settlers depleted the local food sources, causing food shortages. It also resulted in major soil erosion. Plus, the settlers brought with them small pox, measles, and influenza, setting off disease outbreaks withing the tribe. By 1906, only 166 tribal members remained.

For decades, the tribe fought tooth and nail to restore their land. The Grand Canyon Superintendent even tried to take over the Havasupai reservation ENTIRELY in the 1950s. But finally, in 1975, the slightest glimmer of hope. Congress passed the Grand Canyon National Park Enlargement Act, which returned land back to the Havasupai people. All of it?

Err…well…not exactly.

The Havasupai tribe was reallocated 185,000 acres of their previous land. So…that’s still 0.0012 of their original acreage. Thanks America.

Currently, the Havasupai tribe currently has 650 tribal members, about 450 live in the village of Supai. All members speak their native language, a northeastern Yuman dialect that is a division of the Hokan linguistic family. It has been a written language for almost 25 years. Their economy is heavily reliant on tourism. Although the tribe limits the amount of daily visitors, Supai has a tribal run tourism office, cafe, general stores, and lodge for tourists.  The entrance fee helps cover environmental care, protection, and restoration of the area as well.

The village of Supai is the most remote village in the United States. All of their supplies are either flown in by helicopter or via pack-horse through the canyons. The closest grocery store is 160 miles away! It is also the last place in the United States that still has mail delivered by horse. The Pony Express lives on! Also drugs and alcohol are illegal in Havasu Canyon and the reservation. There are also a zero tolerance for firearms by anyone on the reservation. So leave your semi-automatics at home.

It is perfectly possible to hike the Havasu Trail into the campgrounds alone. I mean, I did it. So anyone can do it. For the link to the Havasupai website for reservations and more information, click here.

So I hope you enjoyed this very brief and simplified history of the Havasupai people. Or if you just scrolled down to get the the quick cheatsheet.

Here ya go —

The short answer is:

Havasupai: the name of the tribe. Also a shortened version of Havasupai Indian Reservation in reference to the location

Havasu Falls: The name of the actual “iconic” waterfall – just that one waterfall

Havasupai Falls: the collection of ALL the waterfalls on the trail towards the campground, a general reference to the waterfalls

Havasu Canyon: the canyons leading to the village, the canyons that the village and campground reside in

Supai: the name of the village the Havasupai people live in

Havasupai Trail: the main trail leading into the canyons to reach the village and campground

Hualapai Hilltop: where the Havasupai trailhead starts

Havasu Creek: the creek that runs through the reservation

Why is the water so blue??: high concentrations of travertine in Havasu creek.

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Well, I hope that was at least the TINIEST bit informational and helpful to figuring out correct terms. That said, no one is gonna laugh at you if you call the Havasu Falls Havasupai Fall, or if you call Supai village Havasupai village. EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT YOU MEAN.

Of course, I’m the farthest from perfect, so if I got a fact wrong or even mixed up the vocab myself, please let me know in the comments so I can fix it!

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