Joe Lewis, Tohono O'odham, 1907 or earlier, Smithsonian Institution
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Total population | |
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(20,000) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
United States ( Arizona) Mexico ( Sonora) |
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Languages | |
O'odham, English, Spanish | |
Religion | |
Catholic, Christianity, Traditional | |
Related ethnic groups | |
other Piman peoples |
The Tohono O’odham (/toʊˈhɑːnə ˈɑːtʊm/, or /tɑːˈhoʊnə ˈɑːtəm/) are a Native American people of the Sonoran Desert, residing primarily in the U.S. state of Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora. Tohono O’odham means "Desert People." The federally recognized tribe is known as the Tohono O'odham Nation.
The Tohono O’odham tribal government and most of the people have rejected the customary English name Papago, used by Europeans after being adopted by Spanish conquistadores from hearing other Piman bands call them this. The Pima were competitors and referred to the people as Ba:bawĭkoʼa, meaning "eating tepary beans." That word was pronounced papago by the Spanish and adopted by later English speakers.
The Tohono O'odham Nation, or Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation, is a major reservation located in southern Arizona, encompassing portions of Pima County, Pinal County, and Maricopa County.