Pima Tribe Research Paper

A popular stereotype given to Native Americans is they are all savages and hunt animals in a very animalist way. This is false when it comes to the Pima tribe, or as they call themselves Akimel O’odham meaning “river people”(“Akimel O’odham (Pima)”). The Pima tribe is known for farming and being very peaceful people. They live in the Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico area on two reservations called Gila River and Salt River. This area in which they Pima people live is also the Sonoran Desert. Even though the culture of the Pima people are slowing dying out it is one that will live forever in history (“History and Culture”). The reason they will be remembered is because of their history, housing and clothing, religion, and agriculture.
The history of the Pima is very fascinating. The Pima Tribe is said to be descendants of the prehistoric Hohokams. They are also the oldest residents of Southwest America (“Akimel O’odham (Pima)”). What is most interesting about the Pima tribe is how it got its name. “When Spanish explorers first met the tribe, they asked the Indians many questions. The Indians answered Pi-nyi-match, or
The Spanish taught the Pima people how to farm and also introduced them to livestock (“Pima”). Many tribes want to revolt against the Spanish. The Pima tribe really didn’t care about revolting against the Spanish because they were kind to them and they were too busy with farming, so they stayed out of it. The diet of a Pima was based mostly of vegetation from their gardens and fields (Ryan and Schmittroth). Some crops that the Pima tribe produced was corn, tobacco, beans, squash, and cotton (“Pima”). The women would use the cotton to make water tight woven baskets (“History and Culture”). When there was not enough food to feed their families from only the vegetation, the Pima people were forced to go hunting for other food sources (Ryan and