INDIAN AGRICULTURE IN ARIZONA 



The Indians of Arizona, numbering from 40,000 to 45,000, have 

 contributed very materially to agriculture in the State. Dry-land 

 crop varieties, which have been grown by them for an indefinite 

 period, are among the most promising ; and their cultural practices, 

 with some modifications, are the bases of successful dry-farming in 

 Arizona. The total area within the State at present set aside as 

 Indian Reservations is about 17,500,000 acres. According to care- 

 ful estimates it is possible to irrigate nearly one-quarter million 

 acres of these lands, 109,992 acres now being under projects. The 

 agricultural value of lands in the Reservations varies from worth- 

 less to the best in the State. 



TRIBES AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS 



The Indians of Arizona mostly belong to three families, the 

 Piman, Yuman, and Athapascan, 



THE PIMAN FAMILY 



The Piman family is represented in Arizona by two tribes, lo- 

 cated in the southern and southeastern parts of the State, the Pima 

 and Papago. Tradition indicates that the Hopis of the north cen- 

 tral part of Arizona formerly belonged to this family, but their 

 dialect is distinctly Shoshonean, and their family relationship is 

 questionable. Their tribal customs and agricultural practices cor- 

 respond quite closely to those of the Pimas and Papagoes, however, 

 and their contribution to the science of dry-farming has been as 

 great. 



TJie Pima and Papago Tribes: Exploration of prehistoric ruins 

 indicates that ancestors of the Pimas and Papagoes have been agri- 

 cultural people for a great number of years. Corn, beans, wheat, 

 chiles, and cotton have been their principal products ; though they 

 now purchase most of their cotton supply. Among the promising 

 crop varieties secured from them are tepary beans and Papago 

 sweet corn, both of which have been bred up and standardized by 

 the Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station. 



Pimas and Papagoes are particularly expert in the utilization 

 of fioodwaters for supplemental irrigation. Of late years they have 



