Indigenous languages of Arizona

Arizona, a state in the southwestern region of the United States of America, has a rich history tied to its many Indigenous peoples. It is home to a large number of Native Americans, with Arizona having the third highest number of Native Americans in the country. About 286,680 Native Americans live in Arizona, which is around 10% of all Native Americans in the United States. Only California and Oklahoma have more Native American residents.

Arizona also has a special connection to Native American lands. More than 28% of the land in Arizona belongs to Native American reservations, the highest percentage in the country. The state is home to five of the twelve largest Indian reservations in the United States. The biggest is the Navajo Nation, and another large one is the Tohono O'odham Nation.

Because of this large Native American population, Arizona has the most speakers of Native American languages in the United States. These languages are an important part of the culture and identity of many people living there, and they help keep traditions and stories alive for future generations.

Distribution

Arizona is home to twelve Native American languages, along with three languages mainly spoken outside the state and one language whose existence is debated. These estimates come from Ethnologue and U.S. Census data, as detailed in the sub-pages below.

Other minority Native American languages

Besides the languages already mentioned, there are three other Native American languages spoken in Arizona, mostly found in the neighboring state of New Mexico:

• Zuni is a special kind of language called a language isolate, mainly spoken in Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico. Only about 538 Zuni people live in Arizona, in Apache County. Most Zuni people can still speak their language, so it is not in as much danger of disappearing.
• Tewa is a Tanoan language spoken by the Tewa people in New Mexico. Some Tewa live in Arizona on the Hopi reservation, especially in two villages near First Mesa: Hano and Polacca. The Tewa language is considered at risk.
• Mescalero-Chiricahua is a Southern Athabaskan language spoken by the Chiricahua people and Mescalero people. These tribes mostly live in Oklahoma and New Mexico, but a few Chiricahua also live in Arizona on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. This language is less common there.