Native American Nations of the Far Western United States

This installment in a series will examine Native American and Indigenous Peoples in Alaska and Hawaii, as well as in the remainder of the American West.

Notice in the Images how the Thunderbird changes in appearance from Alaska across the West to New Mexico. It is thought that the concept of the Thunderbird originated with First Nations and Alaskan Natives and was transported with migratory humans through the American West.

The Thunderbird and his junior brother are often portrayed in Indigenous carved cedar poles and in cedar masks among Pacific Northwest Indigenous groups.

IDAHO

• Kootenai Tribal Council
• Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee
• Northwestern Band of Shoshoni Nation: Blackfoot, Idaho
• Shoshone-Bannock Tribe

MONTANA

• Blackfeet Nation
• Chippewa-Cree Business Committee
• Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribal Council
• Crow Tribal Council
• Fort Belknap Community Council
• Fort Peck Tribal Council
• Little Shell Tribe
• Northern Cheyenne Tribe

WYOMING

• Eastern Shoshone Tribe : Fort Washakie WY
• Northern Arapaho Nation : Fort Washakie WY
• Northwestern Shoshoni : Rock Springs WY

NEVADA

• Duck Valley Shoshone-Paiute Tribes
• Reno-Sparks Indian Colony: Washoe, Paiute, Shoshone
• Skull Vally Goshutes
• Shoshone Links
• Si-Te-Cah legends: Paiutes describe a tall tribe, 6.5 to 8 feet, with red hair. They were cannibals and may have built pyramids in Churchill County.
• Washo Nation: Lake Tahoe region.

UTAH

• Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation
• Northern Ute: Fort Duchesne UT
• Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah: Cedar City UT
• Skull Valley Band: Grantsville UT
• White Mesa Ute Council 

COLORADO 

• Southern Ute Tribe
• Ute Mountain Ute

Many Arizona nations are active in businesses in Arizona:

• Ak-Chin Indian Community - Ak-Chin Farms and the Tribal Government.
• Yavapai-Apache Nation - Cliff Castle. 
• Navajo Nation -Tourism has the major role in the Navajo economy, alolng with Diné College.
• Cocopah Indian Reservation - Tourism and Agriculture.
• Colorado River Indian Tribes - Blue Water in Parker.
• White Mountain Apache Tribe - Timber, lumber, hardware, and skiing.
• Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation - Agriculture, a sand and gravel center, and gasoline sales. 
• Fort Mojave Indian Tribe - Mojave Valley and Laughlin, NV
• Gila River Indian Community - Gila River farms, sand and gravel operations, and an industrial park.
• Havasupai Indian Reservation - Tourism and related arts, crafts, and retail. 
• Hopi Tribe - Agriculture and IT.
• Hualapai Tribe - The economy centers on tourism, cattle ranching, timber sales, and arts/crafts.
• Kaibab-Pauite Tribe - Economy is based on tourism, livestock, and agriculture - especially a 1,300 tree fruit orchard.
• Pascua Yaqui Tribe - Landscaping, adobe blocks, and bingo.
• Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community - A diverse economy.
• San Carlos Apache Reservation - Lumber, tourism, cattle, recreation, and retail.
• Tohono O'odham Nation - Tourism, an industrial park ,and a resort.
• Tonto Apache Tribe - Businesses in Payson
• Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe - Tourism, gaming, retail activities, a resort, a business park, and a shopping center.
• Fort Yuma-Quechan Tribe - Agricultural, tourism, a sand and gravel operation; RV parks, a grocery store, and a museum.
• San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe - Livestock and agriculture. 

NEW MEXICO

New Mexico nations are often grouped into a band called a Pueblo.

There are at least 22 different nations or Pueblos in New Mexico, including the Zuni, the Laguna and the Navajo. A comprehensive guide to these nations and groups is avaiable at the following link:

NEW MEXICO MAGAZINE

Five major Native American nations comprise the Alaskan indigenous peoples, but there are multiple dozens upon dozens of bands and smaller independent groups in the state. The people of the nations and groups number around 100,000 altogether. The 5 major nations are:

• Alaskan Athabascan
• Aleut
• Eskimo
• Innuit
• Tlingit-Haida

The peoples living along the northern shores of Alaska are moving farther inland as the warming climate melts the pack ice and floods the shoreline. The fishing industry is declining somewhat as well.

All in all the native peoples of Alaska are more like those in the Pacfic Northwest of the USA and Canada than the Native Americans that migrated southward and into the rest of America. The Southwest nations are different in arts and culture than the states to the north, but threads of similarity can be seen.

Native Hawaiians know themselves as the Kanaka Maoli people and are descendants of early Polynesians that migrated to the Hawaiian Islands around 1500-2000 years ago, as early as near the birth of Christ. Some other Native Americans and Alaskan indigenous peoples have moved into Hawaii as well.