This tribe lost 99% of their ancestral lands when the Grand Canyon became a national park

The Havasupai’s Century-Long Battle for Sacred Land

The Grand Canyon’s stunning views hide a 95-year fight for justice that most visitors never hear about.

The Havasupai people once controlled 2,500 square miles around the canyon until President Chester Arthur confined them to just 518 acres in 1882.

They lost 99% of their homeland without even knowing it happened.

For decades, park rangers kicked them off traditional lands while the National Park Service demolished their homes. Basket weaver Ethel Jack led the final push to Congress, declaring the fight was for future generations.

President Ford finally returned 185,000 acres in 1975, ending nearly a century of struggle. Here’s the full story behind this remarkable victory you can explore at the canyon today.

The Havasupai Once Roamed Territory the Size of Delaware

The Havasupai people lived across 2,500 square miles of Grand Canyon country for over 800 years.

They followed a smart pattern, growing crops in canyon bottoms during summer and moving to the plateau for hunting in winter.

Their name means “People of the Blue-Green Waters,” pointing to the bright turquoise waters of Havasu Creek. Families built trails linking their farm plots, food storage, and homes.

Their land stretched from the Grand Canyon’s south rim across the Arizona plateau, about the size of Delaware.

President Arthur’s Pen Stroke Stole 99% of Tribal Land

On June 8, 1882, President Chester Arthur signed an order that changed Havasupai life forever.

His signature limited the tribe to just 518 acres in Havasu Canyon, taking 99% of their land and calling it “public property of the United States.” Many tribe members didn’t know about this crushing decision for years.

The tiny parcel became America’s smallest reservation, making their normal movements between canyon farms and plateau hunting grounds impossible.

The government gave nothing for the massive land grab that upset centuries of Havasupai life.

Forest Reserve Creation Locked Out Traditional Hunters

The federal government tightened its grip on Havasupai lands in 1893 by creating the 1. 8-million-acre Grand Canyon Forest Reserve.

This new label banned tribe members from hunting on their former plateau lands. Forest rangers started enforcing strict rules against normal hunting and gathering.

Havasupai families had to sneak past government officials just to collect foods they had gathered for centuries.

White cattle ranchers and settlers made things worse by blocking tribal access to water holes and grazing lands.

National Park Status Trapped the Tribe in a Tiny Island

Grand Canyon National Park opened on February 26, 1919, completely surrounding the tiny 518-acre Havasupai reservation. The park borders swallowed all the tribe’s normal plateau hunting grounds and winter homes.

Park officials began using remaining Havasupai lands within the boundaries for tourism.

The tribe found themselves stuck in a small island of land, cut off from their normal movement patterns by federal rules.

Park rangers treated tribal members as trespassers on lands their families had used for hundreds of years.

Billy Burro Refused to Leave His Ancestral Farm

Billy Burro stubbornly kept his farm at “Ha’a Gyoh” (place below the spruce trees) along what became the Bright Angel Trail.

While other tribe members moved to the reservation in Havasu Canyon, Burro and his wife Tsoojva refused to leave their family land.

They lived in a mud and wood wikiup, growing crops using methods passed down through generations.

Burro built many trails through the area that later formed parts of the popular Bright Angel Trail used by thousands of tourists today.

Rangers Forced the Last Canyon Farmer from His Home

Two park rangers showed up at Billy Burro’s farm in 1928 and physically removed him and Tsoojva from their home. The officials tore down their wikiup dwelling and destroyed their farm.

Burro, nearly 80 years old, looked down from the South Rim one final time at the land his family had farmed for generations and cried openly. The elder died just one year later on the reservation.

His wife Tsoojva died in 1935, both spending their final years stuck on the small reservation.

Park Service Demolished Homes in Mass Eviction

Many Havasupai lived in an area called Supai Camp inside park boundaries, working as laborers for the National Park Service. In 1955, park officials fired many tribal workers without warning.

They ordered all jobless Havasupai to leave Supai Camp right away.

After forcing families out, the Park Service bulldozed their homes, erasing another link to their family land.

The evictions left many tribal members homeless and jobless, forced to crowd onto the already cramped reservation or leave their community.

Court Victory Proved the Land Grab Was Illegal

The Havasupai won a big legal battle in 1968 when the Indian Claims Commission ruled against the United States. The court found that parts of tribal land were illegally taken in the 1882 order.

Government officials offered to sell the stolen land back to the tribe for 55 cents per acre, about $1 million total. Tribal leaders rejected this offer, arguing they shouldn’t pay for land wrongfully taken from them.

They demanded the return of their family territory without payment.

Basket Weaver Ethel Jack Took the Fight to Washington

Ethel Jack, a skilled Havasupai basket weaver who sold her work to the Smithsonian, became the face of the tribe’s land rights campaign.

Her personal connection ran deep—her grandfather was Billy Burro, the elder who had been forcibly removed from his traditional farm. Jack traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with members of Congress, pushing for legislation to return tribal lands.

She told lawmakers, “This isn’t for me, it is for the younger members of the tribe,” emphasizing the fight was about future generations.

The Land Return Bill Almost Died in Congress

Senate Bill 1296 gained momentum in 1974, picking up support from the Nixon administration and major newspapers across the country.

The legislation faced months of delays and political maneuvering that nearly killed it completely. The bill finally passed both houses of Congress just days before lawmakers left for their fall break.

The legislation then sat on President Gerald Ford’s desk until the last possible moment, leaving the Havasupai uncertain about their future until the very end.

Ford’s Signature Ended a 95-Year Struggle for Justice

President Gerald Ford signed the Grand Canyon National Park Enlargement Act on January 3, 1975, finally ending the Havasupai’s 95-year fight.

The law returned 185,000 acres to the tribe and granted them use rights to an additional 95,300 acres. This victory marked the largest single return of National Park land to a Native American tribe in American history.

The Havasupai population, which had dwindled to fewer than 200 people during their confinement, began to grow again as tribal members reclaimed their connection to ancestral lands.

Visiting Grand Canyon National Park

You can explore the Havasupai story at Grand Canyon National Park with a $35 vehicle pass (cards only). Visit Havasupai Gardens on Bright Angel Trail, renamed in 2022 to honor families forced out in 1928.

To visit the actual reservation, you need advance permits through HavasupaiReservations. com and check-in at Grand Canyon Caverns Inn.

The 8-mile hike to Supai Village leads to their tribal museum with photography and crafts.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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