TheOʼodham language, variously calledOʼodham ñeʼokĭ,Oʼodham ñiʼokĭ orOʼotham ñiok, is spoken by all Oʼodham groups. There are certain dialectal differences, but they are mutually intelligible and all Oʼodham groups can understand one another.Lexicographical differences have arisen among the different groups, especially in reference to newer technologies and innovations.
The Pima Alto or Upper Pima groups were subdivided by scholars on the basis of cultural, economic and linguistic differences into two main groupings:
One was known commonly as thePima orRiver Pima. Since the late 20th century, they have been called by their own name, or endonym:Akimel Oʼotham
Akimel Oʼodham (Akimel Au-Authm, meaning "River People", often simply calledPima, by outsiders, lived north of and along the Gila, the Salt, and theSanta Cruz rivers in what is today defined as Arizona)
Keli Akimel O'otham (Keli Akimel Au-Authm, oft simplyAkimel Oʼodham – "Gila River People", lived and farmed along the Gila River), now known as theGila River Indian Community (GRIC)
Sobaipuri, (also simply calledSobas, called by the neighboring Akimel Oʼodham as Ṣáṣavino – "spotted"), originally lived in the valleys of theSan Pedro River and Upper Santa Cruz River. In the early 18th century, they were gradually driven out of the lower San Pedro River valley. In the middle of the century, their remaining settlements along the upper San Pedro River were broken up by Arivaipa and Pinaleño Apache attacks. They moved west, seeking refuge among the Tohono Oʼodham and Akimel Oʼodham, with whom they merged.
The other peoples are the Tohono Oʼodham or Desert Pima, enrolled in theTohono Oʼodham Nation.
Tohono Oʼodham ("Desert People"); the neighboring Akimel Oʼodham called themPahpah Au-Authm orBa꞉bawĭkoʼa – "eating tepary beans", which was pronouncedPapago by the Spanish. They lived in the semi-arid deserts and mountains south of present-day Tucson, Tubac, and south of the Gila River[8]
^abcSheridan, Thomas E. (30 March 2006).Landscapes of Fraud: Mission Tumac‡cori, the Baca Float, and the Betrayal of the Oʼodham. University of Arizona Press.ISBN978-0-8165-2513-3.
^Alternate spellings include: O'odaam, Ootoma, or Odami.[1]
