What Does The Name Pima Mean?
Pima is the name of a tribe or a group of people residing in central and southern parts in the state of Arizona. They are Native Americans and they are also known by the name Akimel O’odham and the Mexican state of Sonora. Their name when translated into English means “river people”. They derived the name Pima from the phrase “I don’t know” in their language which they used extensively during the communication with the Europeans in the initial stages. They are closely related to another tribe which is known as Papogo or Tohono O’odham which means “desert people”. This tribe is a part of the O’odham subgroup which also consists of several other tribes. They live in small villages built in the rancheria style and speak the O’odham language. This subgroup falls under the Uto-Aztecan family. They came in contact with the Europeans through the Spanish people way back in 1539.
