Near Fredonia in Mohave County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)

At Home in the Desert

— Pipe Spring National Monument —

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 10, 2016

1. At Home in the Desert Marker

Inscription. …Paiutes once lived in homes just like the Ancient Ones as they dwelled near the spring. When the Spanish came… bringing with them the slave trade, the women and children were carted off to slave markets. When the Navajos and Utes started coming into the area [slave raiding], the Paiutes made the decision to move away from the water— to retain their women and children… losing traditions, losing their way of life, adapting to the desert.
—Kaibab Paiute tribal member

For the Kaibab Paiute in the 1800s, living in these high deserts and canyons meant they moved season by season. The available food might be collected in just a matter of weeks. Streams or waterholes were many miles apart. It made good sense to stay in rock shelters, or to put together encampments using materials close at hand.

Kahns for Summer and Winter
Most Paiute daily activities took place in the open air. At night families slept in shelters — called kahns — made of branches and brush, with their feet toward the fire pit. For winter kahns, extra layers were added — strips of juniper bark, rabbit skins, or deer hides. New kahns

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were built each season.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 36° 51.776′ N, 112° 44.336′ W. Marker is near Fredonia, Arizona, in Mohave County. It can be reached from North Pipe Spring Road 0.3 miles north of Arizona Route 389, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located along the park grounds trail in Pipe Spring National Monument. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 406 North Pipe Spring Road, Fredonia AZ 86022, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Southwest

and in Colorado Plateau.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Good Drink of Water (within shouting distance of this marker);

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 10, 2016

2. At Home in the Desert Marker

Pipe Springs National Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Moamop' (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Tithing Ranch (about 300 feet away); A Thousand Years of Gardens (about 300 feet away); Pipe Spring National Monument (about 300 feet away); 995 Miles of Wire (about 400 feet away); Yoowuv' (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fredonia.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Pipe Spring National Monument

Also see . . .
1. Kaibab Paiute kahn. The kahn was a home made from trees and brush such as juniper tree branches, willow, rabbitbrush, and sage. Primarily used for sleeping, the kahn also provided an escape from the sun during the summer, and when lined with bark, a refuge from cold winds in the winter. All daily activities took place outside, including making fires for cooking or warmth. (Submitted on May 4, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Panorama of the Kaibab Paiute Kahn Exhibit. (A National Park Service link for this marker.) (Submitted on May 4, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Kaibab Paiute <i>kahn</i> (<i>view from marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 10, 2016

3. Kaibab Paiute kahn (view from marker)

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 23, 2024

4. At Home in the Desert Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on September 21, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 4, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 390 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 4, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 4. submitted on September 6, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee.