Paipai

The Paipai Native Americans historically occupied the northern portion of Baja California, with the largest settlements in and around the towns of Santa Catarina, San Miguel, and San Isidro. Although sometimes identified as the Akwa’ala, they refer to themselves as the Paiipai’yi. Anglicized, it is generally written as Paipai. These indigenous peoples speak a dialect from the Yuman language family, sometimes referred to as California Yuman. Before the arrival of Euroamericans, it is estimated that close to 500 Paipai Native Americans occupied their homeland. Today, around 250 Paipai coexist with the Kiliwa and Tipai (Kumeyaay) on the northern Baja Peninsula.

Name: Paipai, from the Mohave term Akwa’ala.

Location: On the northern Baja Peninsula in the region of Santa Catarina, San Miguel, and San Isidro.

Population: Approximately 500 prior to Euroamerican colonization; today around 250.

Language Family: Yuman.

First Contact by Euroamericans: In 1798 by missionaries who established an outpost in Santa Catarina.

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