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Hualapai, Walapai and Hwal`bay are three names that refer to the same people. All three come from the Yuman words hwala meaning pine and pay meaning people. But what makes this little known Native American tribe really interesting is its legacy. The Hualapai, descendents of the Cerbat and cousins of the Havasupai, have inhabited the area west of the Grand Canyon for nearly 1500 years. Initially a hunter gatherer community, the Hualapai lived in 14 small bands. They made their home in caves and bush and bark domed shelters called wickiups, cultivated crops near natural springs, hunted animals, and used metates and manos to grind the seeds of cactus plants. In short, the Hualapai led a simple but harmonious life. But when prospectors staked claims on Hualapai land and the Santa Fe Railroad arrived in the early 1860s life on the Grand Canyon West Rim took a turn for the worse. Broken treaties and failed peace agreements led to the bloody 4-year battle known as the Hualapai War. Defeated, the Hualapai were forced not only to leave but march all the way to La Paz, Arizona.