Any of various North American Indian peoples living mostly in California and Arizona, U.S. Their languages belong to the Hokan language family.
They once lived in the lower Colorado River valley and adjacent areas in Arizona, California, and Mexico. The river Yuma (including the Mojave , Yuma, and Maricopa) lived along the lower Colorado and middle Gila rivers; the upland Yuma (including the Hualapai, Havasupai, and Yavapai) inhabited western Arizona south of the Grand Canyon. The river Yuma were primarily farmers; the upland Yuma also practiced hunting and gathering. Both lacked settled villages. Yuma religion is characterized by belief in a supreme creator, faith in dreams, and ritual use of song narratives. At the turn of the 21st century, they numbered more than 4,000.