2007 Grand Canyon History Symposium Michael F. Anderson, Ph.D. Mike has been researching, writing, and teaching the history of the Grand Canyon region since 1990. He is the author of three canyon books: Living at the Edge: Explorers, Exploiters and Settlers of the Grand Canyon Region; Polishing the Jewel: An Administrative History of Grand Canyon National Park; Along the Rim: A Guide to Grand Canyon's South Rim from Hermits Rest to Desert View. Mike organized the canyon's first history symposium in January 2002, and edited the proceedings for publication by the Grand Canyon Association. These days he is the roads and trails historian for Grand Canyon National Park. Presentation Abstract... Natural Disasters within Transitional Societies: The Havasupai Indians at Supai, Arizona:   Researchers of natural hazards and disasters have been chastised for their attention to events within developed nations. Their critics identify a need to study the effects of natural disasters on Third World nations whose societies have been dramatically altered by intrusive policies of the First World. Nations such as the United States, through ambiguous desires to improve the quality of life in underdeveloped countries as well as exploit their natural resources and/or low cost labor, have superimposed the capitalist world economy over traditional life ways, ostensibly expecting receiving nations to mimic the affluence of economic core nations. Contrary to expectations, traditional survival strategies in times of natural disaster often break down under new economic arrangements, leaving chronically underdeveloped countries socially as well as economically impoverished and ever more dependent on benefactor nations for disaster recovery. Although American Indian reservations are not often viewed as "Third World nations," they have experienced a similar history of the modern world economy and attendant life ways superimposed by the U.S. Government on traditional societies contained therein. This essay considers socio-economic impacts of globalization (world capitalism) on one such tribe, the Havasupais of northeastern Arizona, within the illustrative lens of devastating floods at their village of Supai. Havasupais during the past 100 years have not only endured typical results of federal pressure on American Indians to join the market economy despite severely truncated land resource bases and altered life ways, but have also faced the certainty of devastating floods through the heart of their canyon-bottom reservation. The combination of imposed economy, restricted land base, and certain floods guarantees periodic disaster and endemic poverty.