The Colorado River Indian Tribes (
Mojave language 'Aha Havasuu,
Navajo language
Navajo or Navaho (; Navajo: or ) is a Southern Athabaskan language of the Na-Dené family, through which it is related to languages spoken across the western areas of North America. Navajo is spoken primarily in the Southwestern United Stat ...
: Tó Ntsʼósíkooh Bibąąhgi Bitsįʼ Yishtłizhii Bináhásdzo) is a
federally recognized tribe consisting of the four distinct ethnic groups associated with the Colorado River Indian Reservation: the
Mohave,
Chemehuevi,
Hopi, and
Navajo. The tribe has about 4,277 enrolled members. A total population of 9,485 currently resides within the tribal reservation according to the 2012-2016 American Community Survey data.
History
The reservation was established on March 3, 1865, for "Indians of said river and its tributaries." Initially, these were the Mojave and Chemehuevi, but Hopi and Navajo people were relocated to the reservation in 1945.
[ John Scott designed the tribal seal in 1966, with four feathers to represent the four CRIT tribes. Margie McCabe designed the tribal flag, which the tribe formally adopted in 1979.][
]
Reservation
The Colorado River Indian Reservation is a Native American reservation
An Indian reservation is an area of land land tenure, held and governed by a federally recognized Tribe (Native American), Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and not ...
in the southwest United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Its territory is primarily in western La Paz County, Arizona, with smaller portions in southeastern San Bernardino
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...
, and northeastern Riverside counties, California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. It has a total land area of , most of it within Parker Valley. It borders the Palo Verde Valley in the southwest boundaries. Tribal headquarters are in Parker, Arizona.
Tribal members mainly live in communities in and around Parker, the largest community, and Poston.[ The 2000 census reported a population of 9,201 persons residing on the reservation.
]
Government
The tribe and its reservation territory are governed by an elected council of nine members and overseen by a tribal Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer. These officers are elected from among the council members. The four tribes continue to maintain and observe their traditional ways and religious and culturally unique identities.
The current administration is:
* Chairwoman: Amelia Flores
* Vice-Chairman: Dwight Lomayesva
* Tribal Secretary: Johnson "JD" Fisher
* Tribal Treasurer: Anisa Patch
* Council Member: Thomas "Tommy" Drennan
* Council Member: Woodrow Sharp
* Council Member: Josephine Tahbo
* Council Member: Jaymee Moore
* Council Member: Robert "Bobby" Page
Economic development
The economy for the tribe is based on light industry, government, recreation, and agricultural, specifically growing commodity crops of alfalfa, cotton, lettuce, and sorghum.[ The Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) has senior water rights to divert up to 719,248 acre feet of water from the Colorado River, which represents nearly one-third of the allocation for the state of Arizona.
The tribe operates BlueWater Resort and Casino, located about from downtown Parker, as a tourist destination on the ]Colorado River
The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...
.[ It opened in June 1999. The casino is and has more than 500 slot machines. The resort features a 200-room hotel, a ]bingo
Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Gaming
* Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers
** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland
** Bi ...
hall, an indoor water park, movie theater, video arcade, marina, and concert facilities.
The Colorado River Indian Tribe Museum and Gift Shop is in Parker, Arizona, and has displays of historical and contemporary artworks, especially ceramics, made by tribal members.
Communities
* Bluewater, Arizona
* Bluewater, California
*Parker, Arizona
Parker ( Mojave 'Amat Kuhwely, formerly 'Ahwe Nyava) is the county seat of La Paz County, Arizona, United States, on the Colorado River in Parker Valley. The population was 3,083 at the 2010 census.
History
Founded in 1908, the town was named ...
(seat of government)
* Poston, Arizona
Notable tribal members
* Jacoby Ellsbury (b. 1983), baseball center fielder with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees of Major League Baseball
* Veronica Murdock (born 1944), tribal vice chair and first woman president of the National Congress of American Indians
See also
* Indigenous rights to land along rivers
''Winters v. United States'', 207 U.S. 564 (1908), was a United States Supreme Court case clarifying water rights of American Indian reservations. This doctrine was meant to clearly define the water rights of indigenous people in cases where the r ...
Notes
References
Colorado River Reservation, Arizona/California
United States Census Bureau
External links
Colorado River Indian Tribes
official website
BlueWater Resort and Casino
{{authority control
1865 establishments in the United States
American Indian reservations in Arizona
American Indian reservations in California
Chemehuevi
Colorado River tribes
Communities in the Lower Colorado River Valley
Federally recognized tribes in the United States
Geography of La Paz County, Arizona
Geography of San Bernardino County, California
Hopi
Lower Colorado River Valley
Mohave tribe
Navajo
Native American tribes in Arizona
Native American tribes in California
Native American tribes in Riverside County, California
California populated places on the Colorado River
Arizona populated places on the Colorado River