Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation

Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation

Location of Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation in Maricopa County, Arizona.
Total population
900[1]
Regions with significant populations
 United States ( Arizona)
Languages
Yavapai (three dialects of Upland Yuman language), English
Religion
traditional tribal religion, Christianity
Related ethnic groups
other Yavapai people, Havasupai, Hualapai, Mohave, Western Apache

The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, formerly the Fort McDowell Mohave-Apache Community of the Fort McDowell Indian Reservation), is a federally recognized tribe and Indian reservation in Maricopa County, Arizona about 23 miles (37 km) northeast of Phoenix.

The reservation was officially created on September 15, 1903 by executive order, on a small parcel carved from the ancestral lands of the Yavapai people, encompassing 24,680 acres (100 km2).[1][2] The acreage had been part of the Fort McDowell Military Reserve, which had been an important outpost during the Apache Wars. The original inhabitants of the reservation were members of the kwevikopaya, or Southeastern Yavapai, who lived in the nearby Mazatzal-Four Peak and Superstition Mountains area.[2] In the 1970s, the was a proposal to build a dam at the confluence of the Verde and Salt Rivers. Due to the negative effects such a dam would have had on the reservation, the community voted not to sell the land for the dam to the federal government. What would have been called the "Orme Dam" was never built.[1] The reservation celebrates this victory with a rodeo and pow wow each November.[3][4]

After the passage of the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, a casino was built on the reservation. In 1992, agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation attempted to seize the gaming devices of the casino. This raid took place in conjunction with raids at four other Indian reservations throughout the country. While the raids at the other four reservations went unopposed, members of the Yavapai tribe organized a protest. Using cars, trucks, and large mobile earth moving equipment, they blocked the egress from the property, preventing the trucks from carting off the machines. An agreement was reached between the tribe and Governor Fife Symington allowing the casino to remain in operation.[5]

The outside communities of Fountain Hills and Rio Verde lie adjacent to the reservation. In addition to Rio Verde and Fountain Hills, the reservation's economy is also closely tied to the nearby cities of Mesa, Scottsdale and Phoenix. Also in the area is the Salt River Indian Reservation of the Pima and Maricopa peoples. The tribe operates its own gas station, a large sand and gravel operation, a farm, and the Fort McDowell Casino.[2] Other operations on the reservation include the Wekopa Resort and Conference Center, the Poco Diablo hotel, the Wekopa Golf Course, and Fort McDowell Adventures.[6]

The area now occupied by the reservation was the birthplace of the Native American activist, Carlos Montezuma, who founded the Society of American Indians.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Yavapai History and Culture". Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation". Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Rodeo, Pow Wow at Fort McDowell". The Fountain Hills Times. November 18, 2016. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Fort McDowell Orme Dam Victory Days Pow Wow". NativeAmerica.Travel. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  5. ↑ "F.B.I. Agents Raid Casinos On 5 Indian Reservations". New York Times. May 13, 1992. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  6. ↑ "The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation". Fort McDowell Resort Destination. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.

External links

Coordinates: 33°38′28″N 111°39′52″W / 33.64111°N 111.66444°W / 33.64111; -111.66444

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/19/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.