GOVERNANCE: In August 2016, voters approved new amendments to the Ak-Chin Indian Community Constitution. All council seats were elected in November, 2016. Beginning in January 2017, all seats were 2-year terms; thereafter 4-year terms, with an 8-year term limit. Prior to the 2016 amendment, the council selected the Chair and Vice Chair. Now, the Chair and Vice Chair are voted in by the Ak-Chin Community. The legislative council meets on the first and third Wednesday of every month. The Ak-Chin Indian Community is located in Congressional District 1; Legislative District 11.
CONSTITUTION: To view the Ak-Chin Indian Community's original Constitution, see: Ak-Chin Indian Community Constitution and Bylaws, adopted 1961.
To view the 2016 voter-approved Constitution, see: 2016 Amended Constitution file below.
COMMUNITY PROFILE: The Ak-Chin Indian Community consists of both Tohono O'odham and Pima Indians in the Sonoran Desert of south-central Arizona. The O'odham translation of Ak-Chin means "mouth of the wash" or "place where the wash loses itself in the sand or ground." According to the Ak-Chin, this term refers to a type of farming that relies on washes or seasonal floodplains for irrigation. The Ak-Chin Indian Community was established in May 1912 through an Executive Order from President Taft. The originally-established 47,600-acre reservation was reduced to less than 22,000 acres in 1913. In 1961 the Tribe's government was formally organized, and the Ak-Chin are currently governed by a five-member Tribal Council.
According to the 2018 Census, approximately 1,348 individuals live on Ak-Chin Indian Community tribal land in Arizona. This land is located in the Santa Cruz Valley 58 miles south of Phoenix, Arizona. All of the land within the Ak-Chin Community is held in trust by the United States government. The land area consists of 32.78 square miles, with 16,000 of the 21,840 acres dedicated to agriculture/farming. This makes the Ak-Chin community one of the largest farming communities in the United States.
The Ak-Chin Indian Community runs the Ak-Chin Him Dak Eco-Museum, the first of its kind in America. The museum was established to preserve, protect, promote, and teach all aspects of Ak-Chin heritage. The museum hosts two yearly celebrations, the annual Him-Dak Celebration in April, and Native American Recognition Day in September. The Community also operates Harrah's Ak-Chin Casino and Resort, Ak-Chin Pavillion, and Ak-Chin Farms.
| |
Ak-Chin Indian Community Reservation
|
Arizona
|
United States
|
| Total Population* |
1,348 |
6,946,685 |
322,903,030 |
| Number of Households |
372 |
2,524,300 |
119,730,128 |
| Average Household Size |
3.56 |
2.69 |
2.63 |
| Median Age |
25.3 |
37.4 |
37.9 |
| Population Under Age 18 |
31.5% |
23.5% |
22.8% |
| Population Over Age 65 |
4.2% |
16.7% |
15.2% |
| Speaks a Language Other Than English in Household |
22.4% |
27.2% |
21.5% |
| Married-Couple Households |
28.5% |
57.0% |
58.6% |
| Owner-Occupied Housing Units |
10.2% |
63.6% |
63.8% |
| Age 25+ with High School Degree or Higher |
66.3% |
86.8% |
87.7% |
| Median Household Income |
$20,025 |
$56,213 |
$60,293 |
| Below Federal Poverty Threshold |
37.2% |
16.1% |
14.1% |
| Households with at Least One Computing Device |
56.2% |
89.9% |
88.8% |
| Households with a Desktop/Laptop |
32.8% |
79.7% |
77.9% |
*All statistics are from the 2014-2018 American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.
