Colorado River Indian Tribes of the Colorado River Indian Reservation, Arizona and California

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Leadership

Amelia Flores, Chairwoman
Dwight Lomayesva, Vice Chairman
Tommy Drennan, Council Member
Jaymee Moore, Council Member
Robert "Bobby" Page, Council Member
Bill Beeson, Council Member
Anisa Patch, Council Member
Josephine Tahbo, Treasurer
Johnson Fisher, Secretary

(updated February 2024)

Contact Information

Address: 26600 Mohave Road, Parker, AZ 85344

Phone:   928-669-9211

Executive Director, Health and Social Services:

Andrea Harper andrea.harper@crit-dhs.org

Education Director:

Michael Drennan michael.drennan@crit-nsn.gov

Tribal Historic Preservation Officer:

Brian Etsitty betsitty@crit-nsn.gov

CRIT Attorney General Research Ethics Review Board, Law Clerk: 

Douglas Bonamici dbonamici@critdoj.com

Website

GOVERNANCE: The Tribal government is led by a nine member Tribal Council, selected by bi-annual votes of the Tribal membership. Council members serve staggered 4-year terms, and elections are held in December in even-numbered years.. The Council meets the second Saturday of each month. The Colorado River Indian Tribes reside in Congressional District 4; Legislative District 5. 


CONSTITUTION AND RESEARCH CODE:

Colorado River Indian Tribes Codes, Laws, and Ordinances


COMMUNITY PROFILE: The Colorado River Indian Tribes include the Mohave, Chemehuevl, Hopi, and Navajo.  The federal government established the Colorado River Indian Tribes Reservation in 1865 originally for the Mohave and Chemehuevl people that had lived along the Colorado River for hundreds of years.  The Mohave have farmed the Colorado River basin for more than 800 years, while the Chemehuevl were a nomadic tribe that inhabited the east branch of the Colorado River and farmed on a smaller scale.  People of the Hopi and Navajo were relocated to the Reservation in 1945. Although the four Tribes share the Reservation and function as one political unit, each Tribe observes its own unique traditions, religions, and customs.

According to the 2017-2021 Census, approximately 8,717 individuals live on the Colorado River Indian Tribe Reservation in western Arizona and California. The Reservation is nearly 300,000 acres, including 90 miles of river shoreline along the Colorado River. The river is primarily used for irrigated farming. The primary community on the Reservation is located in Parker, Arizona. Located twelve miles south of Parker is Poston, Arizona, the site of one of the United States' largest Japanese internment camps, now home to an historic monument and museum. 

The primary economic activity of the Tribes is agriculture. Today the Tribes harvest cotton, alfalfa, and sorghum.  The Tribes also operate Blue Water Resort and Casino, and their Fish and Game Department manages tourist activities along the Colorado River. 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2017-2021 American Community Survey, the population on the Colorado River Indian Reservation (AZ-CA) is 8,717. The following document provides a Census snapshot of the Colorado River Indian Tribes with comparisons to the state of Arizona and the United States as a whole.

 

Note: When interpreting data for small population or rural areas, it is important to note the margin of error, which is provided where possible. The margin of error can be interpreted as providing a 90 percent probability that the true value lies within the estimate plus and minus the margin of error.

First Things First is Arizona's early childhood agency, providing health screenings and a variety of services across the state. Included here are two of their reports for the Colorado River Indian Tribes region, which includes the Arizona portion of the Colorado River Indian Tribes reservation: