Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation
A'baja(Havasupai–Hualapai) | |
|---|---|
  Location of Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation inMaricopa County,Arizona | |
| Total population | |
| 900[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States( Arizona) | |
| Languages | |
| Yavapai(three dialects ofUpland Yuman language),English | |
| Religion | |
| traditional tribal religion,Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| otherYavapai people,Havasupai,Hualapai,Mohave,Western Apache |
TheFort McDowell Yavapai Nation(Yavapai:A'ba:ja), formerly theFort McDowell Mohave-Apache Community of the Fort McDowell Indian Reservation,is afederally recognized tribeandIndian reservationinMaricopa County, Arizonaabout 23 miles (37 km) northeast ofPhoenix.
The reservation was officially created on September 15, 1903, byexecutive 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 theApache Wars.The original inhabitants of the reservation were members of thekwevikopaya, or Southeastern Yavapai,who lived in the nearbyMazatzal-Four PeakandSuperstition Mountainsarea.[2]In the 1970s, there 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 arodeoandpow woweach November.[3][4]
After the passage of the 1988Indian Gaming Regulatory Act,a casino was built on the reservation. In 1992, agents of theFederal Bureau of Investigationattempted 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 GovernorFife Symingtonallowing the casino to remain in operation.[5]
In 2018, the Tribe began construction on the new 166,341-square-foot casino which opened in 2020.[6][7]
The outside communities ofFountain HillsandRio Verdelie adjacent to the reservation. In addition to Rio Verde and Fountain Hills, the reservation's economy is also closely tied to the nearby cities ofMesa,ScottsdaleandPhoenix.Also in the area is theSalt River Indian Reservationof 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.[8]
The area now occupied by the reservation was the birthplace of the Native American activist,Carlos Montezuma,who founded theSociety of American Indians.[2]
Ba Dah Mod Jo Cemetery
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| Cities, towns and CDPs in Arizona with lists and images of historic properties, forts, cemeteries or historic districts |
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The Ba Dah Mod Jo Cemetery is also referred to as the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Tribal Cemetery. It was where the soldiers who were stationed in Fort McDowell and who perished were buried. The remains of the "Anglos" who were buried there were later transferred to El Presidio Cemetery in San Francisco after the land was ceded to the Yavapai Nation.[9]
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Entrance of the as "Ba Dah Mod Jo" Cemetery also known as the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Cemetery. -
The grave of Carlos Montezuma or Wassaja in "Ba Dah Mod Jo" Cemetery. -
The grave of Mike Burns, whose real name was Hoo-moo-thy-ah. He was the cousin of Carlos Montezuma. When he was a child he led the US Cavalry to Skeleton Cave where he witnessed the massacre of his people. -
Grave dedicated to the men, women and children who were massacred by the soldiers of the US Army in Skeleton Cave. -
Unidentified graves of the Yavapai who perished during the "Indian Wars".
References
[edit]
- ^abc"Yavapai History and Culture".Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. Archived fromthe originalon August 21, 2014.RetrievedNovember 19,2016.
- ^abcd"Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation".Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. Archived fromthe originalon November 18, 2016.RetrievedNovember 19,2016.
- ^"Rodeo, Pow Wow at Fort McDowell".The Fountain Hills Times. November 18, 2016. Archived fromthe originalon June 19, 2022.RetrievedNovember 19,2016.
- ^"Fort McDowell Orme Dam Victory Days Pow Wow".NativeAmerica.Travel. Archived fromthe originalon November 20, 2016.RetrievedNovember 19,2016.
- ^"F.B.I. Agents Raid Casinos On 5 Indian Reservations".New York Times.May 13, 1992. Archived fromthe originalon November 20, 2016.RetrievedNovember 19,2016.
- ^"Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation plan ground breaking for new casino".World Casino News. June 17, 2018.RetrievedJune 17,2018.
- ^Casino – about
- ^"The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation".Fort McDowell Resort Destination.Archivedfrom the original on November 23, 2013.RetrievedNovember 19,2016.
- ^"Arizona Pioneer & Cemetery Research Project".Archived fromthe originalon 2012-11-15.Retrieved2017-01-17.
External links
[edit]- Official site of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Reservation
33°38′28″N111°39′52″W/ 33.64111°N 111.66444°W
See also:Indigenous peoples of Arizona |
Municipalities and communities ofMaricopa County, Arizona,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Populated places |
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| Indian reservations | ||
| Ghost towns/ former populated places | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
