The Fort Mojave Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation along the Colorado River, currently encompassing in Arizona, in California, and in the southernmost point of Nevada. Located at the tri-point of the three states, the reservation is home to approximately 1,100 citizens of the federally recognized Fort Mojave Indian Tribe of Arizona, California, and Nevada, a federally recognized tribe of Mojave people. Their autonym in the Mojave language is Pipa Aha Macav, which means "the People by the River".
The site of the former Fort Mohave and the eastern terminus of the Mojave Road are situated within the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation.
Government
300px|thumb|Fort Mojave chiefs, 1887, and their [[Quechan interpreter (second from the left)]]
The Fort Mojave Indian Tribe is governed by a democratically elected tribal council and is headquartered in Needles, California. Their administration in 2025 is: For decades until the early 1930s, it operated an Indian boarding school for Native American students from the Mojave and other tribes, as part of efforts to assimilate youth into the mainstream culture. They were forced to speak English and practice Christianity while at the school. The property was transferred to the reservation in 1935. It has allowed the buildings to deteriorate, as they were symbolic of a painful period in relations with the US.
Economic development
The Mojave have leased considerable amounts of reservation land to agricultural companies for the cultivation of commodity crops: soybeans, corn, and alfalfa. Many white and Mexican American workers live here, with less than 50% of the reservation occupied by Mojave and other Native Americans.
The tribe owns and operates the Avi Resort & Casino in Nevada, founded in 1995. The project is also bringing elders together with younger people to teach the traditional Mojave "bird songs."
The language preservation work of poet Natalie Diaz on the reservation was featured on the PBS NewsHour in March 2012.
Location
The Fort Mojave Indian Reservation is located at .
Education
The portion of the reservation in California is served by the Needles Unified School District and the portion in Nevada by the Clark County School District. For elementary education in Arizona, one of the portions is served by the Bullhead City Elementary School District and the other by the Mohave Valley Elementary School District. Both portions in Arizona are served by the Colorado River Union High School District for secondary education.
Communities
- Arizona Village, Arizona (part)
- Fort Mohave, Arizona (part)
- Golden Shores, Arizona (part)
- Mesquite Creek, Arizona
- Mohave Valley, Arizona (part, population 121)
- Mojave Ranch Estates, Arizona
- Needles, California (part, population 208; seat of tribal government)
- Willow Valley, Arizona (part)
References
External links
- Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, official website
- Fort Mojave Reservation , Northern Arizona University
- Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, Visit Arizona