Fort Mojave Indian Reservation

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: • Chairman: Timothy Williams • Vice Chairman: Shan Lewis • Secretary: Colleen Garcia • Council Member: Celina Reyes • Council Member: Nichole Garcia • Council Member: Johnny Hemers ==History==

These lands were occupied for thousands of years by succeeding cultures of Indigenous peoples. The property covers areas along the Colorado River of the three adjacent states of Arizona, California, and Nevada. It is also sporadically traversed by the Mojave River in California. The Fort Mojave Indian Reservation was established in 1890, and comprised the land of the former camp Mojave military reservation, thereby transferring it from the War Department to the Office of Indian Affairs. 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. On October 20, 2003, the reservation government announced an agreement between the reservation and California Governor Gray Davis to allow the operation of a casino west of Needles, California (directly across the Colorado River from the Tribe's Arizona Reservation Lands). The tribe also owns Avi Hotel, C-Plus Convenience Store, JB's Restaurant, and Mojave Resort Gold. ==Language revitalization==

As of 2012, the Center for Indian Education at Arizona State University "has facilitated "workshops for both learners and speakers at the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation in northwest Arizona, California and Nevada. Fort Mojave has about 22 elders who speak some Mojave." The project is also bringing elders together with younger people to teach the traditional Mojave "bird songs." ==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==