The Chemehuevi Indian Tribe of the Chemehuevi Reservation (

Colorado River Numic language Colorado River Numic (also called Ute , Southern Paiute , Ute–Southern Paiute, or Ute-Chemehuevi ), of the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family, is a dialect chain that stretches from southeastern California to Colorado. Individual ...

: Nüwüwü) is a

federally recognized tribe This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...

of Chemehuevi people, who are the southernmost branch of

Southern Paiute The Southern Paiute people are a tribe of Native Americans who have lived in the Colorado River basin of southern Nevada, northern Arizona, and southern Utah. Bands of Southern Paiute live in scattered locations throughout this territory and ha ...

people. To celebrate their organization under the

Indian Reorganization Act The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of June 18, 1934, or the Wheeler–Howard Act, was U.S. federal legislation that dealt with the status of American Indians in the United States. It was the centerpiece of what has been often called the "Indian ...

, tribal recognition, and ratifying their constitution, the tribe hosts Nuwuvi Days, an annual festival held during the first weekend in June.

Reservation

The Chemehuevi Reservation () is located in

San Bernardino County, California San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a County (United States), county located in the Southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the ...

, bordering

Lake Havasu Lake Havasu () is a large reservoir formed by Parker Dam on the Colorado River, on the border between San Bernardino County, California and Mohave County, Arizona, Arizona. Lake Havasu City sits on the Arizona (eastern) side of the lake with it ...

for and along the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

. The reservation is large and has a population of 345.

Government

The Chemehuevi Indian Tribe's headquarters is located in

Havasu Lake, California Havasu Lake is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, United States, located on Lake Havasu on the Chemehuevi Reservation in the Mojave Desert. The community serves as the seat of the tribal government of the Cheme ...

. The tribe is governed by a democratically elected, nine-member tribal council.

Economic development

The tribe owns and operates Havasu Landing Resort, Casino and Hotel on

, near

Needles, California Needles is a city in San Bernardino County, California, in the Mojave Desert region of Southern California. Situated on the western banks of the Colorado River, Needles is located near the Californian border with Arizona and Nevada. The city is a ...

Cemetery

The Chemehuevi Indian Cemetery is located at .29 Palms Historical Society: Chemehuevi Burial Grounds
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Notes

References

* D'Azevedo, Warren L., Volume Editor. ''Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 11: Great Basin. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1986. . * Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. .

External links

Chemehuevi Indian Tribe
, official website

official website {{authority control Chemehuevi, * Native American tribes in Arizona Native American tribes in California Federally recognized tribes in the United States