In 1934, the Indian Reorganization Act established a credit fund to allow tribes to develop their natural resources. On July 17, 1937, the Colorado River Indian Tribes ratified a Constitution and By-Laws for a new tribal government. In 1940, the Tribal Council enacted a code of law and order ordinances and established a judicial system for the reservation. Tribal sovereignty was not yet a reality however. During World War II (WW II), The Office of Indian Affairs (OIA, today the Bureau of Indian Affairs) and the War Relocation Authority (WRA) expanded the reservation irrigation system when a WWII Internment Camp was established in the newly named area called Poston. The OIA justified the appropriation of congressional funds by promising that the project would benefit other tribes besides the Mohaves and the Chemehuevis. In addition, President Franklin Roosevelt’s war emergency fund paid for the operation of the Poston Internment Camps while the OIA hired the Poston Japanese American detainees to work on the irrigation system. The Indian Service began pressuring the Tribes to open their reservation to others. The Tribal Council resisted until 1945 when they were threatened with the potential loss of a substantial portion of their reservation to non-Indians. Tribal Council Ordinance No. Five reserved a portion of the reservation for colonization by other Indians. The Ordinance divided the reservation into two portions: the Northern and Southern Reserves. The Hopi and Navajo tribes as well as other tribes living along the Colorado River tributaries were recruited to develop the southern reserve. The first 17 Hopi family “colonists” moved into the Poston Camp II compound on September 1, 1945. The Navajo “colonists” began to arrive in 1947 as well as other tribes. Many families lived in the Poston barracks for several years until the subjugation of the Southern reserve was completed. The BIA, who had exclusive authority over reservation development, continued to pressure the tribes for more colonization until the Mohaves and Chemehuevis filed a suit with the Indian Claims Commission questioning the legitimacy of the colonization. They were ultimately successful in stopping the colonizing process.

One of the stipulations of Ordinance No. 5 was the ability of the recruited colonists to apply for membership into the Colorado River Indian Tribes. As a result, the official seal of the Colorado River Indian Tribes consists today of four tribes — the Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi and Navajo tribes.

Today, the reservation economy is based primarily on agriculture, tourism and light industry. The Tribes have developed an extensive land-leasing program and have several marinas, lodging facilities and mobile home parks that cater to the recreation markets. Recently opened is the BlueWater Resort and Casino, featuring rooms, marina, gambling facilities and a 4-plex theater.
The Tribes, recognizing the importance of education for the future economic and cultural success of the reservation have a number of programs to address that need. Included are the Education Department for K-12 students, Career Development for post-secondary, Headstart, GED programs and Johnson O’Malley, which address cultural issues.

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Jay Cravath, Ph.D.
Education Program Manager, CRIT Education Department

Related resource information can be located on the following web sites:
• Colorado River Indian Tribes Library
• Ahakhav Tribal Preserve