Gila River Indian Community
The Gila River Indian Community of the Gila River Indian Reservation is federally recognized tribe of Native Americans. The tribe controls the Gila River Indian Reservation, a reservation in the U.S. state of Arizona, lying adjacent to the south side of the cities of Chandler and Phoenix, in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area in Pinal and Maricopa counties. The reservation was established in 1859, and the Gila River Indian Community was formally established by Congress in 1939. This tribe has citizens who belong to two ethnic groups, the Akimel O’odham and Maricopa. The O'odham language name for the community is Keli Akimel Oʼotham, meaning "Gila River People".
The reservation has a land area of and a 2020 Census population of 14,260. It is made up of seven districts along the Gila River and its largest communities are Sacaton, Komatke, Santan, and Blackwater. Tribal administrative offices and departments are located in Sacaton. The Community operates its own telecommunications company, electric utility, industrial park and healthcare clinic, and publishes a monthly newspaper. It has one of the highest rates of Type 2 diabetes in the world, around 50% of the population. The community voluntarily contributes to Type 2 diabetes research, having participated in many studies of the disease.
Government
Under their constitution, tribal citizens elect a governor and lieutenant governor at-large. They also elect 16 council members, from single-member districts or sub-districts with roughly equal populations., the current administration is:
- Governor: Stephen Roe Lewis
- Lt. Governor: Regina Antone
- Council Member, District 1: Duane Jackson Jr.
- Council Member, District 1: Joey Whitman
- Council Member, District 2: Ann Lucas
- Council Member, District 3: Kristina D. Morago
- Council Member, District 3: Joseph Manuel Jr.
- Council Member, District 4: Nada Celeya
- Council Member, District 4: Leah Williams
- Council Member, District 4: Lalena Jackson
- Council Member, District 4: Jennifer Allison
- Council Member, District 5: Donovan G. Kyyitan
- Council Member, District 5: Franklin Pablo Sr.
- Council Member, District 5: Gordon Santos
- Council Member, District 5: James De La Rosa
- Council Member, District 6: Charles Goldtooth
- Council Member, District 6: Anthony Villareal Sr.
- Council Member, District 6: Terrance B. Evans
- Council Member, District 7: Jeanette Blasingim
Attractions
- Vee Quiva Resort and Casino is located on the reservation in District 6, or Komatke, in Laveen, Arizona. It is a combination of both languages that are spoken on the reservation. Vee or Vii is derived from the Maricopa language, meaning rock or the old term for money. And Quiva means west in the O'odham language. Vee Quiva translates to Money/ Mountain to the West or West Mountain. It was the first casino to be built on the reservation in 1994.
- Wild Horse Pass Resort and Casino is located in District 6 on reservation in Chandler, Arizona. It is an AAA Four-Diamond Awarded hotel and has been voted as Number 9 Best Casino outside of Las Vegas.
- Lone Butte Casino is located in District 4 on the reservation in Chandler, Arizona.
- Santan Mountain Casino located in District 4 on the reservation in Chandler, Arizona. It hosts the largest casino sportsbook in the state.
Rawhide is located in District 6 on the reservation in Chandler, Arizona. It is a Western themed center where people can explore Wild West themed attractions. They host events throughout the year at their various 18 venues, including a multi-use soccer stadium.
Whirlwind Golf Club is located in District 6 on the reservation in Chandler, Arizona. It hosted the Ford Championship in March 2025, with Hyo Joo Kim winning the competition.
Toka Sticks Golf Club is located in Mesa, Arizona, owned by the community. Its name comes from a traditional O'odham women's game toka, in which there is a group of women holding a hockey-like stick made out of mesquite tree branch, and they play with a carved wooden puck called ola to get to the goal. It's akin to how modern hockey is played, but without the padding and cleats. It is believed the game was a gift from Elder Brother, O'odham creator I'itoi, for health and wellness.
Koli Equestrian Center Enterprise is a horseback riding place where people go on trails to explore the reservation's scenery.
Huhugam Heritage Center is the tribal historic museum that displays the communities' history, art, and important cultural artifacts.
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, located just off the reservation boundary in Coolidge, is a federally protected park. About 100,000 visitors annually to see the ruins built by the Hohokam, O'odham language for 'those that have passed on'.
The Ira H. Hayes Memorial Library is located in District 3 in Sacaton, Arizona, and provides a variety of services to the community.
Sacaton Market opened for the community on October 23, providing groceries, gas, and a laundromat for use.
Current communities
The reservation is composed of seven districts that the community members reside in:East End
- District 1- Blackwater
- District 2- Hashan Kehk
- District 3- Sacaton
- District 4- Santan
- District 5- Casa Blanca
- District 6- Komatke
- District 7- Maricopa Colony
These are the following villages within the reservation:
- Bapchule
- Blackwater
- Casa Blanca
- Co-op Village
- Gila Crossing
- Goodyear
- Lone Butte Ranch
- Komatke
- Maricopa Colony
- Sacate Village
- Sacaton
- Sacaton Flats
- St. John's
- Santa Cruz
- Santan/Santa Ana
- Stotonic
- Sweetwater
- Vahki
- Wet Camp Village
Transportation
The community also operates , a public transit system serving all seven districts.
I-10 was built through the southeast to north-central portion, as well as Loop 202 built on the north-west of Gila River lands, bringing significant highway traffic through the area, and providing easier access to enter the city from the reservation.
Laws
The Constitution and Bylaws of the Gila River Indian Community of Arizona was ratified by the tribe January 22, 1960, and approved by the US Secretary of the Interior on March 17, 1960. It is available online.The current Gila River legal code was enacted in 2009. Amendments enacted 15 May 2013, are available online.
The Gila River Indian Community Police Department is responsible for law enforcement within the Gila River Indian Community One officer of the Gila River Indian Community Police Department has been killed in the line of duty.
Marriage law
Gila River does not recognize marriages performed elsewhere in the state of Arizona. On July 15, 2015, in response to the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States, the Community Council passed a motion by a vote of 14 to 2 that the gendered language of the Gila River marriage code meant that same-sex marriage was not recognized:Economic development
The tribe own Wild Horse Pass Resort and Casino in Chandler and Veee Quiva Resort and Casino in Laveen Village, Arizona.Notable Gila River tribal members
- Beulah Archuletta, née Donahue, was an Piipaash actress.
- Ida Redbird, was a renowned Piipaash master potter who specialized in the traditional paddle and anvil technique.
- Ira Hayes, Akimel O'odham, one of the six Marines depicted in the Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima photograph.
- Jay Morago, Akimel O'odham, served as the first governor of the Gila River Indian Community from 1954 until 1960 and helped to draft the reservation's 1960 constitution.
- Mary Thomas, the first Akimel O'odham woman elected as Governor of the Gila River Indian Community, serving from 1994 until 2000.
- Natalie Diaz, Pulitzer-prize winning Akimel O'odham poet, educator, and activist
- Big Chief Russell Moore, was an renowned Akimel O'odham jazz trombonist.