530 E. Merritt St
Prescott, AZ 86301
928-445-8790
Yavapai Prescott Indian Tribe has resided in central and western Arizona for centuries. The members of the Tribe reached 159 people and inhabited less than 1,500 acres. Their flag shows the basket design since their tribe is very popular for weaving baskets. basket weaving is one of the cultures traditions of the Yavapai people. The Yavapai Prescott Indian Reservation was established in 1935. Before, they just inhabited only 75 acres of the former Fort Whipple Military Reserve in central Arizona. This reservation was mainly established for the Yavapai people and 1,320 acres of land has since been added to their property. The history of this tribe traces back many centuries, when their way of living was by weaving and most of the men were out hunting and gathering. Sam Jimulla was the first chief of the tribe followed by the leadership of his wife, Viola. She was the first woman to become the chieftess among North American Indians. Today, three primary groups of this tribe exist. Those groups are located at Fort McDowell, Camp Verde and Prescott. They are still trying their very best to preserve the culture passed down by their ancestors. They are also struggling to get the economic independence they desire by constructing tribal enterprises. They built a 162-room resort hotel. two casinos, a business park and shopping center. They are one of the largest area's employers. They have 1,395 acres of land. The diverse businesses gives an opportunity to its residents to choose the career in which they wish to work towards. Their career nowadays determine their character as members of the tribe. This tribe is also concerned with their environment. They are focusing with their Erosion control projects and they also have their fire management plan. Erosion has been decreasing the productivity of plants because of the damages that it causes to the environment as well as the biological community. This is the reason why, the Southwest people are very much concerned and are investing in research to find solutions to the problem. The development in the area caused the rain to be diverted to streams and channels. This causes soil erosion. By taking erosion control measures into action, the tribe is thinking that it can help to at least minimize the said problem. In order to reduce bank erosion, there is a Fund provided by EPA so that they can install bank stabilization structures in Slaughterhouse Gulch. Fortunately, the Natural Resource Conservation service is also giving funds for them to make gabions, which are the wire cages that trap the soil while water freely flows in it. The prevention of erosion is also done by the reduction of water flow in the channel. Their projects that they are implementing are really big help to their community. Problems will definitely be solved if they will continue on working on it. With the continuous growth of their population, they can do more things for their own good. Right now they have their frontier village which is Prescott's major city for commerce. They earn income with the establishments that they are building within their area.