Chemehuevi Indian Tribe



Various Spellings: Chemehuevi, Chemahuavas, Chemawawas

Homeland: California and Nevada

Population: 1866: 750, 1900: 800, 1998: 900-1000

Brief Timeline

 * 1775: Fray Francisco Garces, a Spanish priest encountered the tribe.
 * 1810: The tribe moved from the Mojave to the Colorado River and Chemehuevi Valley to escape the Spanish slave raids
 * 1810+: smallpox epidemic
 * 1850's: The Mormons helped put a stop to the Spanish slave trade.
 * 1853: Chemehuevi lands are declared public domain
 * 1867-1871: Chemehuevi-Mohave War
 * 1870's: a small tribal population moved to the Colorado River Reservation
 * 1907: 36,000 acre Chemehuevi Valley set aside for the tribe.
 * 1930: 8,000 acres of Chemehuevi land becomes Havasu Lake with the building of the Parker Dam
 * 1971: constitution, Chemehuevi Valley registered as the Chemehuevi Indian Reservation (San Bernardino Co.,California)

Reservations
The Chemehuevi are the southernmost group of the Southern Paiute Indians. The live mostly on the Chemehuevi Reservation along the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, in southeastern California. Some of the Chemehuevi also live on the Agua Caliente, Cabazon, Colorado River, and Morongo Reservations.

Additional References to the History of the Tribes and/or Bands
Frederick Webb Hodge, in his Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, gave a more complete history of the Chemehuevi tribe, with estimations of the population of the tribe at various time periods. Additional details are given in John Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America.

Tribal Headquarters
P.O. Box 1976 Havasu Lake, CA 92362 Phone: 760.858.4301 Fax: 760.858.5400 Website: www.havasulanding.com

Important Web Sites

 * Chemehuevi Indian Tribe Official Web Site
 * Chemehuevi Indian Tribe Wikipedia