CELEBRATING 43 YEARS OF VICTORY
By Harrison J. Bahe
On November 15th, 2024, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation gathered in the Ramada parking lot across from the Recreation Center to celebrate 43 years of victory over the construction of the Orme Dam with a fun run, a community potluck dinner and a social dance.
In the early 1970s, construction of the Orme Dam was proposed at the confluence of the Verde and Salt rivers, a short distance from the reservation’s southern border. The project would have flooded the reservation and forced the community from what remained of its ancestral homeland. With limited financial resources, individuals from the community spearheaded an opposition movement that rallied the support of fellow tribal members. Other Indian tribes and non-Indian groups also opposed the dam. The small tribe staged a three day walk from their reservation to the state’s capital to protest the construction of the dam. Then on November 12, 1981, after consulting with the Fort McDowell Tribal Council and the Governor’s Advisory Committee, Interior Secretary James Watt announced that Orme Dam would not be built.
The event began with a fun run hosted by the Healthy Futures program. Elder Pamela Mott announced the start of the walk which commemorated the three day walk the tribe trekked in 1981; Mott herself walked to the capital in protest of the Orme Dam. Members of the community, young and old, happily walked down Ba Hon Nah Road, around Fort Loop Road and back to the Ramada where they were then handed a commemorative t-shirt provided by Healthy Futures.
The program then started with President Sandra Pattea giving a brief history of the dam itself, commenting that had the dam been built, the very land upon which they all stood would be underwater. Council members Ernestine Kill, Albert Nelson and Gerald Doka also spoke, giving brief anecdotes about the history of the dam and the noble resilience of the Yavapai people.
Thus began the potluck as the community lined up to indulge in foods ranging from traditional to modern. The community potluck was a throwback to yesteryear when the community would gather and bring food to share with their neighbors and loved ones. It should be noted that a majority of the food was generously made and donated by community members with some help from the We-Ko-Pa Casino and Resort. Foods like spaghetti, lasagna, tortillas, frybread, beans, posole, hot dogs, and chips were brought in by the community and for the community. Commemorative hoodies were distributed as well which held a logo celebrating 43 years of victory on the front and the tribal seal on the back. The social dance began as councilman Albert Nelson’s drum group Maswade sang traditional songs while members, primarily consisting of young people, danced circles around the singers.
The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation stands the test of time with a history of so much loss balanced with so many victories. Standing at the center of so many state revolutions and movements such as Indian voting and gaming rights and the right to merely exist in their ancestral homeland, the nation will continue to stand and fight for years to come.
