Cocopah Nation
The Cocopah Indian Reservation is located 215 miles
southwest of Phoenix, Arizona. The Reservation is
near the town of Somerton which is approximately 12
miles south of Yuma near the Mexico/California border.
Somerton has 7,350 residents and is an agricultural
community which produces a large quantity of citrus
fruits, vegetables, and livestock feed.
The Cocopah Indian Reservation is divided into three
reservations approximately 12 miles from each other.
The West reservation is the site of the Cocopah Tribal
Head Quarters and all Tribal departments. The East
reservation is where the Cocopah Head Start Center
is located, and the North reservation is located just
west in the Yuma city limits, along the south banks
of the Colorado River. Yuma is one of the fastest
growing metropolitan areas in Arizona. Its population
as of July 2000 was 73,260.
The Cocopah Indian Tribe was organized pursuant to
the Act of June 18, 1834 (48 Stat.984) by the Cocopah
Tribal government. The tribe developed a constitution
and by-laws that were adopted by the Tribe October
8, 1964 then later approved by the Secretary of the
Interior on November 16, 1964. After 1985, the Tribe
established an enrollment program promoting Cocopah
Tribal enrollment. Today, approximately 900 Tribal
members are currently enrolled and 700 reside on the
three reservations.
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