Paiute Band of Apache Tribe

 

The traditional lands of the Southern Paiute people spanned more than 600 miles along the Colorado River.  In 1865, federal Indian agents began to formally remove Southern Paiutes from their land onto reservations.  The Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians was established in 1934 under the Indian Reorganization Act. The tribe is governed by a seven-person tribal council. The document that authorizes the tribal council as the officially recognized entity is the Tribal Constitution. At present, only the chairperson is an employee of the tribe, the remaining councilmen are not employed. The primary purpose for the tribal government is to provide services to its tribal membership such as healthcare, social services, substance abuse and mental health counseling, public works, judicial services, housing assistance, natural resources and employment opportunities. 

The Kaibab Paiute Indian Reservation is located on the Arizona Strip, about 50 miles north of the Grand Canyon. Reservation lands total 120,840 acres, straddling Coconino County and Mohave County in Arizona. Elevations range from 7,058 to 4,400 feet above sea-level. The reservation spans semi-arid to alpine lands, dominated by pinyon pine and juniper, with many natural springs and several ephemeral washes that feed into the Colorado River.  

In the recent past, the tribe has computerized its accounting system and has constructed a new tribal affairs/community services building. Now, the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians is at a point where one of the primary goals is to create economic development on tribal lands while protecting natural resources.

The Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians have been greatly affected by the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. The dam originally flooded San Juan Paiute farms and affected plant and animal life and other culturally significant places. In 1993, the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians and the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah created the Southern Paiute Consortium to address concerns over the operation of the Glen Canyon Dam. 

According to the 2018-2022 U.S. Census, approximately 249 individuals live on Kaibab Paiute tribal land in the northwest corner of Arizona near the Arizona-Utah border. The Reservation is nearly 121,000 acres including Pipe Spring National Monument. The Reservation holds five tribal villages, with headquarters in Fredonia, Arizona. The non-Indian community of Moccasin, and Pipe Spring National Monument are also located entirely within the reservation boundary. The band does not own or operate a casino. The Kaibab Paiute economy centers around tourism and the livestock industry. The Tribe and the National Park Service jointly operate a visitor center and museum at Pipe Springs National Monument.