Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Day on June 14 started with mesquite pancakes and ended on the dance floor.

The day traditionally acknowledges the history of the Community.

It is also a day of celebration.

The Huhugam Ki: Museum held a mesquite pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. and stayed open until 2:30 p.m.

At 5 p.m., the doors opened at the Community Building for a packed agenda that included a meal. The evening featured O’odham and Piipaash social singing and dancing, arts and craft vendors, food vendors, Community department booths, Miss Salt River and Jr Miss Salt River Court dance performances and a live chicken scratch band. Pacer Reina was the emcee. 

SRPMIC Vice-President Ricardo Leonard delivered a welcome address and read the SRPMIC Day proclamation, which explained some of the Community’s history with the federal government. Leonard was also a guest singer later in the evening.

Proclamation Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Celebration Day

WHEREAS, On January 10, 1879, President Rutherford B. Hayes by executive order established the Salt River Reservation to include the Salt River on the west, the San Carlos reservation on the east; and

WHEREAS, On June 14, 1879, President Rutherford B. Hayes signed an Executive Order reconfiguring the Salt River Indian Reservation, reducing the land base by thousands of acres to a recorded size of 52,600 acres; and

WHEREAS, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community was established for the benefit of the Onk Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Xalychidom Piipaash (Maricopa); and

WHEREAS, the peoples of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community have overcome many obstacles throughout history only to remain strong and unified; and

WHEREAS, we continue to recognize and honor our ancestors; and

WHEREAS, the culture and traditions remain vital to the people and will assure that the culture and traditions of our ancestors and our people are passed on to the children; and

WHEREAS, today, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community’s enrolled membership population is over 9,000,

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Council does hereby proclaim the 14th day of June as: Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Celebration Day

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that throughout the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community that all Community Government Departments and Programs, organizations, schools, places of worship and members of our Community commemorate, in an appropriate manner, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Celebration Day. To include, for example, community service, volunteering, cultural exhibits, performances and other education and public awareness activities in order to help recognize this historic day.

    Pursuant to the authority contained in Article VII, Section 1(c)(10) of the Constitution of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (as amended), ratified by the Tribe on February 28, 1990, and approved by the Secretary of the Interior on March 19, 1990, the foregoing proclamation was adopted this 9th day of June, 2010, in a duly called meeting of the Community Council at Salt River, Arizona, at which a quorum of 9 members was present, by a vote of 9 for, 0 opposed, 0 abstaining and 0 excused.