Newly crowned Miss Gila River, Tia Benally, along side Miss Indian Arizona, Daryl Lynn Jay, stand together for a photo at the Five Tribes Peace Treaty Celebration.
MARICOPA COLONY-This year marks the 147th anniversary of the Five Tribes Peace Treaty which was signed in 1863 and brought peace between the Maricopa, Pima, Yuma, Hualapai and Chemehuevi tribes of Arizona.
Historically, peace talks took place between Apr. 7 – 11, 1863 at Fort Yuma ending in a formal pledge of agreement among the tribes to uphold mutual peace and friendship while working to further protect the local American settlers from other, non-allied tribes.
Every year, near the historical date of the peace talks, the Five Tribes Peace Treaty is celebrated in District 7 with festivities that include traditional singing and dancing by groups from the respective tribes along with other events like softball tournaments and 5K fun runs.
The theme of this year’s celebration was “Keeping the Peace Treaty Alive Through Unity” which was further exemplified by the attendance of members from each of the tribes represented in the treaty.
The Pee Posh Veterans posted the colors while Gila River Royalty gave the pledge of allegiance. Hualapai Youth Skywalk Bird Singers and Dancers performed to an audience that was captivated by their beautiful songs and graceful dance moves. Having traveled up from Fort Yuma, the Quechan Ah-Keel Dance Group also took the stage to give the crowd a taste of their tribe’s particular songs and dances.
A traditional meal of red chile stew, beans, potato salad, corn and chemmath was provided to all in attendance. With the temperatures starting to warm up, shaved ice was also on hand to cool attendees down while whetting their palettes.
The festivities ran from 6:30 a.m until well past 7 p.m with a slew of bands taking the stage to perform while various lively events took place throughout the D7 ballpark.
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