Gila River Indian Community

Gila River Indian Community Profile
The Gila River Indian Community is located approximately 34 miles south of the Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. The Gila River Indian Community is committed to providing high quality service and integrity to the employment process

The Gila River
Since before the arrival of the Bearded Ones (Spanish) the waters of the Gila River has provided for the Akimel O’othom. The Spanish gave these desert farmers a name which is still used today PIMA.

The O’othom were here in village clusters and had a well defined irrigation system in place. The O’othom had crops of corn, beans and squash, grown in abundance. These were the food crops but they also found cotton and tobacco being cultivated.

Their villages dotted the entire Gila River Valley, to the East as far as Florence, to the West near the base of the Estrellas or Komatke as they are called by the O’othom.

The Spanish found these people diverting the waters of the Gila into canals they had constructed, with the aid of only wood and stone tools, which extended for miles and miles. Their engineering ability was amazing to these new arrivals. From the larger canals they had head gate to divert waters to the actual field of crops. It was a combined effort with each village responsible for the maintenance of the canal system to their fields and village. Field houses were often put up near the fields but home was in the main village.

The O’othom people are a peaceful group and worked together on large scale projects. For instance, in the rebuilding of a house which was lost by fire, the village would rebuild it in a matter of days. Materials would be gathered such as posts and beams for the roof and corners, arrow weeds obtained from the banks of the river. Labor was from the village and food was provided for the noon lunch. There was no monetary exchange but food was donated by the families and the ladies did the cooking. Not only did they do the cooking but also helped in the actual house or structure construction.

It was also a time for visiting with old friends and relatives. The elders would sit in the shade and watch over the grandchildren. Plus watch the progress and offer suggestions to the young men who still had much to learn.

Gila River Indian Community 5 Pillars of Excellence
Purpose

 * We pledge to assist the Community we serve in achieving their objectives and goals.

Customer Service

 * We will always strive to build a trusting relationship with our customers by being responsive and sensitive to their needs

Teamwork

 * We vow to foster a trusting working environment by treating our customers with dignity, respect, and compassion.

Flexibility

 * We recognize the importance of adaptablility to changes within our business environment and promise to rise up to the everyday challenges we face in order to meet our customer needs.

Ethics

 * We accept professional responsibility to be consistent with all individuals who seek our services.

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