A school was built in the village for our children, but after sixth grade they had to leave home and attend boarding school in Phoenix or California. In 1939, we elected a tribal council as a result of the Indian Reorganization Act. We are still governed today by a seven-member council. In 1975, the Grand Canyon Bill became law and almost 200,000 acres of plateauland was returned to our people. This was the most land ever returned to a tribal group by the U.S. government.
Tourism is the main industry on our reservation.
The waterfalls near our village attract visitors from around the world. In the face of all this change, we have kept our language and customs alive. Many of our tribal members speak our language, and our oral tradition keeps our culture alive through song, dance and cultural arts. The land is our grandmother and our grandfather, for it feeds us and provides for us. Then the land was taken from us, and we were alone for many years.