On the morning of May 12, 1992, United States federal agents raided the Fort McDowell Gaming Center, seizing 349 slot machines.

In response, tribal and community members took a stand, blocking the only road out and preventing the agents from leaving the property.

This act of resistance sparked a three-week, non-violent standoff that ultimately led the State of Arizona to negotiate and enter into gaming compacts with tribes across the state.

The standoff at Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation that day helped shape the future of Indian gaming in Arizona.

Each May, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation honors this pivotal moment in its history with the annual Sovereignty Day Celebration. The event features a four-mile commemorative walk through the reservation, followed by a celebratory luncheon. The annual march is commemorative of the two-day march from Fort McDowell Casino to the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix in the days following the 1992 raid.

This year marks the 33rd annual Sovereignty Day, which will take place Thursday, May 8. Festivities begin at 7 a.m. at the Old Bingo Hall near We-Ko-Pa Resort & Conference Center. The walk will start at 7:15 a.m., leading participants to the Fort McDowell Recreation Center, where the celebration will conclude with lunch.

The Fort McDowell Yavapai, known as the Abaja — the “People” — are one of three Yavapai tribes in Arizona. For thousands of years, they have lived and thrived in central Arizona. In 1903, the tribe was granted a 24,000-acre reservation located 35 miles northeast of Phoenix.