Michael Tsosie passed away on January 13, 2016. Image from CRIT / Facebook

Michael Tsosie, a member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes who was a highly-regarded historian, died on January 13.

Tsosie was a former director of the CRIT Museum and was in charge of tribe's cultural and historical affairs. He was remembered as someone with immense knowledge about the Mohave, Chemehuevi, Navajo and Hopi people who make their home on the reservation.

"His legacy lives on in our hearts and minds," María Regina Firmino Castillo, an artist and scholar who collaborated with Tsosie, wrote on the tribe's Facebook. "He had so much wisdom and knowledge to share, and left us with a clear example of how to walk the path."

Tsosie was also known as a fierce defender of the tribe's sovereignty. Last year he circulated a petition that called for the eviction of all non-Indians who have failed to pay leasing fees and rents as part of a long-running dispute over the boundaries of the reservation. The tribe has consistently prevailed in its efforts to assert control

Tsosie received his bachelor's degree from Harvard University and his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. He was an Ambassador for Americans for Indian Opportunity and a Kellogg Fellow.

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Former CRIT Museum Director dies (The Parker Pioneer 1/20)

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