Quechan
The Quechan, also known as the Yuma, are a Native American nation primarily located in southwestern Arizona and southeastern California, with a population of approximately 4,000 as of 2024. Notably, they are one of the few tribes that have never been displaced from their ancestral territory, which encompasses the confluence of the Gila and Colorado Rivers. Historically, the Quechan engaged in agriculture along the river's floodplains and foraged for wild foods, utilizing resources such as mesquite for both food and drink. Their governance structure included various leaders, such as shamans and civil leaders, with a primary decision-maker known as the paipataxan.
Throughout their history, the Quechan experienced conflicts and alliances with neighboring tribes, and they resisted European influences in the 18th century. In the 20th century, they faced economic challenges leading to significant land loss, but they successfully regained some territory in the late 1970s. Today, the Quechan are involved in conservation efforts to restore the local ecosystem and actively work on preserving their culture and language. They also provide social services and educational opportunities for their community, while participating in economic ventures like casinos and businesses. Their ongoing initiatives reflect a commitment to cultural preservation, environmental stewardship, and community well-being.
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Quechan
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Southwest
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Yuman
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Southwestern Arizona, southeastern California
- POPULATION SIZE: 4,000 (2024 Quechan Nation)
The Quechan, or Yuma, nation is one of the few that has never been relocated away from its ancestral land. Quechan territory lies around the confluence of the Gila River and Colorado River. The Quechan came to this area between 1540 and 1700. (Although “Yuma” is essentially synonymous with Quechan, the term “Yuman” applies to the Yuman language family and several nations, including the Quechan, Maricopa, and Cocopah.)
The Quechan derived their subsistence from cultivating the rivers’ floodplains and gathering wild fruits, nuts, and seeds. A popular typle of wild food was mesquite, which they ground into flour for cakes or fermented to make an intoxicating beverage.
Apart from shamans, the spiritual leaders, there was a kwaxot, or civil leader, and a kwanami, or war leader. The primary leader was probably the paipataxan, or “real person,” who made the majority of decisions about issues that affected the nation.
The Quechan people were occasionally in conflicts with the Cocopah, Maricopa, and Pima people. Sometimes the Quechan would ally themselves with the Mojave and Sand Papago (Tohono O’odham) nations. Attacks were initiated to steal supplies and obtain captives that could be traded for horses and other necessities. In the 1770s, Europeans and Mexicans attempted to control the area where the Gila and Colorado Rivers join by trying to “civilize” the Quechan. Eventually, the Quechan tired of their new allies’ cultural impositions and destroyed the Mexican and European settlements.
In 1852, the United States established a garrison on a cliff overlooking the rivers. Fort Yuma’s dealings with the Quechan were relatively peaceful. This peace was further ensured when the commander of the fort had a Quechan named Pasqual made “tribal chief.”
Between the 1850s and the 1900s, the US government tried to bargain land away from the group, but in 1912, the Fort Yuma Reservation was established, temporarily stabilizing Quechan landholdings. By the 1960s, however, the Quechan had sold much of their land because of economic stress. They ceased most of their farming activities and became wage earners. They were forced to adopt the federally accepted form of local government called the “tribal council.” After several nonviolent protests in the 1960s and 1970s, the US government finally restored 25,000 acres to the Quechan in 1978.
In the 1990s, the majority of Quechan lived on this land, working as farmers, laborers, artisans, and craftspeople. They remained closely tied to their land and continued to celebrate many of their traditions. In the twenty-first century, the Quechan embarked on a massive conservation effort in collaboration with the city of Yuma, Arizona, to restore and preserve the wetland ecology of the lower Colorado River. This project led to the establishment of the 1,200-acre Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area and expansion of economic opportunities for the Quechan.
In 2013, the Native Cry Outreach Alliance, a Quechan suicide prevention organization, launched a petition to raise awareness of the high rate of suicide among Indigenous people and to persuade Congress to enact the proposed Native American Suicide Prevention Act, which would require government-funded suicide prevention initiatives to work with nations to develop or implement those programs. Native Cry also joined forces with the nonnative Project Happiness to spread their mental health awareness curriculum to other Indigenous American reservations.
In the twenty-first century, the federally recognized Quechan people continued to work to preserve their Indigenous history, culture, and traditions. The nation actively worked to keep its Indigenous language alive through language classes. The Quechan continued to offer myriad social services to its members and organized educational opportunities and community activities. The Quechan remained active in economic development, supporting veteran and minority-owned businesses on its reservation and continuing to run various business ventures, including casinos and tourist-related businesses. Finally, the Quechan were active in environmental stewardship, helping to preserve wildlife along the Colorado River.
Bibliography
"About Us." Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, www.quechantribe.com/about-us.html. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
Allen, Lee. "Saving America's Nile: How the Quechan Are Rehabbing the Colorado River." Indian Country Today Media Network, 13 Sept. 2018, ictnews.org/archive/saving-americas-nile-how-the-quechan-are-rehabbing-the-colorado-river. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
Armitage, Lynn. "Project Happiness and Native Cry Team Up to Tackle Depression and Suicide on Reservations." Indian Country Today Media Network, 13 Sept. 2018, ictnews.org/archive/project-happiness-and-native-cry-team-up-to-tackle-depression-and-suicide-on-reservations. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
Bryant, George, and Amy Miller. Xiipúktan (First of All): Three Views of the Origins of the Quechan People. Open Book Pub., 2013.
"Fort Yuma-Quechan Tribe." Visit Arizona, www.visitarizona.com/places/american-indian/fort-yuma-quechan-tribe. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
"Quechan Tribe." Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, itcaonline.com/member-tribes/quechan-tribe. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.