Mojave

Mojave, Yuman-speaking North American Indian farmers of the Mojave Desert who traditionally resided along the lower Colorado River in what are now the U.S. states of Arizona and California and in Mexico. This valley was a patch of green surrounded by barren desert and was subject to an annual flood that left a large deposit of fertile silt. Traditionally, planting began as soon as the floodwaters receded. Unlike some of the desert farmers to the east, whose agricultural endeavours were surrounded by considerable ritual intended to ensure success, the Mojave almost totally ignored rituals associated with crops. In addition to farming, the Mojave engaged in considerable fishing, hunting, and gathering of wild plants.

The essential social units among the Mojave were the family and the patrilineage. Hamlets were built wherever there was suitable land for farming, and the fields were owned by the people who cleared them. Formal government among the Mojave consisted mainly of a hereditary tribal chief who functioned as a leader and adviser. Although they did not live in concentrated settlements, the Mojave possessed a strong national identity that became most evident in times of war; as male prestige was based on success and bravery in battle, all able-bodied men generally took part in military activities, which were typically led by a single war chief. The usual enemies of the Mojave were other riverine Yuman peoples, except for the Yuma proper, who were their trusted allies during conflicts. Each combatant generally specialized in or was assigned a single kind of weaponry; battles included archers, clubbers, and stick men and were often highly stylized.

In religion the Mojave believed in a supreme creator and attached great significance to dreams, which were considered the source of special powers. Public ceremonies included the singing of cycles of dreamed songs that recited myths; usually the narrative retold a mythic or legendary journey, and some cycles consisted of hundreds of songs.

Population estimates indicated approximately 2,000 Mojave descendants in the early 21st century.