MOJAVE

also spelled Mohave Yuman-speaking Indian farmers of the Mojave Desert along the lower Colorado River, U.S. This valley was a patch of green surrounded by barren desert and was subject to an annual flood that left a large deposit of silt. 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 ritual associated with crops. In addition to farming, there were considerable fishing, hunting, and gathering of wild plants. The essential social unit among the Mojave was the family and the patrilineage. There were no settled villages; wherever there was suitable land for farming, there were scattered houses and the fields were owned by the man who cleared them. The formal government among the Mojave consisted mainly of a hereditary tribal chief who functioned as a natural leader and adviser. The Mojave possessed a strong national identity, most evident in time of war; prestige was based on success and bravery in battle, and all able-bodied men took part, led by a single war chief. The usual enemies were other riverine Yuman tribes, except for the Yuma proper, who were trusted allies. Combatants were divided into archers, clubbers, and stick men, and battles frequently were highly stylized. In religion the Mojave believed in a supreme creator and attached great significance to dreams, which were considered the source of all special powers. Public ceremonies took the form of singing a cycle of dreamed songs that recited a myth, usually the narrative of a journey. Some cycles consisted of hundreds of songs. The Mojave now live on the Colorado River Reservation in Arizona. About 650 Mojave live both on and off the reservation.