The Mohave are a Native American tribe, many of whom live on or near the Colorado River Indian Tribes, Chemehuevi and Fort Mojave Indian Reservations on the Colorado River in California and Arizona. The tribe also shares hundreds of thousands of acres (hundreds of km²) of reservation land with a few Hopi and Navajo. Established in 1865, the reservations have water rights in the Colorado River, which they use for irrigated farming. In addition to a marina, there are opportunities for boating, fishing, hunting and swimming.

The tribal headquarters, library and museum are in Parker, Arizona, about 40 miles (64 km) north of I-10. The National Indian Days Celebration is held in Parker Thursday through Sunday, the last week of September. The All Indian Rodeo is held the first weekend in December. RV facilities are available along the Colorado River.

Name

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The Mohave call themselves the Pipa a'ha macave, which means (roughly) "The people who live by the water." The word macave is pronounced "ma-cav," the "e" being silent. Mohave names are typically only capitalized on the first word, with the following words all in low-case. Therefore a Mohave joke name would be rendered, for example, "My leg is made out of yellow pine" and not "My Leg Is Made Out Of Yellow Pine" as in the European / Westernized tradition. This was the name of a Mohave man, Hoalye-ime, who lived around 1844: he once saw a "beaver eater" ("white man") with a peg leg, and he was so amused that he pretended to also have a wooden leg.)

A Mohave "joke name" (roughly analogous to nicknames) was one that a Mohave would assign herself or himself, or a friend would assign to someone. "Face like a horse" would be one example; "Kicked in the head by the sun" another. Some joke names are not funny at all, but were teasing and abusive, but a Mohave was socially bound to put up with it.

Mohave Etiquette

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No aspect of social life is more elusive and less amenable to systematic study than are so-called "good manners" as distinct from basic personality traits. Yet information of this sort is an indispensable part of anthropological study. The present study deals chiefly with the etiquette of ordinary social relations, since the etiquette of courtship has already been described elsewhere. (1)

General-Behavior

Sitting

Mohave men had two traditional sitting positions, both of which may still be observed among the older members of the tribe. Men who sat on the ground usually leaned their backs against a wall or a tree, and extended their legs in front of them. They were free to cross their legs, if they chose to do so. Men who preferred to sit on their heels, in a kneeling posture, rested the dorsal surface of one foot on the sole of the other foot.

The traditional sitting position of women was described by Kroeber (1,4) as follows: "Women at rest stretch their legs straight out, and sometimes cross their feet. At work, a Mohave woman tucks one leg under her, with her other knee up . . . When she pleases, the Mohave woman also sits with her legs folded in oriental style." The Mohave specified that women were careful to arrange the tassels of their fiber-skirts in such a manner as to avoid exposure. Hence, whenever the thighs were spread, some of the tassels were made to hang down between the legs. Male berdaches sat like women and observed the same proprieties.

Only close relatives of opposite sexes, or else husband and wife, were permitted to share the same bench or wagon or automobile seat. This is not an inflexible rule, though it is usually broken with some embarrassment on behalf of those involved. The rule that unrelated persons of the opposite sexes should not share the same car seat can be readily linked with the Mohave belief that thoughts or daydreams about traveling with a member of the opposite sex induces amorous desires.

Women

A woman who is walking home alone should not talk to men whom she happens to meet on the way. A "good woman" does not walk with men, nor does she ride with them in a wagon or in a car, unless the man happens to be her husband or a close relative.

A woman may swim either alone or else in the company of her husband or close relatives. If a man happens to be already swimming at the spot where she had intended to swim, she is supposed to look for another place. Should she violate this rule, she will expose herself to criticism and to gossip. This rule is frequently violated, however.

Women are permitted to dance at gatherings. They must, however, dance "in a decent way" and must not attract attention through cocky talk or through impish and showy behavior.

A woman may eat from the same dish only with her husband, her ascendants, descendants, siblings, and first cousins, i.e., only with persons who are so closely related to her that no one would suspect them of 'carrying on'. Should a woman wish to share a fruit with a man who is neither her husband nor a close relative, she must divide the fruit and give the man his share before biting into it.

Hospitality

The Mohave are most hospitable. Should a visitor arrive while a meal is being prepared or eaten, he will be invited to share the food. A failure to extend such an invitation is as deliberate an insult as is a refusal to accept hospitality.

Eating

The Mohave are great eaters and are pleased when their guests eat heartily. It is permissible to belch and to pick one's teeth.

The Mohave call chewing gum halyak. In aboriginal times this term designated a certain native chewing substance which was prepared from a vine called halyak. American chewing gum is moderately popular with adults, and rather popular with school children.

Tobacco

The Mohave do not seem to chew plugs of tobacco.

The Mohave of both sexes are very fond of cigarettes. Anyone who takes out a pack of cigarettes is expected to offer a cigarette to all those who happen to be present, before helping himself. Should one fail to do so, one exposes oneself to a reprimand or to a jeer. It should be pointed out, however, that Mohave smoking etiquette is based on the principle of reciprocity. Hence they do not beg for cigarettes, nor do they demand cigarettes from any chance-met stranger.

A Mohave man is not supposed to light the cigarette of a woman who is neither a wife nor a close relative.

The Mohave do not inhale while lighting their cigarettes. This habit may be due to the fact that the first matches to reach the Mohave were made with sulfur. They hold the cigarette in one hand and the match in the other hand, and toast the tip of the cigarette until it is lit. Only then do they bring the cigarette to their lips. As a rule only men appear to inhale the smoke, while women, as well as male transvestites, seem to refrain from doing so.

The Mohave Indians also smoke small clay-pipes, and are much impressed with the skill of certain people who manage to smoke an entire pipe in four puffs.

Photography

Mohave custom demands that the body as well as the property of the dead should be cremated. (7,13,15) The preservation of photographs would be an especially offensive violation of this rule, since it preserves "the shadow," i.e., soul (1) of the dead. Hence the Mohave are very reluctant to be photographed and resent any attempt to photograph them by stealth.

Human Relations

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The Mohave are an emotional people, and the sharing of emotions is an important feature of social relations.

The Mohave differentiate between "laughing with" and "laughing at" (4) people, and are quite sensitive to ridicule. On the other hand shared laughter is believed to be an expression of good-fellowship and of a friendly disposition. Unlike the Yuma (12) they believe that men and women laugh alike, except for the fact that the laughter of men has a deeper pitch. They also differentiate between laughter and provocative giggling.

Shared grief is likewise an expression of good-fellowship. The Mohave are ready to share the grief of their friends, and men do not consider it below their dignity to shed a few tears. A refusal to allow one's friends to share one's troubles is resented.

The Mohave sometimes disguise their sadness under an appearance of "being cross." Unemotional people are believed to be insensitive and lacking in human feelings.

Geneosity is taken so much for granted that it must be thought of as a basic personality trait (4) rather than as a form of etiquette. The charge of stinginess is the most damning accusation that can be leveled at a person.

Loyalty to one's friends is a pivotal point of Mohave social ethics. It is an unforgivable sin to speak ill of one's friends and associates behind their backs, and disloyalty is one of the things that will cause a person to be known as "worthless" or as "a bad person." Wanton indiscretion, especially about love affairs, is likewise condemned, and is said to be characteristic only of psychopathic prostitutes (kamalo:y). (10)

The Mohave are eager for praise and freely praise those whom they like. "A good person" is a term of high praise. The highest praise that can be given to an alien is, "He is just like a Mohave." This form of praise has been reported as far back as the XVII Century." The Mohave often express their friendship and approval by mercilessly "razzing" the person they happen to like.If a woman slanders a man and refers to his dead relatives, the man feels certain that the woman loves him.

Mohave Indian courtesy does not partake of the elaborately ritual character of, for example, Chinese etiquette. It is, with a few small exceptions, chiefly the etiquette of good sense and of the heart, which is the foundation of all real courtesy. The terms "a good man" or "a good woman" also imply good manners. In brief, Mohave courtesy is completely characterized by a line in a play by Alfred de Musset: "Polite indeed! My coachman is polite! In my time, men were courteous." The essence of Mohave courtesy is identical with that of the early Renaissance concept of "Cortesia" - it is the considerateness of kind and fair minded people.'

Bibliography

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1. Devereux, G. Mohave Soul Concepts. American Anthropologist, n. c. 39: 417-4220 1939.
2. Devereux, G. Institutionalized Homosexuality of the Mohave Indians. Human Biology, 9: 498-527, 1937.
3. Deveretix, G. L'Envoiltement chez les Indiens Mohave. Ioztrnal de 7a Societe' des Americanistes de Paris, n. s. 29: 405-4129 1938.
4. Devereux, G. Mohave Culture and Person@ality. Character and Personality, 8: 91-109, 1939.
5. Devereux, G. The Social and Cultural Implications of In- cest Among the Mohave Indians. Psychoanalytic Quar- terly, 8: 510-533, 1939.

Southwest Museum Leaflets

1. Devei-eux, G. Mohave Beliefs Concerning Twins. American Anthropologist, n. s. 43: 573-592, 1941.
2. Devei,etix, G. Primitive Psychiatry. (Part II.) Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 11: 522-542, 1942.
3. Devereux, G. Mohave Orality. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 16: 519-546, 1947.
4. Devereux, G. Heterosexual Behavior of the Mohave Indians, in Roheim, G. (ed.), Psychoanalysis and the Social Sciences, Vol. ii.
5. Devereux, G. The Mohave Indian Kamalo:y. Joitrizal of Clinical Psychopathology. (In press.) 11. Deveretix, G. Mohave Pregnancy. (In press.)
6. Forde, C. D. Ethnography of the Yuma Indians. University of California Publications in American Archeology and Ethnology, 28: 83-278, 1931.
7. Hall, S. H. The Burning of a Mohave Chief. Out West, 18: 60-65, 1903.
8. Kroeber, A. L. Handbook of the Indians of California. Bii,rcait of American Ethnology, Bulletin '18, 1925.
9. Stewart, K. M. An Account of the Mohave Mourning Ceremony, American Anthropologist, n. s. 49: 146-148, 1947.
10. Whitep H. C. Dust on the King's Highway. New York, 1947.

External links

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• http://www.critlibrary.com/ (Colorado River Indian Tribes Public Library/Archive)
• http://www.nps.gov/moja/mojahtm3.htm (History of the Mohave from a National Park site)

Listening

• NPR audio documentary about Creation Songs of the Mohave people

Native American tribes | Mohave tribe | Mojave Desert | Yuman-Cochimí languages

Mohave | Mohave | Mojave (tribu) | Mohave