On My Arrival
On my arrival at the settlement, I received great kindness. Melons and roasted pumpkins were available to us in great abundance. At this time, it was low water, yet the Colorado River was 200 yards, and in the shallowest place, I could find 10 feet deep with a smooth current. The timber in this vicinity consisting of cottonwood and a small species of honey locust with some willow, extends entirely along the river, varying in width from 1/2 to 2 1/2 miles in width, the river winding through woodland from one side to the other alternately. While the woods have tolerable soil, the sandy region produces nothing but sedge and prickly pear. On the east and west, at a distance of ten miles, a chain of rocky hills runs parallel with the river, and about thirty miles south, the rocky hills close into the river.This settlement of the Amuchaba's, extending about 30 miles along the river, appeared numerous and paid considerable attention to agriculture; they do not live in villages but are somewhat scattered over the country generally wherever they find the most favorable situations.
In-person, these Indians are tall and well-formed complexion not dark, in abilities perhaps second to the Utas.
They do not appear much inclined to steal but are quite fond of gambling. On a level and smooth piece of ground 30 or 40 feet long and 8 feet wide, the Amuchaba men play their favorite game. Each man has a ten-foot-long pole. Then a target ring about 4 inches in diameter rolls across the playing area. At the same time, the players start sliding their poles, attempting to intersect the moving hoop. The winner is the one that either pierces the ring or the pole that lands nearest to the spot. The women also gamble by tossing small colored sticks in a dish, like throwing dice.
The women are generally very fleshy with tolerable features. When dressed, the man has a Spanish blanket thrown over the left shoulder and passes under the right arm pinned on the breast with a wooden pin. They wear no headdress moccasins or leggings. The women's dress is a petticoat made of a material like flax, just broken, and banded with a plait on the upper edge like corn husks. It is fastened around the waist extending down to the knee, constituting the whole of their clothing. They are much more cleanly than the Paiute.
They make a kind of earthenware; in large crocks of this, they boil their beans, corn, pumpkins, etc. The men appear to work as much in the field as the women, which is unusual among Indians. But few of them have bows and arrows. Their bows are 5 feet long, and the arrows are very long and made of cane grass with a wooden splice 6 inches long for a head. It is fashion with these Indians to fill their hair full of mud and wind it around their head until the top resembles a tin pan.
Their summer lodges are about 3 feet high, made of forks and poles covered with grass, weeds, and dirt flat on the top. The generally small winter lodges are made in the woods but fronting to the south and where the trees are not sufficiently high to keep out the sun. As the rainy season approaches, they throw dirt on the roof to give it a slope to carry off the water and secure the sides with dirt, leaving only a small aperture for a door. As they do not have not much clothing, when the weather requires it, they build a great many small fires sleeping in the space between them. When they become cold, they draw the sand from underfires and spread it where they sleep.
Mohave pottery - E. Curtis
In their lodges, I observed an abundance of crocks and demijohns. There are gourds and small bins of willow in which they put their corn, beans, wheat, garden seeds, and melons. The honey locust of this country bears a pod somewhat longer than a bean. The Indians gather these and pound the pod and the bean it contains until it forms a coarse flour. They work it into loaves and let it dry; it is fit for use. When they use it, they rinse it with water, which imparts a sweet yet somewhat tart taste by no means unpleasant.
I frequently observed at a distance from their house's willow bins that would hold 20 to 100 bushels filled with the locust pods, from which circumstances I judged them not much inclined to steal from each other. Their method of grinding their wheat is somewhat tedious. On a large flat stone, a little concave, it is pounded or rolled with another stone in the shape of a baker's rolling pin until it is sufficiently fine. The grinding is on a stone placed in a sloping position; gradually, as the meal becomes fine, it is slid off into a dish at the lower end. The bread they form for this meal is baked in the sand or ashes under the fire without the covering of bark or grass used by the Pawnees. When they would roast their pumpkins or squashes, which is a usual method of cooking them, they take a plug from the side, extract the seeds from the hole and replace the plug, roasting them as neatly as if they were entire.
I found no beaver worth trapping in this vicinity but remained here to recruit my men and horses. From the Indians, I ascertained that the country was barren and not inhabited below the rocky hills that came into the river and nearly down to the mouth of the Gila. They also told me it was about ten days of travel to the Spanish settlements in California. I swapped my poorest horses with the Indians and endeavored to purchase others without success.* (* One morning, an Indian came to me and said the Indians had killed one of my horses which, on examination, I found to be true. They had killed the horse to eat and took away everything but the entrails. From this time, I had my horses so carefully guarded that they could not continue their depredations.) Believing it's impossible to return the deposit this season. In my present situation, I determined to prepare myself as well as possible and push forward to California, where I supposed I might procure supplies that would enable me to move on north. In that direction, I expected to find beaver and, in all probability, some large river heading up near the Great Salt Lake. By this route, I could return to the deposit. In pursuance of my plan, I endeavored by all means in my power to procure a guide but could not succeed. Therefore, I got the best instruction I could regarding the route and collected a supply of corn, beans, locust bread, and a little Indian flour.
Having remained at this place for about eight days, I made a raft. I crossed the river and, for the first day, traveled nearly west, passing through the rocky hills by a deep ravine which brought me through to the plain, then a little north of west 15 miles to another range of hills where I found water and cane grass and encamped. During the night, someone stole the most valuable horse I had. Although I had a guard, it was so dark that the horse was led out unnoticed. The next day I traveled west through the range of hills to the plain where the trail could not be followed and where I was obliged to encamp without water. I had supposed that I should be able to track the route from the directions given by the Indians, which is found impracticable and a great scarcity of water becoming more apparent. I rode and sent others to the high hills and deep ravines in every direction to look for water, and as none could be found, the idea came forcibly to mind that it was the policy of the Indians to send me into the desert to perish. In this situation, I saw no alternative but to retrace my steps. On my way back, I found an Indian and a boy following our trail for an unknown purpose. They had water with them which would convey the idea that the country where I turned back was, for some distance, destitute of it. On seeing us, one of them ran off. I did not pursue him but kept the other with me until I got to the spring, where I had before encamped. It will be readily imagined that we were much in want of water by this time. During the night, the Indians ran off. The next day I moved to the river and found that the Indians had all left their lodges, leaving everything they could not carry off.
It was now prudent to prepare for the worst, which I did by making a pen for my horses and encamping under a river bank which would answer as a breastwork in the emergency that the singular conduct of the Indians led me to expect. However, the little renegade Francisco (who spoke Spanish) came to the opposite bank of the river in the morning and plunged in and swam over after hallowing. I asked the reason for the singular behavior of the Indians. He said the Indians that got away from me told them I was coming back to kill them all for stealing my horse. I answered that it was all folly to ask them to return and be friendly as usual. It was true I must have my horse, but I would not think of punishing the whole of them for the fault of the single scoundrel that stole him. I also told him to tell the chiefs that they must get the horse and bring him to me, in which event all would be well. Francisco left me, and in the evening, the Indians returned to their lodges. The chiefs came to see me and said that the Indian that stole my horse had gone off some distance but that they would have him back as soon as possible and oblige him to deliver the horse. They wished me to recross the river, and as the grass was poor at that place, I complied with their request and, after crossing, moved down the river about ten miles where the settlement is also considerable and the country like that above with the exception that there are some small prairies of tolerable good sandy soil producing melons and corn and some ponds and sloughs in which portions of the river run in high water. The grass at this place was much better than at any location above, and the production was the same as those mentioned before though perhaps in greater abundance than in the upper part of the settlement. Their wheat is planted in hills. As they have no fences, what few horses they have are kept constantly tied by a long halter and, at this season, are fed on pumpkins and melons, of which they appear very fond. They ride without saddle or bridle, but by the help of a wide surcingle under which they slip their feet, they are enabled to sit firmly. Melons were supplied in such numbers that I typically had 3 or 400 piled up before my tent.
A great many women and children were generally about us. Among the Amuchabas I did not find any very influential chiefs. He that has the most wives and consequently the most numerous connections is the greatest man. There was one chief we called Red Shirt from the circumstance of his wearing a shirt made out of a piece of red cloth that I had given him. He was about 40 and appeared to be a great favorite among the women. He frequently stayed at my tent and slept with any women he chose.
Among Indians, women generally do not have the privilege of speaking on a subject at any moment. Still, here they harangue the multitude the same as the men. No Indians I have seen pay so much deference to the women as these. While here, Francisco came to me and requested I see a sick man. I told him I was no physician, but these Indians thinking a white man could do anything, I was obliged to go to satisfy them.
When I arrived, 3 or 400 people were there, but the man was dead. Seeing a large pile of wood, I inquired of the interpreter. He informed me they were about to burn the corpse, which was soon brought and laid on the pile, and a small net bag containing his property.
It appeared the man had died from the swelled neck, a disorder I think very common here as I observe many with their neck much scarified a remedy which seemed to have been applied to the case of the deceased as there was a good deal of Blood on his neck.
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Two or three women were crying and screaming and came to the pile, apparently in the most incredible agony embracing the corpse. They were pulled off, and a fire was put to the pile, soon in flames. The mourners took some strips of red cloth and whatever they thought most valuable and threw them in the fire. I left them, but Francisco told me the deceased had two horses that were already killed, and on them, the people would now feast.
