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FOUR DIRECTIONS
INSTITUTE Teaching 3rd and 4th Graders to Love California Indian History and Culture: An On-Line and In-Class Adventure
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| Return to Class Main Page | Module 1: Glossary | Module 2: Education | Module 3: Literatures | Module 4: Cultures |
| Module 5: History | Module 6: Today | Module 7: Curriculum | Module 8: Seminar | Exit class |
| Ethnies | Chemehuevi, Halchidhoma, Kohuana, Mojave, Yuma, and some western Arizona and northwestern Mexico ethnies |
| Transitional Ethnies | Kawaiisu, Tubatulabl |
| x |
| Shared Elements | |
| Economy | Capitalistic |
| Government | Hereditary chiefs |
| Shamanism | Male singers, divine powers; may be killed for failures or famine |
| Housing | Sunken earth or pit house with wood frame, thatched, and covered with dirt |
| Marriage | Informal |
| Ceremonies | Dream songs |
| Creation Story Motif | Quarreling brothers |
| Basketry | Poor irregular plain twining and open-stitch coiling |
| Primary Foods | Corn, squash, and beans |
| Disposition | Bellicose |
| The ethnies of the Dream macro-culture were the only
farmers in California. Its bellicose warriors, particularly of the
Mojave and Yuma ethnies, traveled great distances across the
southwestern deserts to raid other cultures. This practice was
continued well into the seventeenth century, and their belligerence
deterred White migration across the Colorado River. Dreams were the basis of everything sacred to this macro-culture. Their stories, their songs, even their individual identities were the product of dreams. Datura, or toloache, was often used. They practiced a "Dream Song" series that included "Bird Songs", though these songs were different from those of the Chungichnich macro-culture. However, they shared the quarreling brothers motif of their creation stories with the inland ethnies of the Chungichnich. Art was not important in the Dream macro-culture. They had an informal social structure in which funerals were by far the most important rite of passage. Wailing often occurred once death was certain even before the person died.
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| Populations | Year 1700 | Year 1800 | Year 1900 | Year 2000 |
| Chemehuevi | 1,000 | 900 | 400 | 150 |
| Halchidhoma | 1,500 | 500 | 0 | 0 |
| Kohuana | 1,500 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mojave | 2,000 | 2,300 | 950 | 3,300 |
| Yuma | 2,000 | 2,800 | 350 | 3,900 |
| Total Dream | 8,000 | 6,500 | 1,700 | 7,350 |
Datura (Toloache) http://entheogen.com/datura/faq.html#1
Return to: Module 4: Cultures
Copyright © Four Directions Institute 2000