Mojave Mythology
Mojave, or Mohave, both pronounced mo-HAH-vee, is a derivation of Ahamecav, meaning “people who live along the river.” The Mojave occupied ancestral territory near other Yuman-speaking peoples along both sides of the Colorado River, the present border between the states of Arizona, California, and Nevada. They are grouped together with the YUMA (QUECHAN) in a category called the River Yumans. The Upland Yumans, such as the HAVASUPAI, HUALAPAI, and YAVAPAI, lived to the north and east of the Mojave. All the Yumans are considered part of the Southwest Culture Area, although they lived on the edge of the Great Basin and California Culture Areas.