MOHAVE VALLEY (PART 1)

TIME FOR ONE OF MY BORING HISTORY LESSONS, AND INSTEAD OF DOING THE “CUT AND PASTE” THING, WHICH YOU ALL HATE, I’VE DECIDED TO ENLIST MY PLAGIARISM SKILLS AND TYPE IT OUT FOR YOU. THE MOHAVE VALLEY IS ABOUT 100 MILES SOUTH OF LAS VEGAS ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER. YES, IT’S THE SAME COLORADO RIVER THAT RUNS THROUGH THE GRAND CANYON . THE COLORADO RIVER SERVES AS THE STATE LINE BETWEEN NEVADA AND ARIZONA, AND CALIFORNIA AND ARIZONA. THE RIVER RUNS NORTH TO SOUTH, AND ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE VALLEY ARE THE NEWBERRY MOUNTAINS OF CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA , AND ON THE EAST SIDE, THE BLACK MOUNTAINS OF ARIZONA.
TO START AT THE BEGINNING, WE BEGIN WITH THE PIPA AHA MACAV INDIAN TRIBE, TRANSLATED - “THE PEOPLE BY THE RIVER”. THE FIRST SPANISH EXPLORES TO ENTER THE VALLEY HEARD THE PRONUNCIATION AS “MO-HAV-EEE” AND HENCE THE INDIANS BECAME KNOWN AS THE MOJAVE INDIANS. LATER THE ENGLISH SPELLED THE NAME “MOHAVE”. TODAY BOTH SPELLINGS ARE ACCEPTABLE. THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF THE INDIANS GOES BACK AT LEAST A THOUSAND YEARS, AS EVIDENCE, THEIR PETROGLYPH'S IN GRAPEVINE CANYON, WHICH HAVE BEEN DATED AT LEAST THIS OLD. GRAPEVINE CANYON IS THE OLD INDIAN TRAIL TO SPIRIT MOUNTAIN, “AVI KWA AME”. THIS MOUNTAIN, THE TALLEST PEAK IN THE NEWBERRY MOUNTAINS, IS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE FOR THE INDIANS. FROM THIS MOUNTAIN THE TRIBE’S SPIRIT MENTOR, MUTAVILYA, CREATED THE COLORADO RIVER, IT’S PLANTS AND ANIMALS AND INSTRUCTED THE PIPA AHA MACAV IN THE ARTS OF CIVILIZATION, AND CHARGED THEM WITH PROTECTING THE VALLEY. THEY WERE PROSPEROUS FARMERS WITH WELL ESTABLISHED VILLAGES AND TRADE NETWORKS THAT STRETCHED AS FAR AS THE PACIFIC OCEAN.