Native American ǀ American Indian
Photo: Middle Sky, Cocopah man, photo by Adolph Muir and Frank Rinehart
The Cocopah (Kwapa), also known as the River People, have long lived along the lower Colorado River and delta. For centuries, the Cocopah people, described as generous and non-materialistic, have maintained their traditional and cultural beliefs through the various political environments and ever-changing landscapes. The Cocopah Indian Tribe is one of seven descendant Tribes from the greater Yuman language-speaking people. The other tribes include the Paipai, Kumeyaay (Kumiai), and Kiliwa.
Throughout the mid -1800s and early 1900s, the Cocopah Indian Tribe effectively resisted assimilation to an established reservation and maintained its social, religious and cultural identities.
President Woodrow Wilson signed Executive Order No. 2711 in 1917 which established the Reservation. In 1985, the Cocopah Tribe gained an additional 4,200 acres, including the North Reservation, through the Cocopah Land Acquisition Bill signed by President Ronald Reagan.
The Cocopah Tribe of Arizona is comprised of three noncontiguous bodies of land known as the North, West and East Reservations. President Woodrow Wilson signed Executive Order No. 2711 in 1917 which established the Reservation. In 1985, the Cocopah Tribe gained an additional 4,200 acres, including the North Reservation, through the Cocopah Land Acquisition Bill signed by President Ronald Reagan. Today, the East, West and North Reservations comprise over 6,500 acres, much of which is leased as agricultural land to non-Indian farmers. The Cocopah Reservation is located 13 miles south of Yuma, AZ, and 15 miles north of San Luis, Mexico, in Yuma County along the Colorado River. Currently, there are about 1,000 enrolled Cocopah Tribal members who live and work on or near the three reservations.
For more information, visit the Cocopah Indian Tribe website.
Photo: Middle Sky, Cocopah man, photo by Adolph Muir and Frank Rinehart
Mexico and U.S. – Cucupa/Cocobah Indians population data are based on blood samples obtained from 11 unrelated individuals living in the Southwestern United States in 2016.
Source publication: Native American Population Data based on the Globalfiler autosomal STR PCR Amplification Kit, Forensic Science International, 2016, 12-13.
[Population 474]
