3.2.11 Chemehuevis. Colorado Exploring Expedition. Indian Portraits, Plate III

Description

The Chemehuevi are Southern Paiute people who live in the Mojave Desert in southeastern California, southern Nevada, and western Arizona. They traditionally moved between the deserts, mountains, and along the Colorado River and inland into much of eastern San Bernardino County. With such a large territory with various landscapes, the Chemehuevi were divided between desert, northern, and southern groups. They lived in independent semi-nomadic communities and had strong family ties to the communities around them. They created villages around the sites of natural watersprings. This engraving by Balduin Möllhausen was published in the Report Upon The Colorado River of the West, Explored in 1857 and 1858 By Lieutenant Joseph C. Ives, Corps Of Topographical Engineers, Under The Direction Of The Office Of Explorations And Surveys, A.A. Humphreys, Captain Topographical Engineers, In Charge. By Order Of The Secretary Of War. Washington: Government Printing Office. 1861. Senate. 36th Congress, 1st Session. Ex. Doc.