Yuma County with Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, where Quechan is spoken, highlighted
Quechan is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
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Quechan or Kwtsaan (/kʷt͡sa:n/, Kwatsáan Iiyáa),[2] also known as Yuma, is the native language of the Quechan people of southeastern California and southwestern Arizona in the Lower Colorado River Valley and Sonoran Desert. Despite its name, it is not related to the Quechua language of the Andes.
Quechan belongs to the River branch of the Yuman language family, together with Mohave and Maricopa languages. Publications have documented Quechan grammar and texts.[3]
In 1980, it was estimated that there were fewer than 700 speakers of the language, including both the elderly and young.[4] Hinton put a conservative estimate of the number of speakers at 150, and a liberal estimate at 400-500.[5] As of 2009, 93 preschoolers were learning Quechan in the Quechan tribe's language preservation program, and the number of fluent speakers was estimated to be about 100. A Quechan dictionary was in progress.[6]
In 2020, it was estimated that there were approximately 60 speakers of the language left.[7]
Quechan speakers participate in the Yuman Family Language Summit, held annually since 2001.[8]
A 2010 documentary, “Songs of the Colorado,” by filmmaker Daniel Golding features traditional songs in the Quechan language. Golding says, "The songs are all sung in the language, so if you're not learning and picking up the language, then you won't be able to understand the songs ... there are actually words telling stories..."[9]
Assistance is available for speakers of the language who wish to vote in elections in Imperial County, California and Yuma County, Arizona, under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
^Quechan at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016)
^Golla, Victor (2011). California Indian Languages. Berkeley: University of California Press.
^Mithun, Marianne (1999). The Languages of Native North America. Cambridge University Press.
^Kendall, Martha B. (1983). "Yuman languages". In Ortiz, Alfonso (ed.). Handbook of North American Indians. Vol. 10: Southwest. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution. pp. 4–12.
^Hinton 1994, p. 32.
^Slagill, Anne (2009-07-27). "Tribal program seeks to preserve Quechan language". The Yuma Sun. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
^California Humanities (2020-10-27). "QUECHAN YOUTH CREATE AWAKEN: A DOCUMENTARY HIGHLIGHTING THEIR CULTURAL EXPERIENCES ON THE NATION'S FORT YUMA RESERVATION". California Humanities. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
^"Yuman Language Family Summit Home Page". Retrieved 2012-09-22.
^Gilkey, Nancy (2010-12-08). "Tribal music documentary premieres Saturday". YumaSun. Archived from the original on 2013-02-09. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
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