Cocopah Indian Tribe

United States

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Cocopah Indian Tribe

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Infomation

Guide to Cocopah Indian Tribe ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and other agency records.

Cocopah Indians of Bandera.png

Various Spellings: Cocopah, Cocopa

The Cocopah Tribe is primarily associated with the states of Arizona and California.

Population: 1776: 3,000; 1990: 550

Tribal Headquarters

Cocopah Indian Tribe
14515 South Veterans Drive
Somerton, AZ 85350
Phone: 928-627-2102
Website

History

The Cocopah or Cocopa are Native American people who live in Baja California and Sonora, Mexico, and in Arizona in the United States. The Cocopah language belongs to the Delta-California branch of the Yuman-Cochimí family. In Spanish, the Cocopah are termed Cucapá. Their self-designation is Xawiƚƚ kwñchawaay or "Those Who Live on the River."

• Cocopah Indian Tribe
• Cocopah Indian Museum

Brief Timeline

• 1540: contact with Spanish
• 1852: Fort Yuma established
• 1917: Cocopah Reservation

Additional References

Frederick Webb Hodge, in his Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, gave a more complete history of the Cocopah tribe, with estimations of the population of the tribe at various time periods. Additional details are given in John Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America.

Reservations

Cocopah Reservation

Records

Fort Yuma (California, Arizona, Mexico) Yuma, Cocopah Indians 1905, 19115-1929 [NOTE: 1905 includes Indians in Mexico, Arizona, and California. 1906-1914 missing. 1921 includes new allottees, births and deaths. 1922-1925 includes new allottees. 1923-1929 includes Cocopah Indians, 1905-1922 is only Yuma Indians.] FS Catalog 576854

Fort Yuma (California, Arizona) Yuma, Cocopa Indians 1930-1935 [NOTE: 1932-1934 includes supplemental rolls which contain additions, deductions, births, deaths. 1935 is supplemental rolls only containing additions, deductions, births and deaths.] FS Catalog 576855

Search Ancestry.com under the keyword "Cocopah" for a list of people in the U.S. Indian Census Rolls 1885-1940. $ however free access at FamilySearch Centers.

The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:

• Allotment records
• Annuity rolls
• Census records
• Correspondence
• Health records
• Reports
• School census and records
• Vital records

Websites

• Cocopah Indian Tribe Official Website
• Cocopah Nation Wikipedia
• Cocopah Tribe of Arizona, Constitution. A copy of the Constitution and By-laws for this tribe is available at the Sandra Day O'Connor Law Library at Arizona State University.

For Further Reading

For background information to help find Native American ancestors see For Further Reading.

Bibliography

• Arizona Commission of Indian Affairs. Colorado River Reservation, Cocopah Reservation. 1961. WorldCat 12226525
• Arizona. Cocopah Tribe Comprehensive Plan. [Phoenix, Ariz.]: Arizona Office of Economic Planning and Development, 1976. WorldCat 18679711
• Calnimptewa, Gerald. Demographic and Socio-Cultural Characteristics, Cocopah Indian Reservation, Yuma, Arizona. [Phoenix]: The Dept, 1972. WorldCat 4862215
• Cocopah Economic Development Program. Somerton, Ariz: Cocopah Indian Tribe], 1977. WorldCat 24858256
• Cocopah Tribe of Arizona. Cocopah Newsletter. Somerton, Ariz: [Cocopah Indian Tribe, 1900. WorldCat 40199101
• Cocopah Tribe. Cocopah Children's Code. Somerton, AZ: Cocopah Tribal Council, 1980. WorldCat 12139760
• Cocopah Tribe. Cocopah Indian Tribe Law and Order Code. Somerton, Ariz: Cocopah Indian Tribe, 1968. WorldCat 41585668
• Cocopah Tribe. Cocopah Times. Somerton, Ariz: [Cocopah Indian Tribe, 1999. WorldCat 41172740
• Cocopah Tribe. Constitution of the Cocopah Tribe, Somerton, Arizona. S.l: s.n, 1970. WorldCat 21990071
• De Cesare, Ruth. Music and Arts of the Cocopah Indians in Relation to Their Lower Colorado River Heritage. S.l: s.n, 1985. WorldCat 14369203
• Interviews with Indian Elders. 1978. WorldCat 50504808
• United States. Cocopah Lands Act: Report (to Accompany H.R. 673) (Including Cost Estimate of the Congressional Budget Office). Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O., 2007. WorldCat 166253185
• Wilke, Philip J. Alvarez De Williams: The Cocopah People; and Alvarez De Williams: Travelers Among the Cucupá. Journal of California Anthropology, The. eScholarship, University of California, 1975. WorldCat 676759447
• Williams, Anita Alvarez de. The Cocopah People. Phoenix: Indian Tribal Series, 1974. WorldCat 1229654