Quechan
/ˈkwɛtʃən/noun
A member of an Indigenous people traditionally living along the lower Colorado River in the southwestern United States.
Did you know?Quechan is an English spelling of the people’s self-designation, Kwatsáan; the community is also historically known by the Spanish-derived name Yuma.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-European contact
Quechan
Kwatsáan
“The people’s self-designation, commonly glossed as “those who descended”; the exact internal analysis is debated.”
16th–17th Century
Spanish
Yuma
“A Spanish name applied to the Quechan people and later associated with the lower Colorado River region.”
19th Century
English
Yuma
“The established English name formerly used for the Quechan people, as well as for places connected with them.”
19th–20th Century
English
Quechan
“An English ethnonym based on the people’s Indigenous name, increasingly preferred in modern usage.”
Modern English
English
Quechan
“The standard English name for the people, their language, and related cultural identity.”