
Kwapa Leaders and Elders Look Over the New Cultural Maps
Putting the "People of the River"
on the Map
Friends,
The Kwapa or "People of the River," known as the Cocopah in the U.S. and the Cucapá in Mexico, and their ancestors have lived along the banks of the Colorado River in the Delta between Yuma and the Gulf of California since time immemorial, moving in rhythm with the flooding and receding waters. Their semi-nomadic way of life was irremediably altered by the building of the Hoover and Glen Canyon dams and the diversion of water for agriculture and upstream cities. Today, the 1,500 remaining Kwapa maintain their identity and cultural traditions on a parched land that bears little resemblance to the once-lush Delta.
Thanks to the generous support of The Christensen Fund, the Sonoran Institute has been working with the Kwapa on a community mapping process since 2005 to see the landscape through their eyes and to help protect and promote their natural and cultural heritage. "The region has been devastated by the lack of water and looks quite desolate," explains the Institute's Francisco Zamora Arroyo. "But the memory of the river teeming with life is still vivid in the elder Kwapas' minds. They still see the land as beautiful and sacred."
The map tells the story of areas of natural energy that are sacred to the Kwapa. When the Colorado used to flow freely into the Gulf of California, the collision of the outgoing river and the incoming seawater during high tides would create a tidal bore or wall of water almost 20 feet high, known as "El Burro," that caused havoc in its wake and whose rumble could be heard for miles around. The mountain known as Cerro Prieto, the center of creation for the Kwapa, located just south of Mexicali, Mexico, is also revered because of its geothermal energy. "The geothermal electricity plant at Cerro Prieto provides energy to a million people, so every time someone flips a switch in Mexicali, Kwapa energy flows into their house," explains Francisco. "The Kwapa are proud of this fact."
With the river's flow into the Delta reduced to a trickle, the Kwapa now fish for corvina, a saltwater fish, in the estuary at the mouth of the river. However, this pits them against the fishing regulations of the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve, established to protect fragile fish spawning grounds. The community mapping process has allowed new ideas to flourish, including possible co-management of fisheries by the Kwapa and Mexican authorities. "Environmental laws are clashing with traditional indigenous rights," says Mark Lellouch, one of the map's authors. "Given that the Kwapa's catch is relatively small, a solution that respects both should be attainable."
The relationship of trust that has developed between the Institute and the Kwapa on both sides of the United States - Mexico border, based on a shared vision of promoting understanding of and respect for the indigenous landscape, has proven mutually rewarding. It is also beginning to bear fruit on the water policy front. Francisco, Mark, Joaquin Murrieta, who has directed our work in Mexico, and the rest of the mapping team recently unveiled the map at a binational conference on restoring the Colorado River organized by the Kwapa. The response from the audience was very enthusiastic, inspiring other tribes along the river to join forces to propose mapping the entire native Colorado from sea to source and to take a more active role in the efforts to restore environmental flows into the Delta. Some tribal members suggested using a portion of their own water allocations, which are leased out to farmers, for the restoration of riparian ecosystems in the Delta.
Working with local communities to achieve large-scale environmental objectives is not always easy. It takes time to unite divergent voices around a common vision and to break through the conviction that regular folks can do little to effect real change. However, our partnership with the Kwapa and other community-based initiatives we have nurtured in the Delta, such as our Adopt-the-River program, show that local engagement and a sense of ownership of natural resources are key to successful long-term results.
If you are interested in obtaining a Kwapa map, please visit our website at www.sonoraninstitute.org for more information.
Sincerely,

Luther Propst
Executive Director | | |
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