52 Facts About Irataba

Irataba was born near the Colorado River in present-day Arizona.

Irataba was a renowned orator and one of the first Mohave to speak English, a skill he used to develop relations with the United States.

Irataba first encountered European Americans in 1851, when he assisted the Sitgreaves Expedition.

Several Mohave aided the group, and Irataba agreed to escort them through the territory of the Paiute to the Old Spanish Trail, which would take them to southern California.

Irataba received considerable attention during his tours of the US capital, and of New York City and Philadelphia, where he was given gifts, including a silver-headed cane from Lincoln.

Irataba's name, rendered as Ireteba, Yara tav, Arateve, Yarate:va, and Yiratewa, derives from the Mohave language phrase eecheeyara tav, which means "beautiful bird".

Irataba lived near a rock formation that gave its name to Needles, south of where the Grand Canyon empties into the Mohave Canyon in present-day Arizona, near the Nevada and California border.

Irataba was a member of the Mohave warrior society called kwanami, who led groups of warriors in battle and were dedicated to defending their lands and people.

Olive Oatman, who lived with the Mohave for five years, later stated that Irataba was the brother of the former chief, presumably Cairook, with whom Irataba clearly had a close relationship.

One anecdotal description states that Irataba had several wives, among them a Hualapai woman who had been taken as a captive and who is described as having a young son.

Irataba had at least one daughter, the mother of his granddaughter Tcatc who was interviewed in the 1950s.

Irataba stated that Irataba had wanted to leave his land deeds and medals to his brother's sons, but that they were eventually lost.

In contemporary accounts Irataba was described as an eloquent speaker, and linguist Leanne Hinton suggests that he was among the first Mohave people to become fluent in English, which he learned through his many interactions with Anglo-Americans.

Irataba lived through a tumultuous period of Mohave history where the people went from being a politically independent nation to coming under the political control of the United States, and the events surrounding his role in these encounters are well documented.

Irataba assisted Captain Lorenzo Sitgreaves during his 1851 exploration of the Colorado.

Irataba was leading an expedition up the Colorado from the south, and he wanted Irataba to guide them.

Irataba noted that Irataba and the Mohave readily began wearing European clothes given to them by members of the expedition, and showed great interest in smoking tobacco.

Irataba guided the party into the Mohave Canyon, indicating the location of rapids and advising the Explorer pilot of convenient places to anchor while camping for the night.

Irataba volunteered to hike towards the Mohave Valley to try to locate the supplies that had been requested several days earlier.

Irataba warned that the expedition was being watched by Paiutes.

When Irataba returned he informed Ives that he would not venture any deeper into the territory of the Hualapais, but agreed to help them locate friendly guides in the region before parting company.

Irataba was reluctant to venture into the canyon because he feared the party would be ambushed by Paiutes aligned with Mormons.

The kwanami were divided on how the situation should be approached; some advocated an aggressive posture, denying whites all passage through their territory, but others, including Irataba, preferred a peaceful approach, or even an alliance with them that could put the Mohave in a stronger position relative to their traditional enemies the Paiute, Chemehuevi, and Walapai.

Irataba was away at Fort Yuma during the attack on the settlers, and upon hearing of it he scolded the Mohave.

Irataba attempted to arrange a peaceful meeting, but Hoffman ordered his troops to fire on the warriors, who counterattacked and repelled the force.

Irataba returned in April 1859, by way of Fort Yuma, with four companies of the 6th Infantry Regiment.

Irataba declared that, as punishment, the Mohave were required to surrender as hostages a member of each clan and three warriors who had taken part in the attack.

Irataba arrived at Irataba's ranch where a group of Mohave boys were planting beans, and from a hidden position he shot one of the planters, killing him.

Armistead's report of the assault of Irataba's ranch reported 23 dead Mohave warriors, but the Mohave remember a much higher number of casualties, including women and children killed by the soldiers.

Irataba was Aha macave yaltanack of the Mohave from 1861 to 1866, but from 1867 to 1869 opinions differ, and by 1870 US government correspondence suggests that Homoseh quahote had succeeded him as leader of the Fort Mohave group.

In 1863, Irataba acted as a guide for the Walker Party, gold prospectors led by Walker and including Jack Swilling, who later founded Phoenix, Arizona.

Irataba brought them to a river that he called Hasyamp, later named the Hassayampa River, where they found plentiful gold.

One of them was John Moss, whom Irataba had shown the location of a gold mine in the Mojave desert, which Moss later sold.

Moss suggested Irataba be invited to Washington so that he could see firsthand the United States' military might.

In November 1863, Irataba traveled with Moss to San Pedro, Los Angeles, where they boarded the steamship Senator, bound for San Francisco.

In San Francisco, he stayed at the Occidental Hotel and created a storm as he walked down Jackson Street, dressed in clothing typical of European Americans, which Irataba soon preferred to traditional Mohave clothing.

Irataba told Oatman that her Mohave adoptive sister Topeka, to whom she had grown very close, still missed her and hoped she would return.

Irataba moved on to Philadelphia and Washington, DC, where he earned great acclaim; government officials and military officers lavished him with gifts of medals, swords, and photographs.

Irataba was the first Native American from the Southwest to meet an American president.

Irataba wore a European-style hat and carried a long Japanese sword, and he told the Mohave about all the things he had seen.

Irataba tried to convince them that peace with the United States was in their best interests, and that war against them was futile, stressing their dominant military capabilities.

In September 1864, Poston gave the impression that Irataba was in favor of it.

Irataba continued to lead the Colorado River band of Mohave during the 1860s.

Irataba pursued peaceful relations with the surrounding tribes and cooperated actively with US authorities.

Irataba helped the Yavapai and Walapai in ongoing conflicts with Paiutes and Chemehuevi.

Irataba welcomed bands of Yavapai onto the reservation after they had been subject to massacres by US troops, or suffered starvation due to having been driven from their lands.

Irataba frequently served as a mediator between Yavapai and Walapai who had become embroiled in conflicts with the US army, and participated in peace parlays.

Irataba traveled to the trial proceedings at Fort Date Creek, where he was instructed to hand tobacco to the Yavapai he believed to be responsible, as a way for him to testify against them without their realizing it.

The Yavapai felt betrayed by Irataba, and plotted to kill him in revenge, but were eventually persuaded that he was not the one who had turned them over to Crook.

The Colorado River band of Mohave never replaced Irataba; he was their leader when he died at their reservation on May 3 or 4,1874.

Irataba was succeeded as leader on the Colorado Reservation by his nephew, Qolho qorau of the Vemacka clan, who upheld his uncle's policies.

Irataba made sure the Mohaves stayed on land they had lived on since time immemorial.