The Qahatika (or Kohatk) were a Native American tribe of the Southwestern United States and lived in the vicinity of present-day

Quijotoa, Arizona Quijotoa is a populated place situated in Pima County, Arizona, United States. Historically, it has also been as Horseshoe, Komaktjiuurt, Komaktjuert, Logan, Logan City, and Quigotoa. Its official name became Quijotoa as a result of a decision ...

. According to Edward Sheriff Curtis, the Qahatika belonged to the Pima group of tribes and lived in five villages "in the heart of the desert south of the Gila River",Curtis, p. xi. about forty miles from the Pima reservation.Curtis, p. 410. A legend said that after the Pima suffered defeat in a war with Apache, the tribe fled and split. One splinter of the tribe, the ancestors of Qahatika, went into the barren desert and settled there in separation from other Pimas. The Qahatika, according to Curtis, managed to find land suitable for growing

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

. Their method of "dry farming" relied exclusively on winter rainfall: the soil near their villages was capable of retaining winter moisture for a whole season, and a few winter rains guaranteed a fair crop in summer.Curtis, p. 42. The Qahatika seen by Curtis were "almost identical in appearance" to Pima and Papago. They retained the Pima art of

basket weaving Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...

and developed their own tradition of

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

.Curtis, p. 43. Their houses were built almost exclusively of dried giant

cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gree ...

carcasses.

Notes

References

* Edward Sheriff Curtis (1908).
The North American Indian. Volume 2 – The Pima. The Papago. The Oahatika. The Mohave. The Yuma. The Maricopa. The Walapai. The Havasupai. The Apache-Mohave, or Yavapai.
'. Volume 2. {{DEFAULTSORT:Qahatika Extinct Native American peoples Native American tribes in Arizona