Chinigchinix

Chingichngish (also spelled Chengiichngech,[1] Chinigchinix, Chinigchinich, Changitchnish, etc.), also known as Quaoar (also Qua-o-ar, Kwawar, etc.) and by other names including Ouiamot, Tobet and Saor,[2] is an important mythological figure of the Mission Indians of coastal Southern California, a group of Takic-speaking peoples, today divided into the Payómkawichum (Luiseño), Tongva (Gabrieliño and Fernandeño), and Acjachemem (Juaneño) peoples.

Chinigchinix was born, or first appeared, after the death of Wiyot,[2] a tyrannical ruler of the first beings, who was poisoned by his sons. Wiyot's murder brought death into the world, and as a consequence, the male creator Night divided the first human ancestors into distinct peoples, assigning them languages and territories.[3]

In June 2002, 50000 Quaoar, a large trans-Neptunian object and ringed dwarf planet, was discovered and named after this deity.[4]

  1. ^ Hernández, Kelly Lytle (2017). City of Inmates: Conquest, Rebellion, and the Rise of Human Caging in Los Angeles, 1771–1965. UNC Press Books. p. 42. ISBN 9781469631196.
  2. ^ a b Moriarty, James Robert (1969). Chinigchinix: An Indigenous California Religion. Southwest Museum. p. 13. ISBN 9780916561147.
  3. ^ Michael Eugene Harkin, Reassessing revitalization movements: perspectives from North America and the Pacific Islands, American Anthropological Association, U of Nebraska Press, 2004 ISBN 978-0-8032-2406-3, p. 15.
  4. ^ Williams, Matt (2015-08-27). "The Dwarf Planet Quaoar". Universe Today. Retrieved 2021-12-02.