UC San Diego

This thesis analyses the colonization of the Cocopah people to show that their traditions have survived the effects of colonization. I focus on issues of sovereignty and complicate the question of the nation-state. Also, this thesis analyses the effects of colonization on gender among Native American women. I use personal interviews with Cocopah women to discuss how women's oral history allows for preservation of Cocopah cultural identity. I set out to investigate the following questions; Have the Cocopah people maintained their cultural identity despite colonization? Has sovereignty allowed for the preservation of cultural identity? How has gender been affected by colonization? The review of the literature looks at colonization, patriarchy, and sovereignty and the underlying theories that may explain the experiences of Cocopah women. The review of the literature address ethnicity theory. In this thesis I investigate the following questions : Have the Cocopah maintained their cultural identity despite colonization? Has sovereignty allowed for the preservation of Cocopah cultural identity? How has gender been affected by colonization? This thesis will show how Cocopah cultural identity is present and how it is sustained