Chinigchinix
figure in the mythology of the Mission Indians of Southern California
Chingichngish (also spelled Chengiichngech, Chinigchinix, Chinigchinich, Changitchnish, etc.), also known as Quaoar (also Qua-o-ar, Kwawar, etc.) and by other names including Ouiamot, Tobet and Saor, 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, 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.
In June 2002, 50000 Quaoar, a large trans-Neptunian object and ringed dwarf planet, was discovered and named after this deity.
Names
The name Ouiamot is ostensibly similar to Wiyot (Ouiot), the name of another important figure, the primeval tyrant killed just before the appearance of Chinigchinix. Ouiamot is possibly to be taken as Ouiamot the childhood name of Chinigchinix.
The name Quaoar was first recorded by Hugo Reid in his 1852 description of Tongva, in the spelling Qua-o-ar. Quaoar's parents were Tacu and Auzar, or, according to other accounts, he was born of Tamaayawut (Mother Earth). According to yet other accounts, "He had neither father nor mother".
Both the Tongva religion and language are recorded only fragmentarily.
The public source identifies “Chinigchinix” as figure in the mythology of the Mission Indians of Southern California. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Chinigchinix, figure and mythology.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q455504. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2002 and 1852.
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This entry incorporates text from “Chinigchinix” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.