Also known as Hiaki or Yoeme, the Yaqui people are Indigenous to the northwestern state of Sonora, although some Yaqui fled state violence to settle in Arizona.
Today, there are eight Yaqui Pueblos in Sonora, Mexico, and one federally recognized Yaqui tribe in Arizona. Many Yaqui live on reserved land in the state of Sonora, while others live in Sinaloa and other regions, forming neighborhoods in various cities, or elsewhere in Mexico and the United States.
There are several unrecognized organizations in the United States that identify as Yaqui tribes. These include the Yaqui Nation of Southern California in Thousand Palms, the Yaquis of Southern California in Borrego Springs, and the Texas Band of Yaqui Indians in Lubbock, although these tribes are not currently recognized by either state or federal governments, although Texas passed SR 989, a congratulatory resolution honoring the Texas Band of Yaqui Indians.
The only federally recognized Yaqui tribe in the United States is the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona, based in Tucson, Arizona. The eight Yaqui Pueblos in Sonora, Mexico are Pótam Yaqui, Tórim Yaqui, Huirivis Yaqui, Bácum Yaqui, Cócorit Yaqui, Vícam Yaqui, Tecoripa Yaqui, and Rahum Yaqui. These pueblos hold significant cultural and historical importance for the Yaqui people.
The Yaqui are indigenous to the Rio Yaqui Valley in the Mexican state of Sonora. The Yaqui language (Yoem Noki) is in the Uto-Aztecan family of languages. Yaqui speak a Cahitan language, a group of about ten mutually intelligible languages used in much of Sonora and Sinaloa, although most Cahitan languages are extinct, exceptions being the Yaqui and Mayo. Unlike most American Indian languages, for which there are typically only a few speakers, about 16,000 people speak Yaqui, including about a thousand of those in Arizona.
The Yaqui call themselves Hiaki or Yoeme, which translates to "people." They refer to their homeland as Hiakim, from which it is believed the name "Yaqui" was derived, which was often spelled "Hiaqui."
When the Yaqui first encountered the Spanish in 1533, they inhabited a territory along the lower course of the Yaqui River. Approximately 30,000 Yaqui lived in 80 villages in an area around 60 miles long and 15 miles wide.
The Yaqui lived near the mouth of the river and made use of both the sea and the river for food. They also grew beans, maize, and squash on land that flooded each year, although some Yaqui lived in the deserts and mountains, where hunting and gathering were the chief sources of food.
Shortly after encountering the Spanish, a battle erupted. The Spanish claimed victory, although they retreated. Over the next sixty years, there were several conflicts. The Yaqui were probably saved from an earlier invasion by the Spaniards because of the lack of silver or other precious metals in their territory.
In 1608, the Yaqui joined with the Mayo and other allies to claim victory over the Spanish in two battles. A 1610 peace agreement brought gifts from the Spanish and an invitation to Jesuit missionaries. Over the next 120 years, many Yaqui were converted to Catholicism, although most retained many of their traditional beliefs, as well. The Jesuits introduced cattle, horses, and wheat.
The Jesuits persuaded the Yaqui to settle into eight towns: Bácum, Benem, Cócorit, Huirivis, Pótam, Rahum, Tórim, and Vícam.
However, by the 1730s, Spanish settlers and miners were encroaching on Yaqui territory and the Spanish government intervened to the detriment of the Yaqui. This led to a revolt by the Yaqui and Mayo in 1740 that resulted in the deaths of 5,000 Indigenous people and 1,000 Spanish. It also led to a decline in relationships between the Yaqui and the Jesuits. The Jesuits were repelled in 1767, and the Franciscan priests who replaced them were unable to develop good relationships with the Yaqui.
The Yaqui were neutral in Mexico's 19th-century war for independence from Spain. The Yaqui refused to pay taxes to the new Mexican government. A revolt by Juan Banderas, a Yaqui leader, united the Yaqui, Mayo, Opata, and Pima with the aim of establishing an Indigenous state that would be independent of Mexico. While Mexicans were driven out of their territories, Banderas was eventually defeated and executed in 1833.
The Yaqui sided with the French during the brief reign of Maximillian I in the 1860s and were met with harsh reprisals from Mexican forces, including an 1868 massacre in which 150 Yaqui were burned to death in a church. Mexican policies of confiscation and redistribution of Yaqui lands created warrior bands of Yaqui who, based in the mountains, carried on a guerilla campaign against the Mexican Army.
Mexican President Porfirio Diaz seized Yaqui lands and sold thousands of Yaqui individuals to owners of sugar cane plantations, tobacco planters, and henequen plantation owners.
Recommended Resources
An enrolled member of the Yaqui people of Southern Arizona, guitarist Gabriel Ayala is an accomplished classical musician who earned a Master's Degree in Music Performance from the University of Arizona in 1997. He has taught at all educational levels, from elementary through college, although he is currently teaching only in Master Class settings. His biography is provided on the site, along with a schedule of tour dates and a list of sponsors and contacts.
https://www.gabrielayala.com/
The PY Tribal Court is the court system of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Arizona. It features a court calendar and an online contact form. The site includes general information about tribal laws and how they often correspond to the tribe's traditional practices. It also discusses why Indian tribes have their own laws apart from those of the surrounding state and federal governments. Specific issues pertaining to tribal laws are discussed, as is an overview of the tribe.
http://pycourts.org/
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona is a federally recognized tribe of Yaqui Indians in Arizona. The tribe's members descended from the Yaqui people, whose traditional homelands included the Yaqui River Valley in western Sonora, Mexico. They later sought refuge from the United States government during the Mexican Revolution. The tribal council is introduced to each with email addresses. Tribal departments, programs, and services are outlined, and its enrollment policies and election data are incl
https://www.pascuayaqui-nsn.gov/
Pascua Yaqui Tribe - University of Arizona
The PYT-UA Microcampus was created to develop higher-education services, degree programs, continuing education, and workforce training opportunities for the tribe's members in partnership and collaboration with the UA. The Microcampus offers degrees, courses, and certificates with concentration tracks in tribal courts and justice administration, tribal economic development, indigenous government, tribal natural resource management, and professional development.
https://pascuayaqui.arizona.edu/
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Charitable Organization
The PYTCO is a charitable non-profit corporation charged with performing and carrying out charitable, cultural, and educational programs, assistance, and support to underprivileged members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, their families, and general members of the public who are in need. Its partners are introduced, and several ways in which someone can contribute to the PTYCO are highlighted. Grant information and an application are provided, and an online store sells branded apparel and merchandise.
https://yaquicharity.org/
Sacred Path is an enterprise of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe that provides specialized consulting services for tribal nations. Its services include a turn-key solution and customized ETC program that meets federal mandates. It also offers consultations, Enhanced Tribal Card Management Software, outsourcing ETC production systems, and a full enhanced tribal card system. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is featured, and an online contact form and phone numbers are provided.
https://www.sacredpath.net/
While not yet federally recognized, the Texas Band of Yaqui Indians was recognized by the State of Texas as a Historic Tribal Group in 2015. Descended from members of the Yaqui (Yoeme) Indian Nation known throughout the Southwest long before the US-Mexico international border was in place, the tribe's history and story are told here, along with its mission, family services, tribal court, and member services. Tribal artisans are highlighted, and some products may be ordered online.
https://www.tbyi.gov/
Yaqui Nation of Southern California
Although the YNSC is not recognized by the federal government or the State of California, they describe themselves as a transnational tribe that is fully recognized by the Original Yaqui Pueblos of Sonora, Mexico. In English and Spanish, the tribe's website introduces its government, territory, culture, language, and historical figures. Information on getting involved in the tribe's land, education, and healing programs is provided, and a telephone number and email address are posted.
https://yaquinationofsocal.com/
Organized to provide resources for educational and personal use to help an individual's journey of self-discovery, bridging the gap between the United States and Rio Yaqui communities, promoting the culture and language using first-hand information, introducing Yaqui history to a new generation, and making materials available to the youth, helping them to be proud of who they are as tribal members. The history and an overview of the project is provided, and its team is introduced.
https://www.yaquipride.com/
Founded by Yaqui traditional elders and community members in 1989, and dedicated to the preservation of Yaqui culture, customs, history, and traditions, the Foundation operates a museum for the preservation and presentation of Yaqui culture and history in the hands of Yaqui elders, cultural leaders, and the Yaqui community. Its board of directors, board members, faculty, and staff are introduced, and its community outreach programs, cafe, and gift shop are highlighted.
https://www.yoememtekiafoundation.org/
