We recently had some time to sit down the the Pascua Yaqui tribal council chairman, an elder, and the treasurer. It was an amazing experience to learn about the Yaqui Tribe. We have a lot of respect for there fighting spirit, which for us, makes it the perfect partnership for our MMA fights. They have stood their ground for many years and never backed down. In fact, they are one of the only tribes to never signed a treaty.
We are honored that the Pascua Yaqui Tribe has allowed us the opportunity to have our MMA fights at their casino, Casino Del Sol. It is our intention to uphold their strong traditions, share their history and the meaning of their flag, with as many people as we can.
This is a history summary of major events of the Yaqui Tribe based on their timeline and is told by Ernesto Quiroga Sandoval, Historian, Pascua Yaqui Tribe. To get the full history click the link: Yaqui's full history to access their website.
The Creator made ocean animals and allowed some to emerge onto land. Some evolved into a short human form: the Surem. These are the early ancestors of the Yaquis. The Sureni lived in a time out of mind and were a peace-loving, gentle people who had no need for government. Life in the Sonoran desert was a harmonious perfection for the Surem until God spoke through a little tree and prophesied about new horticultural techniques, Christianity, savage invaders, and disunity. The Surem became frightened about parts of this message and transformed into taller, defensive farming people called Yaquis (Hiakim) or Yo'emem (The People).
It is said, "We had been told in a revelation from Heaven, that God had given to the Yaquis a homeland around the Yaqui River." The Yaquis trained themselves to fight, withstand pain, and die if necessary to protect God-given land and family life. By 1414, the Yaquis were organized into autonomous, yet unified, cultural and military groups.
In 1533, the Yaquis saw the first white men: a Spanish military expedition searching for slaves. The Spanish who initiated warfare were soundly defeated, but took thousands of Yaqui lives. Between 1608 and 1610 the Spanish repeatedly attacked the Yaqui people. The Yaquis proved they could raise a fighting force of 7,000 within a few hours to successfully defend Yaqui land and cultural integrity.
Silver was discovered in the Yaqui River Valley around 1684. The Spanish, who treasured the silver stone, began moving into the area, began taking sacred Yaqui land, and treated the Yaqui people disrespectfully.
In 1740, the Yaqui allied with the neighboring Mayo tribe to force the Spanish out of the God-given Indian lands. For the next 190 years, the Yaqui people continued to fight the Spanish, and then the Mexicans (after they won their independence from Spain).
Juan Banderas was one Yaqui leader who tried to unite the Mayo, Opata, and Pima tribes with the Yaqui tribe in attempt to force the Mexicans out of Indian country. He was caught with an Opata chief in 1833 and was executed.
By this time, the Yaqui people had suffered greatly. Many Yaquis left the Rio Yaqui area to fight in the Vakatetteve Mountains; others relocated to Yaqui communities in Arizona. Many more died in battles or were executed. In 1868, 600 Yaqui men, women, and children were captured near Vahkom Pueblo by Mexican state and federal troops. Their arms (bows and arrows and rifles) were taken, and 450 were locked in a church. During the night, the church was shelled. 120 of the people inside were massacred. But still, the Yaquis continued to believe in and fight for the right to land, autonomy, and freedom from harassment.
Significant Yaqui relocation occurred from the United States to Sonora and from Sonora to the United States during the 1880s. In 1897, a peace treaty was signed at Ortiz, Sonora between the Yaqui people and the Mexican government. But, after two years, war and deportation of Yaquis continued.
Yaqui families lived in the Gila and Santa Cruz River valleys since time immemorial. Around the turn of the century, these families, encouraged by farmers, politicians, and internal preferences, began moving into larger communities. Guadalupe took early form in 1880. Old Pascua Village was established in 1903. The Sonoran Governor Izabal had a policy to arrest and deport both peaceful and rebel Yaquis. This forced Yaquis to relocate to the Arizona communities and to join old family groups already in residence. Many Yaqui families moved to escape the violence of the 1910-1920 Mexican Revolution.
The last Indian battle with the U.S. Cavalry happened on January 8, 1918, at Arivaca. Troop E of the Tenth Cavalry, intercepted a group of American Yaquis on their way to render aid to Yaquis of Sonora, who were in the midst of unrelenting war. The Yaquis fought their last major battle at Cerro del Gallo (Hill of the Rooster) in 1927. They were defeated physically, and Mexican garrisons were established in all Yaqui pueblos and villages. But, even now, Yaquis say that morally, they are still undefeated.
The autonomous Arizona villages became larger, and by 1952, were surrounded by urban communities. In 1964, with the aid of Congressman Morris K. Udall, the Pascua Yaquis were recipients of 202 acres of desert land where Indian identity and sovereignty can be asserted and maintained.
On September 18, 1978, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona became federally recognized: the Pascua Pueblo Pueblo of the Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation officially came "into being". The Pascua Yaquis have a status similar to other Indian tribes of the United States. This status makes the Yaqui eligible for specific services due to trust responsibility that the United States offers Native American peoples who have suffered land loss.
The Yaqui tribe has many rich traditions and values they hold very dear to their hearts. The Yaqui flag it definitely one of those values. Many people may not know the meanings behind the symbols within the flag, we wanted to share them with you here:
The color red symbolizes the blood shed to protect their people, their land, their customs and their religion. The color white symbolizes the purity of their spirit. The color blue symbolizes the sky, where their mother, Maala Mecha and their father, Achai Taa'ah are. The stars represent the cardinal directions, east, west, north and south. The moon represents their mother, Maala Mecha, the mother of all creation. The sun represents their father, Achai Taa'ah, the father of all creation. The black cross represents the memory of all of their ancestors who have died in the many wars to protect their people, their land, their customs and their religion.
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