YAQUI VALLEY, Mexico — Without the Yaqui River, survival is almost impossible for the Yaqui tribe in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora A lack of water affects the food production and cattle raising it also threatens the culture of the Yaqui peoples Mario Luna Romero lived near a stretch of the Yaqui River where his tribe used to gather to celebrate the festival of San Juan Bautista in Vícam Pueblo He recalled the way the river would swell during certain seasons bringing to life a large number of plant and animal species alamo (Ficus cotinifolia) and the giant reed (Arundo donax) In 2015, anthropologists concluded an inevitability: the massive extraction of water from the Yaqui River and the drying out of a large part of its historical channel “will affect important aspects of tradition which broke Mexico’s all-time heat record since registers began The previous record was 51°C (123.8°F) in 1993 When José Luis Moctezuma from the National Institute of Anthropology and History began working with the Yaquis in the mid-‘80s the tribe used to collect water from the river using clay pots “We are facing a very critical situation of loss of many aspects that have to do with culture,” he said the way they eat and also in the way they carry out their rituals.” Moctezuma told Mongabay that the inability to cultivate culturally important foods has created a dependency on junk food which has caused high rates of diabetes and other health issues among Yaqui peoples are disappearing or becoming contaminated in such a way that no one grows anything anymore,” he said over a video call alamo and giant reed also threatens the survival of certain elements of Yaqui culture Traditional ceremonial huts and structures in Yaqui villages are built using these plants and trees but the lack of water and contamination from agrochemical use has led to their decline across the region The loss of water in the Yaqui Valley also threatens the survival of the four-mirror butterfly, a native moth species that is endemic to northwestern Mexico and is culturally significant for several Indigenous peoples in the region Its empty cocoon is collected by the tribes for various ceremonies After ensuring that the moth is no longer inside the Yaquis fill the cocoons with small stones or sand and thread them together to form a long chain which is worn by traditional dancers when performing the danza del pascola y venado (the dance of the pascolas and the deer) in Yaqui festivals these cocoons have become increasingly difficult to find because of the lack of water and other factors such as the harmful effects of agrochemical use “What we notice is that [moths] are seen less and less,” Yahel Ulises Estrella Ríos head of the Yo’o Joara Cultural Center in Cócorit they could find large quantities in the mountains they could find up to five or six cocoons or more From inside the center’s Baiseborimta Butterfly Farm, which was created for the conservation and preservation of the species and to promote Yaqui culture, Estrella explained that the lack of water also makes it difficult for them to reproduce “It is extremely important that it rains,” he said we are only able to generate around 50 cocoons the production and generation of cocoons can increase considerably to more than 2,000.” This number could be even higher if there was enough food available. But the only food source of the insect’s larvae, the foliage of the sangregado (Jatropha cinera), is also in danger because of the lack of water, Estrella added. As a result, Moctezuma said some Yaquis have had to use alternative materials to replace the ténabari “If we do not do something in the coming years then unfortunately it could be said that in 50 years “I hope that the center can generate awareness and that we can learn to respect nature.” Banner image: Young traditional dancers wearing ténabari around their ankles perform the danza del pascola y venado (the dance of the pascolas and the deer) Read related article: As drought parches Mexico, a Yaqui water defender fights for a sacred river Related Mongabay podcast episode: ‘Water always wins,’ so why are we fighting it Padilla Ramos, R., & Moctezuma Zamarrón, J. L. (2017). The Yaquis, a historical struggle for water. Water Hist, 9:29-43. doi:10.1007/s12685-017-0194-1 National Institute of Anthropology and History, I. (2015). Anthropological expertise regarding the social and cultural impact of the operation of the Independence aqueduct. Country Routes, (8), 8–56. Recovered from https://revistas.inah.gob.mx/index.php/rutasdecampo/article/view/7440 FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post The “fortress conservation” model is under pressure in East Africa as protected areas become battlegrounds over history and global efforts to halt biodiversity loss Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins and trying to forge a path forward […] Experts continue working in the area of Chichiquelite hill where the remains of missing Yaqui Indians were found September 29 (RHC)-- Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador undersecretaries and directors of different agencies began their trip this morning to Ciudad Obregón to participate in the ceremony of forgiveness to the Yaqui people The visit of the Mexican president takes place when the Attorney General's Office (FGJ) of the Mexican state of Sonora confirmed on Tuesday that the human remains found last September 19 in the Chichiquelite hill correspond to five Yaqui Indians who had been missing since July 14th a justice commission was installed to follow up on the presidential decree benefiting the eight Yaqui peoples: Cócorit the Yaquis are one of the native peoples who have been most offended throughout the history of the country for which reason a ceremony will be held to apologize to them and the commitment to improve their living conditions and development is maintained the Justice Plan of the Yaqui People was announced which embodies their historical demands under the axes of land was unanimously approved by the governing board of the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI) López Obrador signed the decree creating the Presidential Commission for Justice for the Yaqui People The FGJ notified the relatives of the deceased that they can resort to a second comparative DNA analysis which they can access through the support of the Ministry of the Interior the National Human Rights Commission or a private laboratory The ten missing persons were abducted last July 14th by armed individuals enter your e-mail address in the box below Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Bnamericas Published: Monday, May 03, 2021 Tenders Water pipelines 43,000+ global companies doing business in the region 102,000+ key contacts related to companies and projects news and interviews about your industry in English FB.init("6fd1eea8d35df9c4bb8ba0035ab521a9");Narco News on Facebook Staff Reporter:Erin Rosa Spanish Language Editor:Fernando León Newsroom Coordinator:Chris Fee Cyber Development Director: Editorial Policy and Disclosures TUCSON, Arizona: Mohawk Warriors joined in solidarity with Subcomandante Marcos and the Zapatistas at the Gathering of Indigenous Peoples of América They quickly learned that one factor is the same for indigenous peoples all over the world: corporations intent on seizing the land minerals and water have no regard for their lives or rights made it clear to him that the same thing is happening to indigenous peoples all over Turtle Island Members of the Iroquois Confederacy (Six Nations) make a presentation to Subcomandante Marcos in Sonora Courtesy photo.“All of our stories were the same how we are being mistreated to this day,” said Rarahkwisere among the Mohawks from the United States and Canada attending the encuentro Mohawks and other members of the Iroquois Confederacy (Six Nations) were among the 570 delegates from 67 Indigenous Peoples coming from 12 american nations at the encuentro hosted by Yaquis in Vicam Pueblo “It is all about the natural resources and the big money people,” Rarahkwisere said the invaders go hunting for diamonds and pollute the water as Indian people have to leave their homelands and search for places to live Rarahkwisere said he had no problem crossing the border to attend the encuentro using his Haudenosaunee passport his trip to Mexico revealed the dangers for Indians in the south including the heavily-armed soldiers at military checkpoints until he realized that many of these young soldiers’ also had Indian ancestry Rarahkwisere said the attacks on Indian people are formulated in the urban minds with corporations; together urban minds and corporations want to exploit the peoples’ land and resources he realized how often Indian people face death for the risk of speaking out The corporations hire paramilitary groups.” Reflecting on the struggles for indigenous peoples Rarahkwiswere said that indigenous peoples in South America face far greater dangers than the people in the North He said a Colombian attorney told how two groups were called to play football The people were told if they did not play the game who spoke on the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace and Wampum Belts said it was good to meet with Subcomandante Marcos and the Zapatistas “I want to thank them for hooking up with us We all have to get together to fight colonialism live by the Great Law which was given to them by the Creator “The Longhouse originally was all of Turtle Island from where the sun rises to where the sun sets The sky is the roof and Mother Earth is the floor “The Great Law is what the Creator gave us and what the Six Nations live by The Great Law was made for all the Nations “When the Creator came to the people The Creator told them about uniting for peace and power and they accepted “The Creator held an arrow up and showed the people how easy it was to snap the Creator bound five arrows with deer hide and showed how these could not be broken like the Five Nations bound together.” not all of the people have lived by the Great Law they would not be polluting or killing each other then they would look for ways to better mankind the Tuscaroras asked for protection and became the Sixth Nation The people had their own Constitution and form of government before the invaders arrived “The United States Constitution is derived from the Iroquois Confederacy The invaders that came had no form of government Benjamin Franklin studied the Iroquois Confederacy,” he said the Europeans took the foundation of the Iroquois Confederacy out of context the same way they do with the “black book” (Bible) They take it out of context and use it for fanaticism and to make rich a few people The Iroquois Confederacy is comprised of 50 chiefs and 50 clan mothers All decisions are to be reached through consensus “They have to agree because it has to reflect the decisions made for Seven Generations.” Before making any decision it is important to consider the impacts for Seven Generations.” The United States knew all had to agree in order to make decisions so the U.S began killing the chiefs and clan mothers “The people then had the power.” Wampum belts held the peoples’ history so they could look back and see what happened.” Individuals were selected to memorize the belt so that they could tell the people what it said. “Those were our stories too.” The Two Row Wampum Belt was white “That was the first agreement made with the Europeans.” we had a Constitution and this is what the Europeans violated.” one line represents the Native people in their canoes and the other represents the Europeans The Europeans are to keep whatever they brought with them “The two lines on the wampum belt were never to cross everyone had the power to reason right and wrong people have the ability to reason right from wrong When Native people become members of the band councils When the Indian police are trained by the Canadian government “They became aligned with a foreign government It is impossible for a Native person to accept citizenship because you have to give up your country to do that citizenship was forced on all Native people in the United States and this violated the Constitution because there was no Native Representation or consultation.” Natives were forced to form band councils in Canada and elected governments in the United States “All these are are ‘puppet governments’ for the United States and Canada.” In the same way the United States is establishing a government in Iraq “They become agents of the government; they are not for the people.” they emptied the prisons and insane asylums in Europe to populate this country “That is why there are serial killers “A lot of people from Europe didn’t really want to come here so they got all of this riff-raff and sent them here They just brought them here and turned them loose the women were either domestics or prostitutes.” They emptied the orphanages and brought one million children to work the farms in this country “They couldn’t force the natives to be slaves A native had rather die than be a slave to the white man Native people were not used to being treated like that Native people would starve themselves to death or run away.” The people of Africa were kidnapped Their own people helped sell them into slavery One hundred million indigenous people were killed by Columbus and the Spaniards in what is now North and South America they knew they were not going to honor them If they are not going to keep the treaties and honor them Nowhere has there been more atrocities than in the north and south of Turtle Island “If you don’t know your history then you don’t have a future,” he said Europeans came here for exploitation and that is what continues today ‘There’s going to be a worldwide revolution one of these days.’” Click here for more Narco News coverage of Mexico