Yaqui

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An Indigenous people living in the Sonora region of northwestern Mexico ; the Uto-Aztecan language traditionally spoken by that community
2. A native community of the Sonoran desert in northwestern Mexico ; the Uto-Aztecan tongue that members of this people speak
3. Members of an Indigenous nation from the Sonora area of Mexico ; the Uto-Aztecan language historically used among that nation

Etymology: The name "Yaqui" comes from Spanish and was applied to the people from the river that runs through their homeland in southern Sonora, the Río Yaqui. The river's name is older than the Spanish presence, but its exact origin is uncertain. Spanish missionaries and colonists then used it for the people who lived along the river, and it has been the standard outside name ever since. The people's own name for themselves is "Yoeme," which means something like "the people" or "human beings." Many Yaquis still use it, and their language is also called Yoeme in their own usage. Outside names often arise this way, with a place name standing in for a whole community, and the Yaqui case is no exception.