Yaquis

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The members of a Native American people living in northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States, along the Yaqui River valley in Sonora
2. Groups of indigenous inhabitants of Sonora and parts of Arizona who share the Yaqui language and cultural heritage
3. Several communities of the Uto-Aztecan speaking indigenous population native to the Yaqui River region of northwestern Mexico

Etymology: "Yaquis" is the plural of "Yaqui," the name used for the Indigenous people of northwestern Mexico, in the state of Sonora, and for their language. The name was applied from outside: it comes from Spanish colonial usage, and its ultimate source is uncertain. Some scholars link it to a place or group name in the region, but no explanation is firmly established. The people's own name for themselves is "Yoeme," usually translated as "the people" or "the real people." Their homeland centers on the Yaqui River, which shares the name, and the river's valley remains central to their communities and history. The plural "Yaquis" is most often used to refer to several members of the group or to its communities collectively.