The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-11-11
A TROUBLESOME RACE.
Interesting Information About the Yaqui
Indians.

Indians.
Gen. Caamano, who for consider
able time was in command of Mexican
troops operating against the Yaqui In
dians and who enjoys the reputation of
being one of the best Indian fighters in
the Mexican army, is now stopping in
the City of Mexico at his residence on
Gallo Gle la Puente dc Dena. There he
was recently seen by "A representative of
The ItCO Republics, to whom he gave
some important and interesting infor-
nation about the Yaqui Indians, whose
! fighting proclivities give the Mexican
| government so much trouble.
Gen. Caamano is very decided in his
opinion that the subiugation of the va
quis is an absolute necessity and that
no state within a state, as the Yaquis
are Cndeavoring TO maintain, can be
permitted. The Yaquis do not want to
have = local self-government, but they
absolutely refuse to obey the laws OF
Mexico and to recognize the sovereign
| " of the Mexican government. This
Indian tribe numbers about $4,000
people, who live in the district between
che Yaqui and Mayo rivers. Their ter
ritory is divided into eight townships,
of which Belem. Tiron, Palanm, and
Rebeira are the leading ones Each
town is governed by patriarch, elected
for life, and these patriarchs in turn
elect a generalissimo, or chief, likewise
for life The present generalissimo was
elected twelve years ago. His real name
is Jose Maria Levve, but he is called
Caieme, rs was his father before him.
Cajeme signifies man who does not
drink. and was a proper name for the
father, but not for the present chief of
the Yaquis, who is a very hard drinker.
The chief of the Yaquis enjoys abso-
lutte power over the property and even
| the life of the members of the tribe. and
his will is checked by no law. He is
entitled to one-fourth of all the crops
raised on Yaqui territory, and can take
all the land and personal property he
NAV want. besides. The present chief
makes full use of his power. He is
about 46 years old, is married, and mas
| one daughter. In cattle and real es-
| tate he is now worth about 81, 1000, but
his resources are practically only limit
ed by the power of the Yaqui people TO
! fulfill his desires.
The Yaquis who live in the river val
| levs are the most civilized and rs a rule
quite Industrious farmers. They are
rather good-looking, dress fairy well,
and take great pride in having their
women dress in American fashion.
They are peaceably inclined. The
mountain people, however, spurn all
civilization. They 90 nearly naked,
and think of nothing but fighting. The
/ A. e. 4 -.
among the Yaquis, who. besides, jeal-
ousy guard the purity of their race.
There is little mixing with other In
dams, and even with white people in
times of peace. but nobody who has not
pure Yaqui blood in his veins is ever
admitted to full fellowship. No "Yari, "
that is, Il foreigner or person other than
pure laqui parentage. can fight in
| the Yaqui army or hold any position
of trust, and in all quarrels about prop
erty or other matters, the "Yari" has
no standing before the Yaquis authori-
! ties. This absolute seclusion of the va
| quis and their tenacious resistance
against all civilization have been the
principal causes of the trouble they
have given to Mexico ever since the
Spanish conquest
The lighting strength of the Yaquis is
! somewhat in excess of three thousand
men. In the open field Yaqui troops
can not stand up against trained sol
der, even if they outnumber them two
TO one, but i'm the guerilla warfare they
are next 10 uncOnquerable. Only about
! fifteen hundred firearms arc in the en-
tire agui army. These arms have been
obtained by Yaqui farmers for Chief Ca
! jeme i'm Guaymas and other market
towns. where they sell their grain and
other produce. for some time past, and
as consequence Caieme has plenty of
ammunition. Most of the Yaquis are
armed with bow and arrow and
tomahawk, most terrible weapons in
their skilled hands. They fight like
devils incarnate, and know how to
take the slightest chance for ambush
and treachery. They neither give nor
ask quarter, and are cruel in the eX-
treme. At night they never fight, run
ming away when attacked between sun
set and sunrise. Their mode of warfare
makes it hard for the Mexican troops to
battle with them. yet there is every
prospect that the troops now operating
against them will succeed in suppress
ing them. The Yaquis are nominally
Catholics, but their rites are largely
taken from heathendom, and their fanat-
icism is boundless. Among themselves
they observe fair moral status, and
enforce. strictly laws against robbery,
adultery, swindling, etc, hut the "Ya-
ris have IN their eyes no rights which