The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-08-18
rHE YAQUi INDIANS.
Mexican AbOrigines Who Constitute .
state Within u State.

state Within " state.
General Caamano, who for con.
siderable time was in command OF
Mexican troops operating against the
Yaqui Indians and who enjoys the rep
utation of being one of the best In
dian fighters in the Mexican army, is
now stopping in the City Of Mexico at
his residence on Gale de la Puente dc
Lena. There he was recently seen by
a representative of the 1Wo Republics,
to whom he gave some important and
interesting information about the
Yaqui Indians. whose fighting procliv-
tiles give the Mexican Government so
much trouble.
General Caamano is very decided in
the opinion that the subjugation of the
Yaquis is an absolute necessity and
that no state within state, as the
Yauuis are endeavoring 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 tho
sovereignty of the Mexican Govern
ment. This Indian tribe numbers
about twenty-five thousand people
who live in the district between the
Yaqui and Mayo rivers. Their territory
is divided into eight townships, OF
which Belem, Tiron, Palanm and Re
beira 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 Leyve, but he is
called Cajeme, as was his father be-
fore him. Cajeme signifies a man who
does not drink, and was proper
name for the father, but not for the
present chief of the Yaquis, who is n
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-f0urth of all the crops
raised on Yaqui territory, and can
take all the land and even personal
property he may want, besides. The
present chief makes full use of
his power. He is about As years
old, is married and has one daughter.
In cattle and real estate he is now
worth about twenty-five thousand dol
lars, but his resources are practically
only limited by the power of the
Yaqui people to fulfill his desires.
The Yaquis who live in the river
valleys are the most civilized and as a
rule quite industrious farmers. They
arc rather good looking, dress fairly
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 60 nearly naked
and think of nothing but fighting.
The feeling of independence is very
strong among the Yaquis, who, be-
sides, jealousy guard the purity of their
race. There is a little mixing with
other Indians, and even with white
people in times of peace, but nobody
who has not pure Yaqui blood in his
veins is ever admitted to fY]A ffbp~-
ship. No "Yari,n tha1s iiss, .~ ~. n.y.
or person otir-1.-fsfb Hafis! .nas1 hr-
entage, can fight in the "a g. Sfmy or
hofd any position of trust, and in all
quarrels about property or other matters
the ''iari'' has no standing before the
Yaqui authorities. This absolute Sc
clusion of the Yaquis and their tena-
cious 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 thou
sand men. In the open field iaqui
troops can not stand up against trained
soldiers, even if they outnumbered
them two to one. but in guerilla war
fare they are next to mcOnqucrable.
Only about fifteen hundred firearms
are in the entire Yaqui army. These
arms have been obtained by Yaqui
farmers for Chief Caieme in Guaymas
and other market towns, where they
sell their grain and other produce, for
some time past, and as consequence
Cajemc has plenty of ammunition.
Most of the Yaguis are armed with bow
and arrow and tomahawk, most terri
BILE 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 extreme. At night they
never fight, running away when ut
tackled between sunset and sunrise.
Their mode of warfare makes it hard
for the Mexican troops 10 battle with
them, yet there is every prospect that
the troops now operating against them
will succeed in suppressing them. The
Yaquis are nominally Catholics. but
their rites are largely taken from
heathendom, and their fanaticism is
boundless Among themselves they
observe fair moral status and enforce
strictly laws against robbery, swind-
ling, etc. but the "Yaris" have in
their eyes no rights which Yaquis are
bound to respectfully Of Menico TUo
Republics.