The reduction of Seri Indian range and residence in the state of Sonora, Mexico (1563-present) Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Bahre, Conrad J. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 24/09/2021 15:06:07 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/551967 THE REDUCTION OF SERI INDIAN RANGE AND RESIDENCE IN THE STATE OF SONORA, MEXICO (1536-PRESENT) by Conrad Joseph Bahre A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 9 6 7 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfill­ ment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowl­ edgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judgment the proposed use of the material is in the inter­ ests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: )AVID A. HENDERSOI Associate Professor of Geography ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my appreciation for the guidance and counsel given me by Dr. David A. Henderson and William N. Smith. Appreciation is also extended to Edward A. Ackerman and Stephen A. Bahre whose help was essential in the preparation of this thesis. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS............................... vi ABSTRACT ....................................... .. viii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .................................. 1 II. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT ......................... 11 Rugged Coast of Seriland ................. 11 Desert Climate ........................... 18 Scarcity of Potable Water ................. 23 Vegetation of Seriland ................... 24 S o i l s ..................................... 34 Sea Resources............................. 35 Coastal Desert Wildlife ................... 38 III. SERI TRIBAL SUBDIVISIONS AND SERI DISTRIBUTION AT THE TIME OF INITIAL SPANISH CONTACT . 42 Seri Tribal Subdivisions ................. 42 Sixteenth Century Spanish Entradas (1536-1616)............................. 51 IV. JESUIT ADVANCE AND SERI RANGE (1617-1767) .. 56 Observations of the Seri During the Jesuit Period ........................... 56 Seri Distribution During the Jesuit P e r i o d ................................. 71 V. MILITARY PERSECUTION OF THE SERI (1768-1904) . 75 Observations of the Seri During the Period of Military Persecution ........ 76 Distribution of the Seri During the Period of Military Persecution ........ 87 iv V TABLE OF CONTENTS— Continued Page VI. SERI PARTICIPATION IN MEXICO'S ECONOMY (1905-Present) ............................. 89 Various Activities Involving the Seri During Their Participation in Mexico's E c o n o m y ................................. 89 Kino Bay C l u b ......................... 89 Totuava and Shark Fishing Industries . 91 Seri Fishing Cooperative ............ 95 Turtle and Guano Industries ........ 97 Community Development and Present Seri Activities . ................... 104 Seri Distribution During the Period of Seri Participation in Mexico's Economy . 107 VII. CONCLUSIONS.................. 112 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................... 118 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Selected Place Names ......................... 3 2. Looking Across the Straits of Infiemillo at the Sierra Kunkaak on Tiburon Island . 6 3. Traditional Seri M a n ..................... 6 4. Seri Boys Eating Rock Oysters and Choila Fruit ...................................... 8 5. Mullet and Green Sea Turtle for Dinner.... 8 6. Modern Seri Boat and "Wattle and Daub" Hut . 10 7. Traditional Seri Balsa ....................... 10 8. Landforms and Drainage................... 12 9. San Ignacio River D e l t a ................. 15 10. Cliffed Shoreline on the West Side of Tiburon Island ............................. 15 11. Average Annual Rainfall ..................... 20 12. Well at Tecomate on Tiburon Island ...... 25 13. Vegetation of Seriland and Adjacent Areas . 26 14. Elephant Trunk Tree, or C o p a l .......... 28 15. Seri Woman Making B a s k e t ................. 28 16. Boojum Tree, or C i r i o ................... 29 17. Card on, or S a h u e s o ....................... 31 18. Pitahaya Dulce, Torote, Ocotillo, and Sinita . 32 vi vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS--Continued Page 19. Mangroves in the Estero at Santa Rosa .... 32 20. California White Sea Bass,or Cavacuchi . 37 21. Striped F a r g o ......................... 37 22. Distribution of Seri at the Time of Initial Spanish Contact ................... 44 23. Distribution of Seri--Jesu.it Period (1617-1767) ............................... 58 24. Distribution of Seri--Period of Military Persecution (1768-1904) ...... 79 25. Distribution of Seri--Participation in Mexico's Economy (1905-Present) .......... 94 26. Green Sea Turtles ............................ 99 27. Seri Hunting Sea Turtle in the Straits of Inf ie m i l l o .............. 99 28. Winter Turtle Crawl at Viboras ........ 101 29. Seri Camp at Punta C h u e c a ............ 102 30. Seri Camp at V i b o r a s ................... 102 31. Seri Camp at D e s e m b o q u e .............. 110 32. Seri Camp at Pozo C o y o t e .............. 110 33. Reduction of Seri Range and Residence (1536-Present) ............................. 113 ABSTRACT The Seri Indians of coastal Sonora Mexico presently occupy only a small fraction of their aboriginal territory. In order to demonstrate the progressive reduction of Seri range and residence, this study traces the distribution of the Seri from the beginning of European contact to the present. The history of Seri distribution has been divided into four periods: sixteenth century Spanish entradas (1536-1616), Jesuit advance and Seri range (1617-1767), military persecution of the Seri (1768-1904), and Seri participation in Mexico's economy (1905-Present). In each period discussion of Seri range and residence is based on recorded historical observations. Where information is available and personal observation possible, an attempt has been made to explain Seri distribution in terms of their physical environment and their conflict with the encroaching Spaniards and Mexicans. These conditions have resulted in the present concentration of the Seri in the fish camps of Desemboque, Punta Chueca, and Viboras. viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The Seri Indians of coastal Sonora Mexico have long held a fascination for scientific investigators. The reports of these investigators, however, have been handi­ capped because of the many complexities involved in explaining the location of the Seri. Most historical accounts of the Seri are obscure and imaginative. In fact, not until the McGee expedition in 1894 and 1895 (1898) was there any attempt to describe the Seri and their way of life thoroughly. Even the report of this expedition is full of erroneous suppositions. Until the twentieth century most of the explanations concerning Seri distribution were superficial, because of the great difficulty of acquiring an understanding of the Seri and of Spanish-Seri contact. Gaining this understanding has been particularly difficult because the Seri have a culture that is entirely different from that of the Mexican and American, and they have had a different perception of their relationship with the land and of Spanish-Mexican encroachment. The primary purpose of this thesis is to chart and explain the general distribution of the Seri-speaking peoples from the beginning of European contacts to the 1 2 present, and, in so doing, to describe the physical environment of the Seri, to establish a Seri chronology, and to note, wherever information is available the economic and social conditions which have led to the modern fusion and concentration of these people. For the most part, Seri distributions, in this thesis are based on recorded historical observations at different localities in what is presently the state of Sonora, Mexico. The Seri Indians are presently located along the coast of Sonora, Mexico, between Punta Chueca and Puerto Libertad (Figure l). They are traditionally a coastal people who were found inland only when they were on forays, trading expeditions, or when forcibly settled at various mission centers in central Sonora. Though their pre- Columbian range is unknown, their historical territory was along the Sonoran coast between Cabo Tepoca and the Rio Matape, including the adjacent islands of Tiburdn (Figure 2), San Esteban, Patos, and Alcatraz (Figure 1). Today there are approximately 300 Seri who refer to themselves as Kongkaak (the people). Surprisingly enough, their numbers are increasing, probably the result of Seri incorporation into Mexico's economy through their partici­ pation in commercial fishing, and the introduction of m o d e m medicine. The