The ethnic groups of Baja California are the Cucapá, Kiliwa, Pa ipai, Kumiai, Cochimí and the Triqui. The triquis emigrated from Oaxaca, however, Baja California is the second state where the most important settlements of this indigenous population are found.
For their part, the first five (that is, the Cucapá, Kiliwa, Pa ipai, Kumiai and Cochimí) are distinguished from the Yuman ethnolinguistic family.
The Yumans are sedentary and live in fifteen settlements, scattered in Tecate, Rosarito, Ensenada and Mexicali. For example, in Ensenada the Pa ipai, Kiliwas and Cochimi coexist.
Indigenous groups of Baja California, Mexico
Before the arrival of the missionaries, the Yuman population was estimated at 10,000 indigenous people, although that number decreased to 1,000.
Regarding the Triqui, according to data from 2000 in the Nueva San Juan Copala community in Baja California, there were about 1,500 people, and in the entire state there were 1,929 belonging to the Triqui.
Triquis
Although the Triqui are originally from Oaxaca, the economy, political problems and social violence have pushed this group to emigrate.
In addition, they are the third ethnic group with the most presence in several states of the country, essentially in the northern part of Mexico such as Sinaloa, Baja California Norte and Sur, Sonora, among others.
Yumans
Before the colony, the Yumans depended on gathering, hunting, and fishing. That is why they developed a great knowledge of their environment, as well as efficient technology and strategies to access the resources that allowed their subsistence.
One of the characteristics that distinguishes them is that they were the only group, of prehistoric origin, that had contact with the colonizers -whether Mexican, European or American- and that they have survived to this day.
After colonization, Yuman families began to identify themselves with surnames of Hispanic, Anglo-European, American and Mexican descent.
Until 2011, there were a total of 1,963 Yumans in the state.
Cucapá
The Cucapá settled on the banks of the Colorado River. For this reason, the other groups identify them as the “rieños”.
Currently, most of the Cucapá live in the community of El Mayor and a small part in the Cucapá Mestizo ejido, both in Mexicali.
Kiliwa
The Kiliwa and the Pa ipai settled in the vicinity of the Sierras de Juárez and San Pedro Mártir, therefore, they are known as “Serreños”.
For now, the only permanent settlement of this group is the Ejido Kiliwas, also known as Arroyo de León. TO
Some indigenous Kiliwas live in the Trinidad Valley, Ensenada and Santa Catarina.
Pa ipai
This community has a very small population. Their main source of income is salaried work, which they carry out in the nearby ranches where they live.
They live in the municipalities of Tecate and Ensenada and it is estimated that there are about four hundred people in this group.
Kumiai
They live in the Juntas de Nejí, San José de la Zorra, San José de Tecate, Peña Blanca, among others. The climate of the Kumiai territory is dry and temperate, that is to say, Mediterranean type.
They are also the Yuman group with the most members, 585. Of these, 264 speak the language of the tribe.
Cuchimi
They have their territory in Mission Santa Gertrudis, in the Ejido Independencia, La Huerta and Cañón de los Encinos, among others.
Despite the fact that the group had been considered disappeared, in the 1990s, some descendants of the Cochimís asked to be recognized by the National Indigenous Institute of Mexico.
References
- National Commission for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples of Mexico (April 2017), «Triquis», Indigenous Peoples of Contemporary Mexico. www.cdi.gob.mx/
- University of California, Berkeley (2004). "Communicative Practices on Territoriality and Identity among Triqui Indians of Oaxaca, México", LONGACRE, Robert E. and Rene MILLÓN.
- CDI (2010), System of indicators on the indigenous population of Mexico, based on: inegi. Population and Housing Census, Mexico.
- Angelito Editor (2008), «Kumiais. Tribute to Gloria Castañeda Silva, Kumiai singer »
- CDI (2015), «Yumanos», Everardo Garduño