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 Post subject: Yaqui pearl divers
PostPosted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 9:40 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 3:52 pm
Posts: 576
Location: N Dakota
We were answering a census thing a couple of years ago and the question of lineage needed to be answered. However the govt in their wisdom decided you could no longer be Latino, or mexican, or hispanic. So all the things my wife has been for the last 50yrs that were good enough for her to serve as one of the first enlisted women on a combat vessel for the US navy no longer applied. The hunt for the acceptable response began. One grandfather was the last chief of his tribe of indians from Mexico in Texas. Of course they had never moved but the borders had changed, but they werent on the list of recognized groups so he didnt count. Another grandfather was from the Baja of California. Several generations it seemed had lived in what is now Yaqui town. Finally a recognized group that could be listed to comply with the census idiots.
In this process we found a few great uncles were pearl divers in the Baja. Intrigued and surprised that the family of farmers, vaqueros, inlaws and outlaws should be involved in the pearl business we took the only field trip we could afford at the time. The internet. We were surprised to find it has been a business there for hundreds of years. Beautiful pearls from right here in our back yard! We found a rich culture from the Yaqui's and Sally had even been to the deer dance as a little girl with her grandfather. Talking with her great uncles they remembered their uncles diving for pearls for extra money but also it being very dangerous. I would like to make the trip some day, but the last trip we made with Sallys grandfather was the return trip to the states for his funeral. His brothers wont go back to Mexico, the borders are too dangerous. So I fear it probably wont happen for us. But I would like to hear if anyone has been there to see it.

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Dan


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