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The term “pima” designates the ethnic and linguistic group that lives in the Sierra Madre Occidental where the southeastern part of Sonora and the southwestern part of Chihuahua meet.
The phrase “pi’ma” means “there’s not,” “it doesn’t exist,” “I don’t have,” or probably “I don’t understand”. It stands for what the natives use in response to the Spanish.
Pimas called themselves o’ob, which means “the people.” The term “pima” designates a varied set of native societies, as the Pimas of the desert or the Pimas of the mountains.
However the phrase o’ob refers to the Pimas who live in the mountainous region, and are called “Pimas Bajos” (Low Pimas); the term “yori” is used to call white people.
The Pima language comes from the yutoaztec stock, composed by the Taracahita (Corahuichol), and Nahua subgroups, and by the Pima or Pimana branch.
In the past, the Pima women made pots, palm products, and clothes made of wool. Currently, very few Pima women know how to weave and the sheep breeding is no longer profitable. The manufacture of clay pots has also declined.
The conflicts between natives and non-natives, besides other less symbolic manifestations, appear dramatized in the festivities and celebrations of the place. There are differences between the celebrations in the ceremonial centre and those in the settlements.
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