Throughout their history, the Yaqui remained separate from the Aztec and Toltec empires. The Yaqui call their homeland “Hiakim,” from which some say the name “Yaqui” is derived. The Yaqui call themselves “Yoeme,” the Yaqui word for person (“yoemem” or “yo’emem” meaning “people”). Bobok returned the bat wings to his magician friend and lived on peacefully in his lagoon, Bahkwam.The Yoeme or Yaqui are a border Native American people who originally lived in the valley of the Río Yaqui in the northern Mexican state of Sonora and throughout the Sonoran Desert region into the southwestern U.S. state of Arizona. It rained all over the earth, and suddenly there were many toads, all singing. At last the rain struck the Yaqui region, still searching for the toad in order to kill him. So Bobok began singing and moving over the top of the rain toward the earth. The rain, thinking toad was dead, again became calm. The rain, hearing the toad, began to fall again. Then Bobok ran along on top of the rain, saying ' Kowak, kowak, kowak.' It stopped, and began to run along on top of the wind. In fact, the rain almost reached the earth. Then it clouded up, lightning was seen, thunder was heard, and it began to rain. The rain will follow you very soon.'īobok pretended to go, but really dug into the ground at the door of the King's house. 'Very well,' answered the King of the Rain. Send us a little water to drink, for we are dying of thirst.' After greeting the King and saluting him for his chiefs, Bobok said, 'Sir, do not treat the Yaquis so badly. The following day Bobok flew up to the clouds and met the King of the Rain. Wait for me and for the rain.' He went off to the lagoon, Bahkwam, and visited a friend of his who was a magician and could convert himself into a bat. Permission I will retire in order to make ready for my trip tomorrow. The toad presented himself, and they said to him, 'You must go and beg rain for all of us from the King of the Rain.' There the principal leaders of the eight pueblos met. They told Bobok to come to a great council at a place near Vicam. He was in a place called Bahkwam, which means 'lagoon'' and which now is the pueblo of Bacum. They tried to locate this toad, and finally learned where he was. Then the leaders of the tribe, desperate, could think of no one else to send. Neither he nor one drop of rain ever arrived at the ground. The swallow flew down, but he was also destroyed, like the sparrow, by the lightning and the wind. The King answered in good humor, 'Go without worry to your chiefs. The swallow flew up to the King of the Rain supplicating on the part of his chiefs that he send them a little water, for the Yaquis were dying of thirst. Seeing that the sparrow did not return, the Yaquis then commanded the swallow to perform the same mission. The rain, thus, never arrived at the Yaqui region. A hurricane of wind overcame the sky sparrow. But before he reached the Yaquis, the world became cloudy. The sparrow descended with the speed of a bolt of lightning. Tell your chiefs that the rain will come.'

To this the King replied, saying, 'Gladly. After greeting him on behalf of the eight pueblos, the sparrow said to Yuku, 'They tell me to ask you the favor of some rain.' He went straight to the King of the Rain. So, out of such necessity, they attempted to send a message to Yuku, the King of the Rain. The Indians assuaged their thirst with some half-green plants. All the Yaqui region was burning up from lack of water. Yaquis were suffering from the thirst which devastated them. IN ANCIENT TIMES in the Yaqui region, water became scarce for a long period of time.

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