Message from Fidencio Aldama to the Assembly of the National Indigenous Congress

Hi, everyone. My name is Fidencio Aldama Pérez. I am a member of the Yaqui tribe, from the town of Loma de Bácum, in the state of Sonora, Mexico. One of the eight Yaqui towns which make up the Yaqui nation. A town that has stood firm in struggle and resistance. I carry in my blood, flesh, and skin this grand history of the Yaqui nation, which has for centuries struggled against extermination, violence, and territorial dispossession.

Today, more than ever, I have embraced the words of the Yaqui oath, those words that have been captured in my chest, that run in my blood. I have embraced the struggle and the history, which is the essence of my resistance and rebellion, which is autonomous, with ancestral claims of education, security, justice, and spirituality.

From our self-defense comes our self-government, because I am of the Yaqui Tribe, and because capitalism was born from the blood of our people. We must collectively build, defend, and exercise the agreements of the poor, as the constitution of our people. We must continue existing with self-determination and autonomy, to decide the manner we want to organize ourselves in our territory, and the form in which we want to construct our future.

This future will be governed by the following ideals: to serve and not be served, to build and not destroy. And, as I have always said: I do not attack, but rather defend what is ours, what our ancestors have left us. They have taught us to respect our roots, culture, traditions, and customs, but the white man, those allied with money, have intervened producing division in our communities. Even so, there are those of us loyal to the Yaqui nation, who don’t bow before money, who carry in our hearts the Yaqui oath.

I’m still here, a land defender of the Yaqui tribe, even though I’m locked inside this prison in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, excluded from my customs and traditions. I won’t give up the struggle. Rather, I will continue resisting because my freedom won’t come from some exchange, but will come from my innocence.

I send a cordial greeting to the National Indigenous Congress, and I invite everyone to continue collaborating with and supporting me, giving me the strength to continue forward. I am grateful in advance for everyone’s support and solidarity.

Many thanks.
March 4, 2023

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Mensaje de Fidencio Aldama a la asamblea del Congreso Nacional Indígena
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2023/03/06/18854711.php