Seri Indians inhabit coasts of Sonoran Desert

Star file photo
Spanish explorer Francisco Vásquez de Coronado first encountered the Seri Indians of Sonora, Mexico, in the 16th century while on a journey in search of the elusive Seven Cities of Gold.

Seri lands stretched from Guaymas north to Isla Tiburón (Shark Island), in emerald waters off the coast of Bahía Kino (Kino Bay).

The bay is about an hour west of Hermosillo, or about four hours southwest of Tucson, in the Gulf of California.

It is a favorite vacation spot for American tourists and for retirees who spend their winters there living out of motor homes and travel trailers. Seris, who speak Hokan and Spanish, are known as expert fishers, hunters, basket-wea-vers, jewelry-makers, potters and carvers.

They live in communities near the seacoast. For decades, families lived in Villa de Seris (Town of the Seris) on the south side of Hermosillo where they crafted ironwood (palo fierro) figurines.

The Seri artists shape the strong, glossy dark wood into numerous forms, including dolphins, seals, sharks, turtles, pelicans and swordfish.

This craft began in the 1960s and grew in popularity during the next two decades, because U.S. residents liked to purchase and study the carvings. Artists also carve human forms, and the pieces vary in weight - starting at less than a pound on up to several hundred pounds.

Seri families moved from Villa de Seris to Punta Chueca (Crooked Point) in Kino Bay after the Mexican government gave them lands and housing. The gradual move began about 20 years ago.

In addition to fishing and crafting ironwood figurines, Seris also make jewelry from beads, fish bones and shells.

Families sell their works at Kino Bay by walking up and down the coastline and mingling with visitors and tourists.

Seris also work as farmhands in the town of Miguel Alemán, which is east of Bahía Kino in an agricultural region known as La Costa de Hermosillo (The Coast of Hermosillo).

La Costa is known for its fertile lands where grapes, peaches, citrus, wheat, cotton and jojoba are planted, harvested and exported to countries including the United States and Japan.

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