Deer dancer statue outside of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe's administration building.
Every year the Pascua Yaqui Tribe celebrates cuaresma, or Lent, but this year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic tribal leaders have decided to restrict who can attend the festivities.
According to a press release, ceremonial leaders who represent five different communities in the tribe say this year only "cultural participants" will be allowed onto the grounds.
The chairman of the tribe, Robert Valencia, said in an interview Thursday, March 26, the leaders were still deciding how to encourage people to stay at home during the outbreak and observe tradition.
"Our ceremonies and what we do, it's like the same as any medicine,” Robert Valencia said.
Valencia was explaining the significance of the ceremonies to the Tribe. He was not advocating for people with symptoms of COVID-19 to avoid seeking medical care.
The traditions of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe — like the fiesta on Palm Saturday — are observed by many non-Yaqui community members each year, too.
The celebrations are a mixture of Yaqui and Catholic beliefs that start on Ash Wednesday and become more regular during the week before Easter Sunday.
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