1866: Bakwaeguo (Skull Valley). (1 agos 1866 año – 1 agos 1866 año)

Descripción:

150 years before the second tragedy of Bakwaeguo (Skull Valley), Prescott experienced a severe drought, which resulted in many of the Yavapai tribe members starving to death. Desperate, they reached out to their enemies, the Pima tribe, to ask for food. The Pima tribe found the sight of the Yavapai tribe unwelcoming, so they gave them just enough food to restore their strength and send them back to their homeland. However, the Yavapai people could not return home because death by starvation awaited them. That night, the Yavapai people raided Pima farms and took captives. Later, they killed the captives, which sparked a war between the Pima and Yavapai tribes. This is why so many bones were found in the valley by white men 100 plus years later. The white men who found the valley did not consider it a place of great sorrow and reverence, so they displayed the bones in town.

Later, the second tragedy took place in the valley, which was passed down orally from Yavapai elders who witnessed it.

“White People sent a Mexican scout to the Yavapai. And some Yavapai understand Mexican. That scout tells the Yavapai to gather at Skull Valley. He tells them that the White people will make peace with the Indians, will make friends. “The White people will make friends with you, give you horses, blankets, cattle, housing, everything.” And they believe it. The chiefs gather all the people and take them there. People from all around. And the soldiers are coming and line them up. Early in the morning. Three, four lines."

"And one Indian says, “Hey, looks like they are going to shoot us.” But the chief said, “No, I don’t think so. They are going to make friends. They are going to give something good to us. Let’s go in. The first line gets the wagon first.” So they go in there. But they don’t give them wagons. They don’t give them horses. They don’t give them blankets. They shoot them down. Kill them.”

“When the soldiers start shooting, my people run like deer, like rabbits. That’s how many got out of there. My grandmother when she goes to that meeting she makes a dress of buckskin. But when she comes out her skirt and her leggings are full of holes from the shots. All torn.”

Image 1: Bakwaeguo (Skull Valley) in 1977.
Image 2: Development in Bakwaeguo (Skull Valley).

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