Singular Characteristics of a Native Government System Located in North Mexico. The Inter-ethnic and Ethno-hierarchized Organization of the Odami´s Sistema de Cargos

Abstract

This paper becomes part of native’s anthropologic studies in Sierra Tarahumara, one of the bigger areas of North Mexico. Concretely, the authors talk about two of the most important singular characteristics of the Odami government system. Those characteristics are particularly different of the Mesoamerican ones, which have profusely been described in the ethnographic literature. First of all, the authors expose the very singular Odami territoriality. The main characteristic of this kind of phenomenon is that the community is divided in two halves: the «abajeños» and the «arribeños». This division transforms the Odami government system organization. Secondly, the authors emphasize the inter-ethnic end ethnohierarchized Odami organization, in the way of a native people –the Raramuri– is clearly subordinate to the government hierarchy of another native people –the Odami–.