#comcaac

Comcaac women, Mexico, by Abril Landell

The Seri, or Comcaac, people of the Sonora coast have had a long and important relationship with the leatherback.  Considered to be one of their five creator deities, the capture and release of a leatherback is cause for ceremony and celebrations.  In recent years, however, the nation has noticed the drastic decline of the leatherback population and decided to take action.  The new conservation movement, called Grupo Tortuguero Comaac, consists of both elders and youths and uses both modern technology and tradition knowledge to monitor turtle populations and research their foraging habits.  Five person teams consisting of an elder, two younger team members, and two trainees make monitoring expeditions into the Canal de Infiernillo, the center of Seri territory and a site of extreme importance for migrating juvenile turtles.  This has proven an effective means of both monitoring local turtle populations and passing traditional knowledge on to the younger generations.

Comcaac people, also known as the Seri, are an indigenous people located in Sonora, Mexico. They are known for their ironwood carvings. Though maybe not true for all, Seri people don’t consider themselves Mexicans, they consider Mexicans as people outside their land. The sea turtle is a sacred animal to them, it’s said that when the earth was covered in water, a leatherback sea turtle flipped mud on its back and created their home Tiburon Island. Their population is around a thousand and they’re not part of any language family, their language is an isolate.

Comcaac (Seri) girls, Mexico, by Diego Huerta

Group of Seri Indians - Mexico circa 1890s

Native Seri mother with her baby strapped in a cradleboard that lays atop a basket balanced on a head ring on her head - Mexico

Seri women are stunning 😍 (and they have great hair)