rHomas] INDIAN LANGUAGES OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA | 
OPATA 
(Synonym: Teguima) 
The Opata lived chiefly about the headwaters of the Yaqui and 
Hermosillo rivers, the Apache being on the northeast, the Tarahumare 
on the southeast, the Lower Pima on the south, and the Seri on the 
west. There were two subtribes which spoke dialects of the mother 
language—the Eudeve (Heve or Dohema) and the Jova (Jobal or 
Ova). (Doc. Hist. Mex., 3d s., tv, 552-553.) 
Orozco y Berra says (1:343-344) that according to D. Francisco 
Velasco the Opata ‘‘nacion”’ was subdivided into the Opatas Teguis, 
Opatas Teguimas, and Opatas Coguinachis. His quotation is 
not strictly exact, as Velasco, in the article referred to (2:705), 
gives as divisions Jovas, Segiiis (Teguis), Tegitimas, and Cogiiinachis. 
But as the last three names do not appear to have had any linguistic 
signification, and are not otherwise referred to as those of subtribes, 
they may be dismissed from consideration. 
The Eudeve (Heve, Dohme, or Dohema), forming the chief subtribe, 
inhabited the headwaters of the Rio Hermosillo. Their location 
is given in Orozco y Berra’s work by pueblos in the region mentioned. 
The dialect of this subtribe shows considerable difference from that of 
the Opata proper (Pimentel, 1, 153), but not sufficient to consider it 
otherwise than as a dialect. An anonymous author (Doc. Hist. Mex., 
3d s., Iv, 494, 534) even says the difference is not greater than that 
between Portuguese and Castilian, or between French and Provencal. 
Alegre (11, 216) seems also to have considered the dialects as not 
widely different. : 
The Jova (Jobal or Ova) formed another subtribe speaking a lan- 
guage dialectically different from Opata and Eudeve, though more 
closely related to the former than was Eudeve. Although the loca- 
tion of this subtribe seems to be pretty clearly indicated by the his- 
torical evidence as being in the eastern part of the Opata territory, as 
laid down in Orozco y Berra’s map, Hamy, in his map heretofore 
referred to, locates them in the central portion of the Tarahumare 
territory as drawn by him and Orozco y Berra. This appears to be 
based on the statement of the latter author that one of the Jova pue- 
blos was Santo Tomas, which he locates about the place where Hamy 
places the Jovas on his map. However, Orozco y Berra also names as 
Jova pueblos San José Teopari, Los Dolores, Sahuaripa, Ponida, 
Arivetzi, and San Mateo Malzura, all of which are in the southeast- 
ern part of the Opata territory as given in his map, which, as before 
indicated, Hamy has followed in marking the tribal boundaries. 
If the Jova territory extended to and included Santo Tomas, then 
_the Opata territory, if this pueblo is correctly laid down, should be 
extended moro to the southeast than it is on Orozco y Berra’s map. 
