199
typical questionnaire that natural scientists create when interested in ethno- ecological
subjects. The answers to some selected questions were interpreted using a qualitative technique. Single or clusters of similar responses were used to select indicators
of sustainability and then, these indicators were combined to “measure” the community sustainability. The final results were presented in the localities and the attendants mentioned to agree with the model and the indicators because they were
understandable. A new form of presenting the results was performed and given as
poster with the infographics to the communities. The spider graphs show the weak
parts of their community sustainablity. Now, the communities willing to reach its
sustainability have to organize and decide how they are going to get to the ideal
model.
The communities are the people of the drylands that have developed life models
according to the water scarcity (Morales 2003). They are indigenous groups of
northern Mexico belong to the cultural zone of Arid America; characterized by
being hunters, gatherers, and anglers (Gómez and Sánchez 2014). The word
“Aridamérica” was described for the first time by the Kirchhoff (1954), due to the
predominant desert climate, the feeding situations, and the water scarcity of these
regions. According to Delgado (2008), Baja California is one of the states related to
this cultural area of America, dominated by a hydrological, geographical, climatic,
and cultural group of conditions. The prehispanic Indians of the peninsula come
from the Yumana or Yuma family, which occupy the southwestern United States,
their subsistence forms, and ability to adapt to the geographical environment of the
arid zones characterize them (Rogers 1945). It has estimated that the population in
the peninsula in pre-Hispanic times amounted to 50,000 inhabitants. Over time they
were subdivided into quilihuas or cahuillas (Kiliwa), in the Sierra de San Pedro
Mártir; the cocapás or cucapás (Cucapá), on the banks of the Colorado River; the
yumas (Paipai), of Santa Catalina, in the mission of that name; the diegueños
(Kumiai), in the Ensenada and Tecate region, looking for water and opportunities to
stock up in inhospitable territories (Martínez 2011) (Fig. 12.1).
Cultural Indicators and Models
Although researchers have identified specific cultural indicators for indigenous
communities (Del Val et al. 2008), we found no sustainability model integrating all
aspects of sustainable development (i.e., ecological, social, and economic indicators) or including indicators of high relevance for indigenous communities, such as
cultural or political indicators. Galván-Martínez et al. (2016) proposed the Model
for the Estimation of Indigenous Community Sustainability (MEICS-MOSUC by
its Spanish Acronym) as an integral tool for measuring communities’ achievements
towards sustainability. In a previous stage, the authors reviewed currently applied
theoretical approaches to sustainability and sustainable development in rural and
indigenous communities, the indicators of sustainability available in Mexico, and
the accessibility to local level information. The review allowed for choosing three
12 Sustainability Assessment in Indigenous Communities: A Tool for Future…
typical questionnaire that natural scientists create when interested in ethno- ecological
subjects. The answers to some selected questions were interpreted using a qualitative technique. Single or clusters of similar responses were used to select indicators
of sustainability and then, these indicators were combined to “measure” the community sustainability. The final results were presented in the localities and the attendants mentioned to agree with the model and the indicators because they were
understandable. A new form of presenting the results was performed and given as
poster with the infographics to the communities. The spider graphs show the weak
parts of their community sustainablity. Now, the communities willing to reach its
sustainability have to organize and decide how they are going to get to the ideal
model.
The communities are the people of the drylands that have developed life models
according to the water scarcity (Morales 2003). They are indigenous groups of
northern Mexico belong to the cultural zone of Arid America; characterized by
being hunters, gatherers, and anglers (Gómez and Sánchez 2014). The word
“Aridamérica” was described for the first time by the Kirchhoff (1954), due to the
predominant desert climate, the feeding situations, and the water scarcity of these
regions. According to Delgado (2008), Baja California is one of the states related to
this cultural area of America, dominated by a hydrological, geographical, climatic,
and cultural group of conditions. The prehispanic Indians of the peninsula come
from the Yumana or Yuma family, which occupy the southwestern United States,
their subsistence forms, and ability to adapt to the geographical environment of the
arid zones characterize them (Rogers 1945). It has estimated that the population in
the peninsula in pre-Hispanic times amounted to 50,000 inhabitants. Over time they
were subdivided into quilihuas or cahuillas (Kiliwa), in the Sierra de San Pedro
Mártir; the cocapás or cucapás (Cucapá), on the banks of the Colorado River; the
yumas (Paipai), of Santa Catalina, in the mission of that name; the diegueños
(Kumiai), in the Ensenada and Tecate region, looking for water and opportunities to
stock up in inhospitable territories (Martínez 2011) (Fig. 12.1).
Cultural Indicators and Models
Although researchers have identified specific cultural indicators for indigenous
communities (Del Val et al. 2008), we found no sustainability model integrating all
aspects of sustainable development (i.e., ecological, social, and economic indicators) or including indicators of high relevance for indigenous communities, such as
cultural or political indicators. Galván-Martínez et al. (2016) proposed the Model
for the Estimation of Indigenous Community Sustainability (MEICS-MOSUC by
its Spanish Acronym) as an integral tool for measuring communities’ achievements
towards sustainability. In a previous stage, the authors reviewed currently applied
theoretical approaches to sustainability and sustainable development in rural and
indigenous communities, the indicators of sustainability available in Mexico, and
the accessibility to local level information. The review allowed for choosing three
12 Sustainability Assessment in Indigenous Communities: A Tool for Future…