Subgroups
At the time of the first contact with the Spanish in the 16th century, there were multiple sub-groups of Opata people. However, by the mid 17th century, the Spanish identified only three Opatan groups. The largest was the Eudeve, (eh-oo-deh-veh), whose ancient villages and current towns encompass the western portions of traditional Opata territory. The Eudeve also referred to themselves for short as “Deve.” Both names mean “people.”
The second largest group was first known as the Ore but later called the Teguima or Tehuima ( teh-wee-mah), whose ancient villages and current towns encompass the northeastern and central portion of Opata territory. “Tehuima” means “river people.”
The smallest Opatan group was the Jova (ho-vah). “Jova” means “water people.” They originally consisted of eight drvillages in the southeastern portion of Opata territory. During the 18th century the Jova inter-married with neighboring Eudeves to the extent where they evolved into a non-distinct indigenous ethnic group.
Read more about this topic: Opata People