The Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s decision to stop livestreaming its council meetings on social media was paused this week following community concerns over transparency and access.
Chairman Julian Hernandez recently announced in a memo that the council’s Oct. 9 meeting would once again be livestreamed on Facebook, after its previous two meetings were not streamed publicly and instead made available as recordings through a new online portal exclusive to tribal members.
He also reaffirmed the tribe’s intention to move forward with its portal transition, citing privacy protections and the importance of sovereign control over internal discussions. However, no timeline for the portal’s relaunch was provided, and while it remains accessible for registration, it is not currently being used to host new council meeting recordings.
“In today’s digital world, online content can easily fall into the wrong hands. That’s why this decision was made, and it continues to reflect our true intent,” Hernandez stated in the memo.
“Let’s be clear: this is not about limiting access. It’s about protecting what belongs to us,” he continued. “We are a Sovereign Nation, and we take that responsibility seriously. Our goal is to keep our members informed while making sure our internal discussions stay secure.”
The council’s Oct. 9 meeting agenda did not include any resolutions or discussion items related to the portal despite community concerns triggering the pause. However, some leaders acknowledged the matter during the meeting, starting with Hernandez offering insight into the council’s decision
Hernandez explained that the tribe began livestreaming its meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure members could participate remotely, but that the council has since learned Facebook only retains livestream recordings for 30 days, limiting members’ ability to access past meetings. To address that, he said, the council decided to begin recording the meetings itself, and storing and sharing them with members through the portal.
“But we’re still having some complications. At this point, we’ve opted to go ahead and put it on Facebook Live for now until we can figure out the issues with the portal,” he said, reiterating the council’s plans to move meetings to the portal, only now at a slower pace.
Council Secretary Rosa Alvarez also voiced support for the portal, describing it as a tool to protect tribal business and noting that tribal officials, like Treasurer Thomas Cupis, sometimes need reminders to be careful about what they share during the livestreamed meetings, which are widely accessible and can be viewed by non-tribal members.
“What we’ve taken an oath on is to protect the business of the tribe,” she said. “I support the portal, and I hope and pray you guys get on the portal to make sure that we’re able to communicate to our membership, be able to be more honest and more transparent.”
None of the tribe’s 11 council members responded to emailed questions from Arizona Luminaria.
Timeline of council meeting changes
It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the tribe’s decision to stop livestreaming its council meetings or when the decision was made. It did not appear as a resolution or discussion item on any recent agendas prior to the livestream change, according to a review by Arizona Luminaria of the tribe’s Facebook page.
Before the tribe’s Oct. 6 temporary pause, the last council meeting promoted for livestream was held Sept. 11 and remains one of just a few meeting recordings currently available on the tribe’s Facebook page. Most of their meeting recordings appear on YouTube, where the tribe’s presence dates back to late 2020 to share COVID-19 updates with tribal members.
Its most recent meeting on Sept. 25 was not promoted for livestream. Instead, less than one hour before it began at 6 p.m., the tribe announced for the first time that the meeting would be recorded and uploaded to the new portal, while also providing members with instructions on how to register.
It’s unclear if the portal would support livestream capabilities — including real-time features like commenting during broadcasts — or only offer recordings after a meeting has ended.
“This was the first recorded council meeting for upload to the membership portal,” the tribe wrote the next day in a post summarizing the Sept. 25 meeting. “We apologize for the technical difficulties and appreciate your patience.”
The portal’s terms state that it would be “available only to members of the PYT (Tribal Member) who are authorized” to access the site, but do not define what “authorized” means or who determines that status. It also refers to access to the portal as “a privilege, not a right” and informs members that they may not share any of its content as it’s considered confidential.
The registration form also requires a tribal enrollment number or the last four digits of a Social Security number, along with other personal details. However, it wasn’t clear whether official enrollment would be the only requirement or how the tribe would verify membership for Yaqui people who fall outside the enrollment system.
Changes spark community concerns over access and participation
The tribe’s initial announcement to stop livestreaming council meetings on social media prompted community concerns, with members citing issues around access, transparency, technical difficulties and the council’s decision to pursue the change without their input.
The change would also restrict access for independent journalists and news organizations, government officials and other non-tribal audiences who use public livestreams to stay informed about the tribe’s governmental affairs.
It’s a notable shift given that the Pascua Yaqui Tribe was nationally recognized in 2014 as one of the first three tribes authorized to expand jurisdiction under the Violence Against Women Act, allowing it to prosecute non-Native offenders in certain domestic violence cases on its land.
Community members raised questions on social media about who would be allowed to register for the new portal. Many interpreted the eligibility rules as limiting access to officially enrolled tribal members, leaving out Yaqui people who aren’t officially enrolled and non-tribal guardians of enrolled minors who depend on them to stay informed.
“My two daughters are tribal members, but they are minors. How do I see what’s going on in their community and inform them when I’m not and I can’t get into the thing (portal)?” one woman commented on the tribe’s Facebook post. “The only way for me to see the council meetings with [sic] with it online on Facebook or even just put it on YouTube.”
Some members also questioned the language and intent of the portal’s registration terms, describing them as restrictive or unclear.
“Can someone explain the terms and conditions required to register? From the way it’s written, it feels more like a gag order than a process meant to keep us engaged in our community,” another woman commented. “Where was the community input before this was agreed upon? Decisions that affect how we participate and stay connected should not be made without the voices of the people they impact.”
Others highlighted access barriers for elders who may not be comfortable with technology, as well as tribal citizens living in Guadalupe, a Yaqui community near Tempe, roughly 100 miles from the government’s headquarters and its in-person council meetings in Tucson. In-person attendance has remained available to tribal members throughout the tribe’s changes to its online meetings.
“Please understand that Guadalupe is the second-largest traditional Yaqui community outside of Tucson. Tribal citizens here cannot attend meetings in person due to the distance between our communities,” one man said. “Please be considerate of us and go back to live meetings.”
Arizona Luminaria reached out to several tribal members for comment about the change on social media. None immediately responded.
Tribal Council meetings beyond scope of Arizona’s open meeting law
As a Sovereign Nation, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe isn’t bound by Arizona’s open meeting law, which protects the public’s right to observe and access government meetings.
For example, Arizona law mandates that meetings be publicly noticed at least 24 hours in advance, posted online if a website is maintained, open to all members of the public and subject to recording by anyone in attendance. It does not require public bodies to livestream or record meetings themselves, but makes clear that any recordings they create are considered public record and therefore accessible by the public upon request.
Arizona’s public bodies may also change the format or location of their meetings without a formal vote, so long as they properly notify the public. However, those changes would likely face legal scrutiny or action if they infringed on public access, such as requiring registration to an online portal or limiting access to residents of a specific jurisdiction.
Instead, tribes have the authority to set their own rules for public access and participation, and may choose to limit access for non-tribal audiences in order to protect cultural ceremonies and practices not intended for broad viewership.
Unlike state law, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s Constitution leaves key details related to its council meetings undefined, such as minimum notice periods, digital access and whether non-members may attend.
It does require monthly council meetings, with the date, time and location left up to the council to determine itself. The meetings must be publicly announced and “open to the public,” but the constitution doesn’t specify how the notice is issued, how far in advance it must be given or whether “public” includes non-tribal members.
The tribe’s constitution also tasks the council with adopting ordinances to guide council meeting procedures, though no ordinance related to the meetings is referenced or codified in the tribe’s publicly available code.
The code does, however, more clearly define rules for committee meetings, which are advisory in nature and typically precede formal decisions made during council meetings. These rules require scheduled monthly meetings with agendas issued to committee members at least seven days in advance. It even outlines exact meeting procedures and documentation requirements, such as transcripts and regular reports.
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