The Hiaki version of the exclamation Hallelujah is Aleluuya, also sometimes pronounced Alelua, but in Hiaki, it also refers to Easter Sunday. It is also used to refer to (non-Catholic) Hiaki Christians. In the past, the Hiaki Christians would come with loud speakers on their cars and would be singing “Hallelujah” and prayers to the creator; because of this, they came to be called the Aleluuyam.
One of the songs they would play over the loudspeakers in Barrio Libre went like this:
Hesu Kristota ohvo itom vaksiane,
Tosali, tosali sapam venasi.
This means, “Jesus Christ’s blood will wash us clean, white, white like the snow.” The words were set to a catchy tune, and all the kids sang along
Sometimes non-Catholic Christians refer to each other and others as hermanos or hermanas.In Sonora, hermanos and hermanas are often Jehova Witnesses. However, it is better to refer to such Hiaki Christians as Aleluuyam to avoid confusion.
