The late Dr. Fernando Escalante and former Vice Chairman of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, was a strong proponent of education for all members of the tribe; he advocated for the development of the Ili Uusim Mahtawapo Preschool, a Head Start funded project; initiated international Hiaki Language Symposiums for the many Yaqui teachers of the Hiaki Language here in the U.S. and in Rio Yaqui.

He loved of his language and dedicated his life toward the preservation of the Hiaki language and culture. His doctorial work was instrumental in the development of the Hiaki Writing System that was adopted by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in 1985 and is still used today by many tribal and linguistic students studying the Hiaki language. He obtained his PH.D in Linguistics from the University of Arizona in 1990; he is the first tribal member to achieve this status in the area of language preservation.