Noland Johnson hands out seeds to children who planted them at the community garden in Cockleburr, a village in the northern part of Southern Arizona's Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation.

photos by james gregg / Arizona Daily Star

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COCKLEBURR — In the arid desert surrounding this humble Tohono O'odham village, a patch of farmland offers a link to the past and hope for the future of its youngest residents.

Villagers and other tribal members gathered here Monday to plant the first seeds in a community garden that is meant to spark youthful interest in the ancient farming traditions.

Like the O'odham language, growing and harvesting both native and non-native crops is a foreign concept to many of today's young people, said Nina Jose, chairwoman of the Sif Oidak District, which includes the village in southern Pinal County on the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation.

"We want this project to help our youth reconnect with the culture," said Jose, 61.

Jose said that when she was a child, she and her family planted tepary beans, squash and sugar cane, prayed for rain in special ceremonies, and then harvested the crops.

"I would go out and break out a watermelon and just eat it right there in the field," she said.

Bringing back homegrown crops also could help make the O'odham be as healthy as their ancestors were, she noted, alluding to the high rate of tribal members who, like Jose, suffer from diabetes. "In the old days, our diet was a lot healthier. We didn't eat fast food."

At the planting ceremony, Jose marveled at the sight of boys and girls planting peas in the fenced-in garden. Joycelyn Joaquin, 10, and several of her young friends and neighbors crouched on the ground, dropped their seeds and carefully covered them with dirt.

The girl talked to her seeds. "I told them to please grow fast," she said.

Her cousin, Ailysa Juan, 7, also is a talker. "I told my seeds to grow really big," she said, adding that she would check the garden frequently for signs of new plants.

The village garden had been in the works for about two years, and it was made possible with assistance from tribal conservation programs and outside groups.

Rebecca de la Torre of the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the Hohokam Resource, Conservation and Development nonprofit organization helped to bring about the partnership with the federal agency, which provided a $10,000 grant for the project.

"This is a very holistic program, because it has many components," de la Torre said. "People can grow traditional crops as well as supplement their diet."

The villagers won't rely solely on rain to water their crops, as the tribe did in the past. The nearly half-acre is equipped with a drip and flood irrigation system, de la Torre said.

Tribal Chairwoman Vivian Juan-Saunders said projects such as the community garden can serve to empower tribal members.

"For so long, people have done things for us," she said, adding that it has taken away the spirit of tribal identity. "This is one way of bringing back that spirit within the people."

Mildred Pablo, vice chairwoman of the district, stressed the importance of passing down cultural traditions. When it comes to farming, she said, children can learn from elders such O'odham traditions as respect for the land and sacredness of water.

"We're losing our culture; that's why we need to do this," she said.

Joycelyn's mother, Eva Antone, said she liked the idea of the garden when talk about it permeated the village. All five of her children helped to clear the land that she hopes will yield not just crops but also culturally rich young minds.

"I want my kids to know that the tribe used to plant all their vegetables in the olden days," she said. "I want my kids to remember how things used to be. I want them to remember where they're coming from. I want them to remember their background."

Their desire to learn more about how life used to be on the reservation is why Rando Pablo, 16, and Serena Johnson, 17, got involved in the garden project.

"I didn't know much about this at all," Pablo said. "But with this garden, we are trying to bring back our Himdag — our traditions and culture."