Meet the ancient O'odham
Tribe has history that stretches back thousands of years
Tohono O'odham - their name means desert people or desert dwellers - have lived in the Sonoran Desert for about 6,000 years, or 4,000 years before Jesus Christ lived.
More »»
Border divides 'desert people'
For centuries, the "desert people" lived on their vast land with no borders to stop them from traveling, farming and hunting. But today, that traditional land of the Tohono O'odham is split by the U.S. border with Mexico.
More »»
StarNet exclusive
Seri Indians inhabit coasts of Sonoran Desert
Spanish explorer Francisco Vásquez de Coronado first encountered the Seri
Indians of Sonora, Mexico, in the 16th century while on a journey in search
of the elusive Seven Cities of Gold.
More »»
StarNet exclusive
This recipe offers a taste of cactus
The Sonoran Desert is a wealth of edible greens. One of those greens is fresh, young gisoki, or prickly pear, that can be
prepared with red chile, mixed into eggs or salads, or eaten plain with a
touch of onion or garlic salt.
More »»
Tohono O'odham Seasons
Take a look at the calendar of seasons the Tohono O'odham people have used for centuries. If you'd like to print the calendar, download a PDF version here.
More »»
In other words
People everywhere have terms for the same things. Here are a few desert-related translations in English, Tohono O'odham and Spanish.
More »»
Native people of the Sonoran Desert
Recipe for mesquite almond cookies
• 1 cup butter, room
temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup mesquite meal
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup sliced almonds
Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, meal and baking soda. Stir in almonds. Drop by tablespoons-full on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees F. (Makes 3 to 3 1/2 dozen cookies.)
(Mesquite meal can be purchased from Native Seeds/SEARCH at 526 N. Fourth Ave., Tucson.)
|
Tohono O'odham: Formerly called the Papagos, Tohono O'odham, or "Desert People," lived in an area of Arizona from Tucson west nearly to Yuma and south into northern Sonora, Mexico. About 24,000 now live on the Tohono O'odham reservation in Arizona.
Akimel O'odham: The "River People," formerly called the Pimas, lived near rivers such as the Rillito and San Pedro in Arizona and along rivers and washes in Sonora. They now live on three Arizona reservations - the Gila River, the Salt River and the Ak-Chin.
Quechan: Also called the Yumas, this tribe occupied the area where the Colorado River drains into the Gulf of California. They now live on the Cocopah Reservation in the southwest corner of Arizona.
Pee-Posh: Also known as the Maricopas, this tribe lived on the northern edge of the Sonoran Desert in Central Arizona. They now also live on the Cocopah Reservation.
Western Apache: Apaches, a tribe of people who moved into the Southwest hundreds of years after other native tribes were here, moved from place to place on the northern and eastern edges of the Sonoran Desert. The Western Apaches now live on the San Carlos Reservation.
Yoeme: The "People," this tribe, which is also called the Yaquis, occupied the area in Sonora, Mexico, around the Rio Yaqui. Many were forced out of their homeland and settled near the Arizona cities of Tucson, Phoenix and Yuma.
Opatas: The Opatas lived in central Sonora around the Rio Sonora. Some Opata people are still around, but they do not officially exist as a tribe now.
Seris: Like the Yoeme, the Seris were driven out of their homeland; theirs was on Tiburon Island, or Shark Island, in the Gulf of California. They moved to the coast of Sonora, Mexico.
Mayos: The Mayos, whose ways and traditions are much like the Yoeme, live in southern Sonora, where the Sonoran Desert turns into Sinaloan thornscrub.
All content copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 AzStarNet , Arizona Daily Star and
its
wire services and suppliers and may not be republished without permission.
All
rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution, or retransmission of any of
the
contents of this service without the expressed written consent of Arizona
Daily
Star or AzStarNet is prohibited.
