This is a color film showcases the Tohono O’odham people. University of Arizona, Tucson presented by the Bureau of Audiovisual Services. Explanation of the arboreal desert, :35. The Sonora desert in southern Arizona, 1:00. No rivers or streams in the arboreal desert, 1:12. Cacti, plants and the “fish hook” cactus with sharp barbs spotted with coyotes, 1:35. The Papago Indians call the desert home for hundreds of years, 1:48. Crooked mesquite tree was the only tree that the Indians had, needed to make use of everything, 2:04. Adobe mud used to make walls of their homes, 2:30. Giant cacti die, losing thorns and leaving the ribs exposed. Indians used these for the roofs of their homes, 3:20. Windows formed by leaving sections that had no adobe, 3:30. Leaves of the Yucca plant, 4:15. Papago life depended on the placement or availability of water, 4:50. Pottery was made by hammering the clay material around a stone anvil with a paddle, 5:40. Powdered rock kept the clay from sticking to the stone anvil, 6:01. Baskets were woven by knitting bear grass with the leaves of the yucca plant, 6:22. Large baskets were used to store grain, 7:21. Rabbits added meat to the Papagao diet, 8:14. The giant saguaro cactus bears fruit, that is good to eat and are collected by the Papago, 9:15. The Papago move to the desert for summer planting, 10:15. The Papago lived as desert dwellers since at least 1692 when they were visited by Spanish explorers, 11:28. Missions built in the desert, 12:16. White man brings cattle to the Papago, 12:36. Horses brought to the Papago by the white man, 13:00. Wells and irrigation allow the Papago to stay in one space now, and fresh drinking water is available13:40. Field nurses help the Papago, 14:44. Small one-room schools in the desert, 15:25. Traveling library, 15:45. Old methods of farming the Papago may lose 1 out of every 3 crops, 16:35. The “bolsa” immigration system was implemented to reduce flooding of the fields, 17:00. Burning of the weeds on the fields to clear the land for planting, 17:30. The bolsa provides moisture for the crops and a protective dike to prevent flooding from other fields, 18:00. Damns were built to further help the Papago irrigate their fields, 18:27. The mesquite tree also provides wood for strong corrals for the cattle, 19:05. The tribal Papago council is democratic and represents all tribes, 19:55. Prize cattle are shared by all members of the tribe, 20:20. Papago Arts and Craft board ensures the quality of the baskets made and protects the artist’s income, 21:16. Papago fair is held once a year with a rodeo and arts and crafts show, 21:45. Cattle stock is improving with new farming methods, 23:40. Throwing grain in the wind cleans foreign matter out of the grain, 24:13.
he Tohono O’odham are a Native American people of the Sonoran Desert, residing primarily in the U.S. state of Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora. Tohono O’odham means “Desert People.” The federally recognized tribe is known as the Tohono O’odham Nation.
The Tohono O’odham tribal government and most of the people have rejected the customary English name Papago,[needs IPA] used by Europeans after being adopted by Spanish conquistadores from hearing other Piman bands call them this. The Pima were competitors and referred to the people as Ba:bawĭkoʼa, meaning “eating tepary beans.” That word was pronounced papago by the Spanish and adopted by later English speakers.
The Tohono O’odham Nation, or Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation, is a major reservation located in southern Arizona, encompassing portions of Pima County, Pinal County, and Maricopa County.
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