Hey everyone! PowWow is this weekend, and I've been trying to raise funds for kiddo and I to each get our first ribbon skirt. Money is tight so we're crowdfunding it this year. If you'd like to lend a hand to help, my Venmo is LoonSees, or my cash app is Loonsees. I have a PayPal also but I rarely use it so you can DM me if you want that.
PowWow is a blast and very important, especially for this reconnecting Native person. Times are tough for everyone so if you can't donate, a reblog would be wonderful. Thank you!
Water Man in the Maze! Currently have just the magnet available, but more stickers are coming soon! But I'm starting to put this design on more stuff, though.
The Trump Administration’s continued efforts to construct new sections of the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall have been met by opposition from various Indigenous groups. The O’odham Nation, whose lands transcend the border from Arizona to Sonora, Mexico, has been significantly active in recent months. These protests, as well as the efforts by U.S. officials to quell them, have brought attention to how border wall construction is affecting this nation’s lands. If the Biden administration does not take the potential impact of the border wall into consideration, it will divide a people, permanently damage an ecological refuge, and endanger wildlife.
Protests by the O’odham Nation
On September 21, 2020, O’odham protestors occupied a construction site on the Arizona-Mexico border in the Sonoran Desert. Temporarily halting the raising of steel panels, they prayed, chanted, and burned sage for five hours to protest the 30-foot wall the Trump administration ordered for construction through the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Located within their ancestral homeland, the intended wall construction was in an area they also consider sacred due the presence of burial and ceremonial grounds as well as the sacred Quitobaquito Springs.
Officials with the U.S. Border Patrol and National Park Service ordered the protestors to move. But after refusing the orders, the peaceful prayer circle was met with a disturbing use of force. The armed federal agents knocked the protestors to the ground and separated and threatened them with stun guns, all captured in a filmed confrontation.
This episode is among many incidents in which federal agents acted against the wishes of Indigenous communities. Earlier in September, two O’odham protestors were arrested at a demonstration near Quitobaquito Springs, a rare desert oasis and fragile ecosystem with diminished water levels resulting from the nearby extraction of groundwater for cement mixing. The detained women say they were deposited in a private prison, chained, and denied access to a phone call or lawyer for almost 24 hours. The women now face federal charges for entering a restricted area and violating a lawful order to leave the closed construction area. The manner in which Indigenous lands are being affected by construction illustrate why O’odham activists have resorted to protests to draw media attention and impede further harm.
The Potential Impact of the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall
These efforts to expand the U.S.-Mexico border wall carry the potential to negatively and permanently impact Indigenous lands, divide a border tribe, and imperil wildlife and artifacts. These developments have been enabled by the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to waive federal laws, which would otherwise have limited or even impeded construction in some of these areas.
The Trump administration has advanced the border wall project through bypassing the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act as well as with federal waivers. It has also been enabled to do so by a 1988 Supreme Court ruling that reduced the capability of Indigenous tribes to preserve sacred sites on federally controlled lands, including national parks.
Besides being considered sacred by the O’odham Nation, the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument was deemed an international biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1976. A study predicted that construction of the wall has the capacity to damage or even destroy more than 20 archaeological sites in the 517 square mile monument.
Additionally, this National Monument is located between the Tohono O’odham Reservation and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. The San Miguel Gate, which connects tribe members living in the United States and Mexico, runs the risk of being severed by the border wall. “It would be as if I walked into your home and felt like your home was not safe, but I want to build a wall right smack in the middle of your home and let me divide your family,” said Verlon Jose, the O’odham tribal vice chairman. “It is putting a blockage into our way of life, into things that we’ve been doing for hundreds and hundreds of years. And when you interrupt those things, bad things happen.”
Jose also clarified that despite its opposition to the wall, the O’odham Nation has not maintained a complacent attitude towards border security. Over the past few years, they have annually dedicated more than $3 million of their tribal funds to securing the border. The nation has also collaborated with Border Patrol, although an increased presence has led to tribal members complaining of excessive stops with unnecessary questioning, cut fences, and roads eroded from frequent use. Members of the O’odham Nation have also used their own policing methods to combat human trafficking and drug smuggling.
In addition to the threats the border wall poses to Indigenous lands and wildlife, the O’odham Nation claims the Defense Department neglected to consult with it in accordance with federal requirements before allowing defense funds to be used to construct the wall on their property. Tribal Chairman Ned Norris Jr. said Executive Order 13175, issued by Bill Clinton in 2000, maintains that agencies require “an accountable process to ensure meaningful and timely input by tribal officials in the development of regulatory policies that have tribal implications.” The government’s consultations with the tribe could have resulted in an approach that took the potential negative effects of border wall construction into account without bypassing federal regulations.
“For most Americans, they don’t feel any connection to these places and people. Indian communities and our issues are just abstractions,” said David Martinez, an associate professor of American Indian studies at Arizona State University. When Notre Dame burned down, people from all across the world expressed their devastation and support for France. Millions felt an emotional connection to the building, even if they were not Catholic. “That kind of emotional connection is abundant in the case of the border issues for the Tohono O’odham” said Martinez. The comparable history and cultural significance of the sacred lands and monuments being damaged by border wall construction provides perspective to the emotional connection that has motivated Indigenous peoples to organize protests. However, limited media coverage and the government’s role in this situation has prevented them from receiving widespread support or concern.
Potential Solutions
As border wall construction continues, expanding communication and collaboration between government officials, Indigenous representatives, and scientists could provide approaches that take border security, the O’odham Nation, and wildlife into consideration. Verlon Jose said “I believe that working together we can do more. Technology is a key. Right now they’re proposing the integrated fixed tower- that’s a virtual wall that’s going to… be the eyes out there.” As technology continues to advance, more alternatives for border security could be implemented that would not divide a border tribe or inhibit the migratory flows of wildlife. It should also be noted that the humanitarian crisis at the border and privacy concerns are other issues to be taken into account by the Biden administration as it addresses border security
Organizations concerning wildlife have proposed economical improvements to technology. The exorbitant expense of physical barriers can limit the funding of effective border-security tools such as aircraft and patrol boats, furthering the appeal of high-tech alternatives. The inclusion of equipment such as seismic detectors and radar can produce a more proficient virtual border wall that does not endanger border tribes or wildlife. “Unlike physical walls, such approaches have little wildlife impact,” said National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Collin O’Mara. He also noted that more than 60 members of Congress have signed bipartisan legislation that would “ensure the most practical and effective technologies are deployed on the border, a win for wildlife and the nation. ”The incorporation of this technology should follow consultations and agreements with the O’odham Nation and border communities that take their concerns about surveillance into account.
This governmental support illustrates that an alternative path is possible. Continued border wall construction would continue harming several populations at an excessive cost, highlighting the need for modified action moving forward. Governmental collaboration with Indigenous groups, scientists, and wildlife activists could produce a future approach that is secure, ecologically sustainable, and where the legal rights and needs of all the individuals involved are acknowledged and respected. “When I grew up living near the U.S./Mexico border, the Tohono O’odham elders taught me that our sacred mountains and springs-as well as our most important spiritual ceremonies and pilgrimages-occur on both sides of the international boundary” said Verlon Jose. “They are important for the people, but according to our beliefs, they are also important for the health and well-being of the land itself. We must continue our traditional and religious practices to keep the world in balance.”
This week, we celebrate just of few of the many cultural landscapes around the national park system with features tied to food production or procurement. We will look at the history and continued stewardship of these places where we connect to the land, our past, and each other.
Tumacácori National Historical Park: An Orchard and a Fiesta
In late 2003, Tumacácori National Historical Park was faced with the challenge of replanting the Spanish Mission Era orchard. The goal of the project was to use fruit tree stocks that could be traced to those specific cultivars introduced by Jesuit missionaries like Father Kino (late 1600s and early 1700s) and other Franciscan missionaries (late 1700s and early 1800s).
The Kino Heritage Fruit Trees Project was initiated by a team of researchers with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the University of Arizona, the National Park Service, and other organizations in the Tucson area.
Orchard at Tumacácori National Historical Park (NPS Photo)
The first step was to identify fruit trees grown during the Spanish Mission Era.
This was done by reviewing Father Kino’s accounts, documents and journals of Forty-niners, and the work of contemporary local ethnobotanists to trace the legacy of the trees.
By some accounts, the mission was supported by peach, quince, pear, apple, pecan, walnut, fig, and pomegranate trees. The orchard was just a portion of the agricultural livelihood of the mission community, which also cultivated grape vineyards, grain fields, vegetable and pharmacy gardens, and livestock.
Many of the trees and plants identified from this period are native to the Mediterranean region, and a significant number came from central and eastern Asia. Others were native to the Sonoran Desert or nearby highlands that were brought under cultivation by the Jesuits and Franciscans when they arrived in the region.
Although a few trees like fig and quince are long-lived, most individual plants live no longer than 20-40 years. This project sought to locate old trees that could be traced back to stocks that were introduced or assimilated 150-300 years ago. Cuttings and seeds were propagated at several farms and nurseries in the region.
Frost cloth protects the trees in the Heritage Orchard in 2014. (NPS Photo)
Using this process, the Kino Heritage Fruit Trees Project researched, located, propagated, and re-established historically-appropriate fruit tree cultivars at the site of the original orchard at Tumacácori National Historic Park.
This project, which contributes to the interpretive and preservation objectives of the site, has depended upon partners in the Tucson area. Together, they use evidence and materials from the past to ensure that the future landscape is well managed.
Orchard at Tumacácori National Historical Park (NPS Photo)
The O’odham
The Sobaipuri, a branch of the Akimel O'odham (also known as Pima People) lived along the Santa Cruz River prior to contact with the Spanish. The O'odham were well adapted to the environment despite some resource limitations. They made use of floodplains to farm corn, beans, squash, and cotton. During the winter season, they gathered plants like mesquite and hunted rodents, birds, or deer. Basketmaking was also necessary skill in each village. The baskets were used to store food, hold water, and serve food.
The goods and practices introduced by Father Kino and other missionaries changed the way the O’odham lived, reducing the reliance on hunting and gathering and expanding the variety of foods.
Today, the O’odham Nation consists of various sub groups. While they share native language and customs, each group has its own uniqueness. The O’odham culture is one of many that were historically and are presently associated with the Santa Cruz Valley, with traditions that continue to have a rich presence in the region.
Pozole is one of the foods available at Tumacácori Fiesta (NPS Photo / Park’s Facebook)
Tumacácori Fiesta, a free event held at Tumacácori National Historical Park each year on the first full weekend in December, presents the traditional expressions of these cultures.
The event includes entertainment, a procession and mass on Sunday, guided mission tours, and cultural demonstrations.
Plan your visit: Tumacácori National Historical Park website
Learn More: Cultural Landscapes
Sections of this were adapted from a previously-published article about the orchard and from the park’s website.
No representation of the state of Arizona is complete without a depiction of a saguaro spreading their arms to the sky- this plant is ubiquitous. Carnegiea gigantea are an impressive presence across the landscape, ranging from south of Navojoa in Mexico almost to Kingman in north-central AZ. The Flora of North American calls them the "tallest trees of the deserts in the United States" and says they're the most-studied cactus in North America. These majestic plants are legally protected in the state- no part of a wild saguaro, living or dead, may be salvaged. Saguaro have long been in relationship with humans- the O'odham peoples have a range of uses for the fruit and seed while the pole-like ribs are used as a building material. One O'odham story of the origin of saguaro goes something like this: a young boy, neglected by his mother in favor of toka (field-hokey), went searching for her across the lands, meeting many different people, animals, and plants along the way. When he finally found her, she was too busy with her game to pay him any mind. Abandoned, he stood in a tarantula hole and asked the village children to sing with him. With each song, he sank into the ground. By the time his mother realized her mistake and ran to him, he was gone. Coyote offered to rescue him, but the trickster ate the boy and returned his bones to his mother. From the grave where the bones were buried, the first saguaro grew. In "When it Rains," Angelina Saraficio writes of the saguaro, "did you hear that the saguaro cactus is also 'O'odham? I heard, and I truly respect it." Like us human people, saguaros require nursing in their early years. The very last photo in this collection shows a young saguaro growing up out of the corpse of it's nurse tree, a palo verde (Parkinsonia species). Nurse trees provide the vulnerable young plants with protection from the intense desert sun, shading them and creating a relatively humid habitat than they would find out in the open. The saguaros often outlive their nurse plants by many years, but they remain companions for some time. #Cactaceae #Carnegieagigantea #saguaro #ecology #oodham #nativestories #ethnobotany #Arizona #desert #sonorandeser (at Cave Creek, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/BshSKugFhI4/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=165tx8w17wud5
I tried to draw a Coyote and decided to share the artwork on this account, instead of my other one, since it fit better. This was my first time making a coyote, and I had to keep asking my brothers for their thoughts because I was picking it apart too much.
I was thinking about a story my mom told me about when her grandma and aunt would drive to Maricopa when she was young and her grandma told her to not be looking at coyotes when they drove by. So she told them to duck down in the sit. That's why I drew a coyote because this prompt just reminded me of that story.
2nd ed. “Sunset Basket Dancers” - I can’t believe I haven’t posted the official artwork for this version of Sunset Basket Dancers yet. I shared some pictures of the art prints, so I guess that’s why I thought I shared the artwork.
I did a second edition of this particular artwork because my art style has changed a little since doing the original version of Sunset Basket Dancers. I learned a little more about Procreate ever since 2021. I blended my background and created a version where you can see more of the coming night sky.
