The agricultural legacy of Indigenous peoples in Arizona is the focus of a new exhibit at a city-run museum in Phoenix. It’s called “Following Their Roots” and is now housed at the S'edav Va'aki Museum, formerly known as the Pueblo Grande Museum.
“And today, as a councilmember, I yearn to be back in the field, to not wear a suit,” said Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Councilmember Jacob Butler, who spoke at Thursday’s grand opening.
“These are the places that we go to continue telling the story of our ancestors and telling those teachings to our children,” he added, “and so having the support of Phoenix and then allowing our community to help support endeavors like this is awesome.”
Hopi dry farmer Michael Kotutwa Johnson also attended.
“I was really happy to hear that, you know, the city of Phoenix was doing this to help revitalize this place here. That’s amazing,” Johnson said. “Cooperation is necessary; the acknowledgement is necessary for people to work together.”
This exhibit is expected to be on display through next summer.
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Representatives from the Navajo, Hopi and San Juan Southern Paiute tribes spoke in front of a Senate Committee to support the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement. -
Native American tribes across the West are trying — and in more and more cases succeeding — in getting ancestral lands back. -
American bison are a symbol of the West that might’ve vanished from this landscape entirely — if not for conservation efforts. Each year, the city of Denver donates buffalo from a long-established herd to federally recognized tribes and nonprofits. -
The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has invited tribal leaders from across the Grand Canyon State to testify on Capitol Hill. The Northeast Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act is the subject of Wednesday’s hearing. -
Highschoolers across six BIE-run schools in South Dakota, Oklahoma, Montana and New Mexico are already participating, including Northwest High School in Shiprock on the Navajo Nation.
