Retaining Tradition

           At first glance, the Tohono O’odham reservation is a place of contradiction. The expanse of the desert and mountains contrasts sharply with the small one-story homes and stores of the O’odham people. Sells seems like an asphalt island in a desert ocean. The town is very isolated but also vibrant and lively. From my point of view poverty appeared to be the main issue. The community had all the markings; health issues, drug and alcohol problems, and crime. Therefore it struck me when not a single tribal member who we talked to mentioned poverty as an issue. Instead, Joe Joaquin, Jefford, and Angelo were mostly concerned with preserving O’odham culture and finding ways to use traditional lifestyles to solve contemporary issues. This seemed odd to me at first. Why worry about the preservation of a bunch of pottery when you have a massive diabetes crisis? However, I soon began to see the wisdom of what Joe and others were offering. Angelo pointed out that harvesting desert plants in traditional ways promoted exercise and a healthier lifestyle. Joe spoke about how the younger generation wasn’t living right. He seemed convinced that the source of many of the O’odham’s problems stemmed from lost knowledge of traditional ways.

            These conversations with tribal members made me think about the feasibility of solving economic issues through the preservation of culture. Joe pointed out that the O’odham did not have their current problems until western culture permeated the reservation. The introduction of drugs, junk food, and alcohol by Anglos massively affected the community in negative ways. Spurning these vices and turning to old-school ways could be a way to turn around the community. Retaining culture is essential not just for the O'odham but for any communities well being. During the Roman conquest of Britain in the 1^st century the writer Tacitus commented on seeing recently conquered Britons giving up their traditions and adopting Roman culture wholeheartedly. He wrote, “Step by step they (the britons) were led to things which dispose to vice, the lounge, the bath, the eloquent banquet. All this in their ignorance they called civilization, when it was but a part of their servitude.” For the O’odham to remain a proud and prosperous people they must remember the traditional ways in the face of an onslaught of western culture.