As in many other Native American cultures,
the Tohono O’odham have a great deal of respect for and reverence towards their
elders. Decisions made by the tribal legislative council and other important
actors are often run by the elders before being enacted. However, after our
talks with various tribal members, I am skeptical of the role elders play in
decision making as the tribe moves away from traditional lifestyles.
The role of
the elders first came to my attention during our tour of the museum. Our guide
explained that tribal members were asked what aspects of Tohono O’odham culture
and life they wanted to see included in the museum, and one of the biggest
responses was traditional ways and ceremonies. She went on to say that the
elders rejected this idea, under the premise that it was wrong for everyone to
understand traditions and ceremonies. They believe that this knowledge was to
be exclusive to certain members of the tribe, especially the medicine men. I
was glad to see that the wishes of the elders were respected, and that aspects of
traditional life could remain sacred. At the end of our museum tour, our guide
mentioned that there was to be a new exhibit about tradition and ceremony coming
soon. This confused me, as she had previously stated that they were not going
to do this because of the elders’ wishes to keep their ceremonies secretive. To
me, it seems disrespectful to go against their explicitly stated concerns.
The issue
of the opinions of the elders again came to mind when I compared the views of
Baboquivari mentioned by the younger and older members of the tribe. The
younger speakers mentioned that Baboquivari was the sacred home of I’Itoi, but
they said they were not upset by people hiking and exploring the mountain. Joe Joaquin,
an older member of the tribe, explicitly said that because of its sacred
nature, only Tohono O’odham should be allowed to set foot on Baboquivari. More
specifically, he seemed to think that only Tohono O’odham with specific
purposes for visiting the mountain should be allowed to go. These views are
very clearly in conflict with one another, and it makes me wonder how much say
the elders have in the use of Baboquivari. It is likely a tourist attraction
for people interested in hiking and the incredible views it offers. After
hearing Joe speak, I cannot help but wonder if more of the elders are upset by
the exploitation of their most sacred location by non-tribal members.
As time
goes on and the Tohono O’odham interact more with the non-native world, it is
inevitable that things will change. I do not think that as things change, they
should move away from considerations of the elders’ opinions. At least
considering these two situations, this seems to be happening. I am hopeful it
is not a larger trend away from listening to the elders, because that could be
extremely damaging. If they stop consulting with the elders, they will almost
certainly lose their culture and traditions that have been around for so many
years.
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