Mining Waste

While working on my paper, I have had many hours to focus on the ways in which mining waste has affected Tohono O'odham sacred lands. Originally, I was not planning on looking too far into mining and its relation to the Tohono O'odham, however, my research into different forms of toxic waste and water pollution led me into a deep analysis of the mining industry. In addition to our class discussion, testimonies and controversies surrounding mining on the Internet have shown me that the issue is much more serious than I had imagined it to be.

The extent to which mining affects surrounding lands, wildlife, and natural resources is alarming. After looking through the library catalogue in search of some resources, I discovered a few books that really dug into the underlying motives of both sides of the mining dispute. It was especially interesting to read about the philosophy of the miners in relation to the philosophy of Native Americans. Many mining engineers view their work as "art" and as their duty to make the most of the landscape we have been given. Given the opposing ideologies of the Native Americans, there is no wonder why there have been so many disagreements over mining developments. It stumps me that more of these large mining companies are not only secretive, but elusive to Native American inquiries. There has to be some middle ground that does not involve the destruction of sacred burial grounds for one's own greed.

Moctezuma's Revenge: O'Odham Innovations in Indigenous Warfare

    Indigenous warfare as a whole tends to be a little one-sided. While it is true that battles have been fought and won by tribes around the world, in the end the Europeans tended to win. The tribes that the Europeans had the most trouble with were the nomadic tribes, in particular the Lakota in the north and some Amazonians in the south. These tribes lacked any sort of nerve center to attack and destroy and with their nomadic lifestyle typically came a distributed chain of command and supply chain. This made the tribe as a whole less efficient, but allowed it to sustain the loss of a leader or the occupation of territory without the same tactical setbacks that a more structured group would. These advantages were typically not available to tribes that had established towns as towns could be occupied and ruled through force in a way that a mobile group never could be. And yet, the O'Odham effectively fought the Spanish (later the Mexicans) without the same kind of catastrophic losses that faced other sedentary tribes.

    The reason for the relative success of the O'Odham is in part due to geography. The productivity of the land was such that any O'Odham towns were small enough and far enough apart to make effective rule by a Spanish official (Alcalde) difficult. This is will documented in the struggles that missionaries had in converting the O'Odham and is probably part of the reason that Father Kino adopted his nomadic pattern of work. The lack of productivity also probably made the O'Odham less important to the Spanish than the more developed and more productive fields farther south. But beyond geography the O'Odham used unique tactics that would be later classified as guerilla.
   
    The O'Odham did not have a standing army or a central government and when the Apaches would attack the defense of the O'Odham would be left to irregulars, people who had other jobs but would also fight when called upon. When the Spanish advanced with military forces the O'Odham innovated on the same tactics. The Spanish would advance into O'Odham territory face raids on their forces without warning but when they went to pursuit they wouldn't find anyone to fight. The O'Odham army would have already dispersed and the fighters would be back in their homes.

    Although this strategy did not expel the Spanish or their influence from the O'Odham territory, the O'Odham used war to remind the Spanish that they would not completely bow down.

Tohono O'odham: Relationship with Cacti

One of the most fascinating people I met during February Break was Sterling of the Desert Alliance. While we spoke with him, he shared as a story about saguaro cacti. The stroy is about a young boy whose mother leaves him for several years. When he reunites with her, she ignores her and tells him to leave. Later, the mother goes looking for the boy, finding that he turned into a saguaro cactus. When I think about this story, I wonder if parents tell it to their children because of the traditional implications of the story of if they believe that cacti are real people and want their children to understand as well. Do the Tohono O'odham people still hold cacti in the same esteem as they did hundreds of years ago? Or is the personification of cacti a means to keep the Tohono O'odham culture alive.

Chip Littlefield says he never harms cacti. Out of respect for O'odham beliefs and the importance of the plants, Littlefield never touches the plants and educates people on the role of cacti in the environment. After listening to Sterling's story, I wondered if Littlefield also believes in the humanity of cacti. Does he show respect for them because of their personification in Tohono O'odham culture or due to their endangered status? Since Littlefield does work with someone from the tribe, its very possible he heard the story of the boy who turned into the saguaro. If this is the case, then Littlfields have several reasons for why he reveres cacti rather than his occuptation. However, is it possible that non-Tohono O'odham people can fully believe in the cultural significance of the saguaro. Or does Littlefield respect cacti as a way to respect Tohono o'odham culture?

Reflection on Tommy's Presentation

Before Tommy’s presentation today, I was very unaware of the effects of diabetes on a woman’s pregnancy and the ways these effects both reflect and further one’s entrapment in poverty.  There is no doubt that poverty has played a role in the outbreak of diabetes, as high-carb, high-sugar foods become increasing common and selected due to their taste and their cost.  They satisfy hunger without draining one’s resources.  However, the switch from a diet dependent on traditional, low-carb, high-protein foods like cholla buds and teparary beans to cheap high-carb, high-sugar foods has a tremendous impact on one’s health and well-being.  Unfortunately, in order to break these eating habits, one has to be financially well-off enough to support a more diverse, more nutritious diet. 

            As a result of dietary habits, many O’odham individuals end up developing Type II diabetes in their lifetime.  I was aware of the effects of diabetes on circulation, leading to amputation, heart trouble, and blindness, but I never considered how a fetus during pregnancy may also be effected.  Tommy spoke specifically about how a baby to a mother with diabetes may have a significantly lower birth weight or other health conditions.  The rates of low birth rate and other health conditions as well as the rate of infant mortality are significantly higher in the Tohono O’odham Nation than in Arizona or other American Indian nations.  This occurrence directly reflects the rate of diabetes throughout the Tohono O’odham Nation as well as the high rate of poverty that frequently leads to the development of diabetes.

            These babies born with lower birth weights or other health conditions ultimately end up costing their families about three times as much as a baby born completely healthy.  As a result, their families end up even more trapped in impoverished situations, based solely upon factors created initially by poverty.  The lack of resources that can cause diabetes and therefore lower birth weights and other conditions ends up putting the families in even more disadvantaged positions with even fewer resources.  These families end up in an inescapable trap by poverty and health that may only be broken by substantial aid and intervention.  However, it is possible that infant illness and high morality rates may draw enough public empathy to kick-start the necessary intervention in order to save lives.

Puerto Penasco: Why the Border is an Issue

As we learned from class, Puerto Penasco was once Tohono O'odham land. However, with Native American relocation and the establishment of the Mexican border, the Tohono O'odham lost a significant portion of Mexico. Along with loss of land, tribe members lost connections with family and friends. This makes it much harder for the entire tribe to engage in ceremonies and see relatives. Although the U.S. government allows Tohono O'odham people into Mexico and back, they are still harassed by border control. While in Puerto Penasco, the number of border patrol were almost nonexistent. However, when the group crossed back into the U.S., Arizona was swarming with them. This is an issue for Native Americans who fear they can't get back home if they cross the border. The solution to this issues is a challenge but not impossible.

An interesting phenomenon with border patrol is their emphasis on keeping people out of the U.S. while remaining apathetic to people who go into Mexico. This means that while Tohono O'odham people may have little trouble seeing relatives in Mexico, they may be harassed when they try to come home. According to Angelo Joaquin, many people refuse to see relatives in Mexico because they don't want the border patrol to interrogate them. Consequently, many tribal members can't perform ceremonies or visit relatives due to a fear of the border patrol. For tribe members living in Mexico, visiting relatives is much more difficult. That means that when tribal ceremonies occur for the entire tribe, they must occur in Mexico. This presents an issue to the people, however, because the treaties established between the Tohono O'odham and Mexico are not as binding as the U.S. Therefore, the Mexican government can take away Tohono O'odham land relatively easily, leading the people to have no place to perform ceremonies.

In the future, the Mexican government must transform treaties into acts so Tohono O'odham people don't face the threat of land confiscation and lose a place to perform ceremonies. Furthermore, border patrol should receive more training on the Tohono O'odham people so more tribal members can successfully cross the border without fear and harassment. If these measures are in place, the border will no longer remain a spiritual and emotional divide between Tohono O'odham people.

Ajo: A Desert Town

When visiting Ajo over February Break, I remember visiting the Desert Alliance, an organization characterized by hard work in harsh conditions. I found the Desert Alliance impressive as they are able to harvest crops in the blazing heat in order to promote healthy living. When the group talked to Sterling, an O'odham member who works in the Desert Alliance, he states that his family and culture taught him the importance of hard work. Sterling lived in a remote area with little electricity so for him, harvesting one's own food is a necessity. I found it interesting listening to Sterling' s view of the importance of hard work to build character. Just days before, I listened to the Director of the Tohono O'odham Cultural Center talk about ways to teach people how to harvest their food. Thus, even though Sterling may harvest his own food because he believes in hard work, this may be a view that is no longer shared by a significant portion of the Tohono O'odham nation.

There is a distinct contrast between the town of Ajo and the town of Sells other than one is on a reservation. Sells has more businesses and most residents live near the grocery store, Bashas. On the other hand, Sterling and other O'odham tribe members around Ajo live in a secluded area with the nearest grocery store many miles away. Perhaps the difference in how some people in Sells view food is different from Sterling because they don't need to work hard to harvest food. Instead poeple can grab food from Bashas that is much more convenient and tast than many desert foods. Furthermore, while Sterling is surrounded by only desert foods for several miles, many reisdents in Sells have several options. Western junk foods are more integrated in a town like Sells rather than the outskirts of Ajo. Therefore, even though Sterling's upbringing may be a significant reason for why he values harvesting one's own food, his location makes harvesting the logical option and hard work necessary.

Desert Rain Café

Before our course section on health and diabetes among the Tohono O'odham, I had no idea how much of an impact the disease had on this community. Friday's film helped put this even more in perspective as we watched individuals with diabetes explain what life is like in a community that suffers from one of the highest diabetes and obesity rates in the nation.

For today's blog post, I decided that I wanted to look further into what is being done presently to combat this disease. I stumbled upon the Desert Rain café, a restaurant that has focused on reintroducing families to traditional foods in new and exciting ways. Run by TOCA, Tohono O'odham Community Action, the restaurant is aimed to provide a sustainable local food system that will hopefully have an impact on the diet of the Tohono O'odham people. I found it disturbing in the film when one of the women receiving the usual government boxes of food said that canned gravy was the only "real food" in the mix. I think that the Desert Rain Café provides benefits by making traditional foods more available and affordable and running community events. I also think that programs like this contribute to the O'odham's economic development by providing jobs and purchasing ingredients from local farmers. Additionally, I hope that over time this will alter the O'odham's diets and make it possible for people to afford a healthy lifestyle.