Archaeology and Ethnohistory of the Western Papaguería: Let's Not Forget the People

Summary

The O’odham and other tribes of southern Arizona and northern Sonora have occupied the Western Papaguería since time immemorial. This dry and desolate corner of the Sonoran Desert is home to rich histories and living traditions that have left their subtle marks on the land, and that archaeologists have continuously tried to identify, describe, and interpret. For too long, ethnographic and ethnohistoric records from this region have run in parallel to the archaeology; however several recent studies demonstrate the value in merging these accounts to construct a comprehensive picture of people on the land that includes perspectives about their own experiences and worldviews. Work on the Barry M. Goldwater Range, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and in the proposed area of the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument, draws on ethnographic and ethnohistoric accounts to understand the archaeology, and on archaeology to make sense of the longevity and fortitude of living Native American traditional cultural practices. Following, and hopefully adding to, the legacies of Father Kino, Carl Lumholtz, Ruth Underhill, Julian Hayden, and countless others who devoted themselves to the Western Papaguería, this work reinforces the significance in working with the people who are behind the material record.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21198