Arizona 2008 Official State Visitor's Guide - (Page 28) History & Heritage WeaVing a healThy coMMuniTy Every time I drive Indian Highway 11 from Casa Grande towards Sells, I’m astounded anew by the remarkable beauty of the Sonoran Desert, home to master basketweaver Terrol Dew Johnson of the Tohono O’odham Nation. Johnson continues to stretch his creative wings, delving into photography and architecture. He’s also acclaimed for helping revive O’odham traditional foods, art and economies with Tohono O’odham Community Action (TOCA), a community development organization (see sidebar). But his heart always calls him home to the O’odham’s rugged, spectacular splash of lands straddling the U.S.-Mexico border. Evidence of a proud artistic heritage are everywhere here. At gatherings and rodeos across the reservation artists proudly display the tools of their trade: scrapers, knives, awls, sewing needles used to create miniature horsehair baskets, and hands pricked, scraped, calloused and muscled. Lucky visitors can see O’odham weavers at work and even learn a bit about how they transform yucca, bear grass and needle-sharp barbs of devil’s claw into magic at TOCA’s office in Sells. Entering the workshop, I spot two travelers seated around a table littered with shavings and splints. The ladies are trying their hand at twining moistened yucca and willow around and through tightly coiled bear grass, encouraged by Johnson and fellow weaver Rhonda Wilson. I decide to get some lunch, and encounter the “tailgate cafés,” independent food vendors perched beside the main drag. T oday’s menu: traditional – and healthy – O’odham fare like ha:l (squash) enchiladas, ciolim (cholla buds) and flavorful tepary beans rolled into a fat tortilla with hunks of diced beef and green chiles, as well as not-so-heart-healthy frybread. The rugged peaks towering overhead make for dramatic dining. “There’s this little wash that runs beside the T ohono O’odham Cultural Center (where TOCA’s retail store recently relocated), and it’s just beautiful,” says Johnson. “It looks majestic, with the white puffy clouds overhead and our sacred Baboquivari Peak in the background. It’s ” even better after a storm, when the rain has teased out the crisp, pungent aromas of mesquite, creosote and brittlebush, and fast-blooming cactus flowers snap open, revealing bright hues. I take another route home, a twohour drive along the nation’s main highway, S.R. 86, east from Sells to Tucson, before turning north towards Phoenix. The road sports even more vistas of towering saguaro, spider-like ocotillo and feathery desert willow trees. I’m tempted to stop at Kitt Peak National Observatory, but decide to save that for the next time I come down to the home of the Desert People, the T ohono O’odham. ThreadS of culTure hold TogeTher naVajo rug WeaVing faMily Sierra Teller Ornelas points out her unfinished work “Pinky,” mounted on a small purple loom she’s hauled across the country. The tiny textile, named after a character in the Ms. Pac-Man video game, is currently on display at Heard Museum West in Surprise, where I catch up with a family that weaves its family values into superlative pieces. Sierra, mom Barbara and brother Michael are the fifth and sixth generations of their family to produce art from wools, dyes, looms, hearts and hands. A Community Heeds the Call In 1996, basketweaver Terrol Dew Johnson and community gardener Tristan Reader founded Tohono O’odham Community Action (TOCA), a non-profit community development organization. TOCA helps local basketweavers market their work and enables them to support themselves and their families on the sprawling Tohono O’odham Reservation in southern Arizona. TOCA also promotes the return to traditional foods, such as tepary beans, cholla buds and squashes, that both enhance healthy lifestyles among the O’odham and further support local farmers. TOCA’s mission is based on the O’odham Himdag, or Desert People’s Way, using traditional wisdom to chart a sustainable future for the O’odham People. The organization runs a community farm south of Sells, which grows traditional crops for distribution to elders and for sale to the public. Baskets, packaged foods and other items are for sale at its retail shop at the Tohono O’odham Cultural Center in Topawa – and online. For more information, call (520) 383-4966, or visit tocaonline.org. © Tohono O’odham Community Action, Plate by Natelia Antone, Vase by Manuel C Jones 28 • A r i z o n A o f f i c i A l S tAt e V i S i t o r ’ S G u i d e http://tocaonline.org
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