Traditional wheat threshing
Wheat threshing was performed in the traditional manner by the Tohono O'odham into the mid-1970's. This sequence of eight photos demonstrates how the wheat was gathered, bundled, and threshed. Wheat is...
View ArticleWire baskets, called wainom hua, made by Albert Alvarez
Wire baskets, called wainom hua, are distinctive craft objects of the Tohono O'odham. In this sequence of seven images, Albert Alvarez demonstrates how to make a wire basket. In the past, wire baskets...
View ArticleCoiled basket making
Tohono O'odham coiled baskets are famous worldwide. In this sequence of thirteen images, Tohono O'odhams show how they gather the beargrass and yucca that is used in making coiled baskets and how they...
View ArticleAnnual saguaro fruit harvest, called Hasan Baihi
The annual saguaro fruit harvest, called Hasan Baihi, is a tradition of the Tohono O’odham. The harvested fruit was once used as a vital food source and is still used today to make jam and wine that is...
View ArticleSacred places on the Tohono O'odham Reservation
Sacred places on the Tohono O'odham Reservation include churches, chapels, shrines and ceremonial houses. This collection of nine photos shows the variety of architecture and sacred spaces on the...
View ArticleHand-building pots by potter Laura Kermen
Potter Laura Kermen shows how to hand build pots using the coil method. In this sequence of nine images, Laura shows the technique of hand building a pot, which does not use a potter's wheel. A paddle...
View ArticleHand-building pots by potter Rupert Angea
Potter Rupert Angea hand builds pots using the traditional coil method. In this sequence of twenty images, Rupert shows how he gathers the local materials, hand-builds a pot, and then adds a design to it.
View ArticleRodeo, fair and pageant
A rodeo, fair and pageant takes place annually on the Tohono O'odham Reservation. This series of ten images was taken at the 36th Papago Rodeo and Fair in 1972. The event included a rodeo, fair, dance...
View ArticleDaily life and activities in the mid-1970's
This series of eleven images documents the daily life and lifestyle activities occurring on the reservation in the mid-1970's. Education, housing and government were all modernizing during that time. A...
View ArticleMission San Xavier del Bac
The Mission San Xavier del Bac is located on the Tohono O'odham Reservation, west of Tucson, Arizona. The mission was founded by Jesuit Father Eusebio Francisco Kino in 1700 at Bac, the O'odham...
View ArticleCholla bud harvesting is a tradition of the Tohono O'odham
Cholla buds are a traditional food source for the Tohono O'odham. In this sequence of seven images, we see how the buds are harvested, boiled to release their oxylic acid, and dried in the sun to be...
View ArticlePots are set in the sun to dry before adding necks and rims_image #15
Pots are set in the sun to dry before adding necks and rims.
View ArticleRupert screens the fine particles of white clay from the larger pieces that...
Rupert screens the fine particles of white clay from the larger pieces that are discarded.
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