The Tohono O’odham presently hold four reservations in Arizona: Maricopa (with the Akimel O’odham), Gila Bend, San Xavier, and Sells. Other tribal members are part of the Ak Chin Indian Community with Akimel O’odham near Maricopa, Arizona. There are also Tohono O’odham living in Mexico. Indians of both countries have come and gone across the international boundary through a gap in the barbed-wire fence known as “The Gate.” Tribal members earn some income from farming, cattle raising, and arts and crafts. Tohono O’odham baskets are famous worldwide. Tribal members also make pottery, wooden bowls, horsehair miniatures, and horsehair lariats.
There are deposits of copper and other minerals on tribal lands. Powerful Arizona mining concerns originally owned the rights to these resources. But this situa-
Tohono O'odham awl of mesquite wood and pin (modern)
Tion has been rectified, and the Tohono O’odham now earn income from mining leases. The Tohono O’odham Nation now participates in gaming for tribal revenue. Some individuals earn a living through cattle ranching.
About half of the tribal members live off-reservation, many in area cities such as Phoenix, Arizona.
The Tohono O’odham are resisting the federal government’s plan to build a wall along the international border. They have formed a political action group known as Voice Against the Wall Project. Some tribal members are involved in the Assembly of Indigenous Women, and annual gathering of Native women from Mexico and the southwestern United States to celebrate tribal cultures and rights of women through discussion and the sharing of customs, such as dance and oral tradition. Vivian Juan-Saunders, a Tohono O’odham leader, has served as the chairperson.
World History
