Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona

Miss Mae introduces us to the O'odham people and where they live. 

Introduction to the O'odham and their Traditional Lands

In this portion of the tour Miss Mae goes over the many uses the O'odham have the the Saguaro cactus. Includes discussion questions.

Ways the O'odham use the Saguaro Cactus

In this portion of the tour Miss Mae goes over how the O'odham used irrigation to farm traditional crops in the desert. Includes discussion questions and a recipe to try.

Irrigation Farming

In this portion of the tour Miss Mae goes over the arrival of American Settlers to the Southwest and how the O'odham had to fight for their water rights. Includes discussion questions.

Water Rights in the Desert

In this portion of the tour Miss Mae goes over the O'odham Nawait ceremony and we hear the traditional story of Wind and Rain told by Tohono O'odham elder Lois Liston. The O'odham only tell stories in the winter, so if it is not winter you may wish to skip this portion of the tour for now. Includes discussion questions.

The Wind and Rain, A Traditional O'odham Story

The Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, is located on land that has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples for 13,000 years. Today, the Tucson area is home to the Tohono O’odham and the Pascua Yaqui. Currently there are 22 federally recognized tribes with reservation lands in the state of Arizona. Committed to diversity and inclusion, the University and Arizona State Museum strive to build sustainable relationships with sovereign Native Nations and Indigenous communities. 

Explore Federally Recognized Tribes of Arizona

Write your poem about the Sonoran Desert on this saguaro cactus and decorate the cactus. Think about the environment where the saguaro grows, what other plants or animals might you add to the picture? See Additional Resources for full instructions and examples.

Saguaro Cactus Poem

Meet your tour guide, Miss Mae, to discuss anthropology and culture, research and the scientific process, and Native Nations of Arizona to prepare for your virtual Muse2You exhibit tour about the O'odham. 

What is Anthropology?

In this portion of the tour Miss Mae goes over O'odham basket weaving. Includes discussion questions.

Basket Weaving

Miss Mae introduces you to Tohono O’odham and Akimel O’odham history and culture 
on this virtual exhibit tour at the Arizona State Museum.                      

ASM Muse2You Paths of Life video tours created by Larea Lewis and produced by Larea Lewis and Lisa Falk, 2021. Museums for Digital Learning ASM Paths of Life resource kits produced by Sarah Willwater and Lisa Falk, 2022.

MDL_O'odham Discussion Questions_Answers.pdf

Sonoran Desert Writing Activity lesson plan:

Sonoran_Desert_Poem_Writing_Activity_Lesson_Plan.pdf

Sonoran_Desert_Poem_Writing_Activity_Images(1).pdf

Saguaro Template for Desert Writing Activity:

Paths of Life Exhibit Tour: The O'odham, an Indigenous Nation in Arizona and Mexico

Civics and Government

Social Studies

Geography

U.S. History

Writing: History/Social Studies

English Language Arts

Visual Arts

The Arts

What materials do the O’odham use to make baskets? 

Draw a design for a basket. Before you start, consider:  

What will you use your basket for when it is finished? 

What plant or man-made materials will you use to weave your basket? 

What designs will you weave into the basket?  

What colors will you use for your design?

Now you are ready to draw your basket design.

Tohono O’odham No:ligk Traditional Singers and Dancers perform the basket dance at the Southwest Indian Art Show, Arizona State Museum, Tucson, AZ. Julie Luchetta, photographer, 2005.

Award-winning Tohono O'odham basketmaker Terrol Dew Johnson states  that it can take up to a year to complete a basket. To do so, he must  harvest and prepare fibers that are used to weave the basket.

Some of his baskets include traditional Tohono O'odham designs. He uses 

to create the designs. Other baskets like the one in this photograph use materials like wood veneer and sweet grass.

Friends of Collections Purchase, 2007. Catalog number 2007-130-1 Photo by Jannelle Weakly.

Master basketmaker Terrol Johnson demonstrates how to prepare yucca for a  basket. Tohono O’odham Nation, Arizona, photographer, Michelle Dillon,  2018

Pauline Antone at the Tohono O’odham Community Action Gallery shares a  basket she is weaving. Sells, Tohono O’odham Nation,  Arizona, photographer,  Jannelle Weakly, 2016

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Paths of Life Exhibit Tour: The O'odham, an Indigenous Nation in Arizona and Mexico

Basket Weaving

Guiding Question

Discussion Questions