Two murals painted by Mike Chiago, a member of the Tohono O'odham Community, in the Akimel O'odham Room.

Ha'ichu Vuushdag
The Ethnobotany of the Akimel O'odham

This is a small portion of the Ha'ichu Vuushdag exhibit. Ha'ichu Vuushdag is the word for "plant" in the Pima language. A permanent ethnobotanical garden was constructed in the courtyard of the Huhugam Heritage Center, and was designed by Ten Eyck Landscape Architects based on a book published in 1997 by Amadeo Rea, At the Desert's Green Edge: Ethnobotany of the Gila River Pima. The Interpretive signage tells the stories of the Pima, in their own words, about the use of the plant species identified in their botanical lexicon. This exhibit is partially funded by a grant from the Arizona Humanities Council.

Coming later this Fall an exhibit displaying many of the O'odham baskets from The Breazeale Collection. The Gila River Indian Community purchased 84 baskets from Mary Francis Zimmer in 1997. These baskets comprise a nearly intact collection, the majority of which are documented in the book, The Pima Indian and His Basket, written by J. F. Breazeale in 1923. The collection is unique because the weavers of many of the baskets can be identified and because the weavers have named some of the designs.

Native Waters

"The Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) have always been industrious and hospitable. We have used the waters of the Gila River and its tributaries to sustain our way of life. As descendants of the Huhugam, we have farmed the lands of the central Arizona river valleys since time immemorial."

Visit this very special exhibit through June 2007.