Papago fields : arid lands ethnobotany and agricultural ecology Item Type Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic); text Authors Nabhan, Gary Paul Publisher The University of Arizona Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 05/10/2021 13:05:52 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/191075 PAPAGO FIELDS: ARID LANDS ETHNOBOTANY AND AGRICULTURAL ECOLOGY By Gary Paul Nabhan A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the ARID LANDS RESOURCE SCIENCES COMMITTEE (GRADUATE) In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 9 8 3 Copyright 1983 Gary Paul Nabhan THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Gary Paul Nabhan entitled Papago Fi9lds:,AX4 LIAnd5, Pthwtotany and Agricultural Ecology and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy i) /.461-evz )6z.u_ 4'4=e/eat 4:1.1 / Date Date ,A . 1 Date 6 Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. cl da--6/4-/L Cite iLZ /1 /783 issertation1 Director Date/ STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduc- tion in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: ,_5114Illhillbi 7\,24, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my sincere gratitude to three sets of "teachers" who guided these inquiries: the scholarly teachers who served as committee members; fellow students who exchanged ideas with me and assisted with field work; and Papago individuals who patiently and generously shared their knowledge. Committee members critically read drafts of this manuscript, and inspired or help design these studies as well. Dr. Charles Hutchinson, my dissertation director, contributed many insights and resources toward the study of floodwater fields and their geographic setting. Dr. Willard Van Asdall, my advisor, regularly helped me think through field methodologies, course- work and comparative studies which enabled me to "discover" the dynamics of Papago field ecology. Dr. Amadeo Rea first interested me in ethnobiology, cooperated on much of the field studies, and humili- ated me (as only an old friend can do) whenever my grammar and writing style demonstrated weaknesses. Dr. Bernard Fontana offered constant encouragement and unearthed several of the ethnohistoric references to Papago agriculture. Dr. Raymond Turner provided resources that were used in vegetation analyses and precipitation estimates, and advised me on approaches to weed ecology. A number of other professors and research investigators at the University of Arizona and other institutions provided equipment and/or technical information: Dr. Steve McLaughlin; Dr. James O'Leary; Dr. 111 iv Charles T. Mason, Jr.; Dr. Richard Felger; Dr. Kaoru Matsuda; Dr. Daniel Evans; Dr. Larry Venable; Dr. Ten Wei Yang; Dr. Henry F. Dobyns; Dr. Martin Karpiscak; Ofelia Zepeda; Danny Lopez; Dean and Lucille Saxton; Dr. Kenneth Hale; Dr. Joseph Senft; Dr. Gordon Dutt; Ted McCreary; Dr. Stephen Buchmann; Dr. Daniel Lynch; Julian Hayden; Rosamund Spicer, and the late Dr. Edward Spicer. Numerous students and contemporaries participated in the field- work, and served as teachers nearly as much as my professors were able to. Particular thanks are due to Tony and Martha Burgess, Karen Reichhardt, Eric Mellink, Cynthia Anson and Mahina Drees, who have shared in much of this fieldwork and have helped shape my way of looking at the desert and its people. The following other individuals assisted with fieldwork: Conrad Bahre, Bryan Brown, Peter Warshall, Rita Schuster, Marty Bender, Oliver Chadwick, Russ Buhrow, Richard Pratt, Charles Miksicek, Susie Fish, Sandra Turner, Ken Vogler, Gordon Fritz, William Doelle, and Peter Bretting. Larry Toolin kindly provided identifications for leaves, fruit or seed in floodwash samples. Steve McLaughlin, Greg Starr, Tony Burgess, Richard Felger, Jan Bowers and Rebecca Eiber made additional botanical identifications. Erika Louie not only typed the final manuscript, but advised me on format and style. I am grateful for her skills, humor and patience beyond the call of duty. Rick Brokaw, Kay and Paul Mirocha provided illustrations. The Office of Water Reserch and Technology, the Consor- tium for the Study of Man's Relationship with the Global Environment, the University of Arizona Graduate College, the Meals for Millions/ Freedom from Hunger Foundation, the Tinker Foundation, and the Soil and IT Health Society/Regenerative Agriculture Association all contributed to these investigations, either through small grants or through the provi- sion of in-kind services. The Sonoran and Papago families who have offered information and insight, or allowed studies in their fields, are numerous. Because some have requested anonymity, I shall not list all the others. In the text, I refer to quotations from native consultants by citing only their initials, and their current village of residence. I wish to thank them for all they have taught me, hope they forgive countless minor discourtesies, and pray that in some way these technical studies will eventually benefit the Papago people and their land. I am grateful to the Baboquivari District and the Sonoran Papago community of Quitovac for verbal permission to undertake certain studies relating to this dissertation. I am also grateful to the staff of the Papago Agricultural Extension and the Papago Nutrition Improvement Program for periodic exchanges of information. Tribal Governor Max Norris, during the first year of his term, suggested that I request permission to study and work on agriculture from the particular families, communities and/or districts affected, rather than from the tribal council as a whole. This was done to the extent that it was possible to track down all parties involved. Much of the dried plant collections reported here were gathered with a permit obtained from Tribal Governor Cecil Williams, through the kind assistance of Frank Valenzuela. My wife Karen Reichhardt shared in much of this work but also has been patient when fieldwork separated us. Knowing the kind of vi person she is, I am sure she will understand that it is not to slight her role in making this study possible and pleasant that I dedicate this work to someone else. She and I have both been fortunate to have as friends three exceptional people who also happen to be knowledge- able in the O'odham himdag: Jerome Ascencio, Delores Lewis, and Laura Kermen. It is to these three teachers that I owe much of the uniqueness found in this work. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi ABSTRACT xii CHAPTER 1. ETHNOBOTANICAL APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF NATIVE AGRICULTURAL FIELDS 1 The Papago Lexicon and Its Use in Ethnogiological Studies 8 2. HISTORIC PAPAGO AGRICULTURAL AND HYDROLOGICAL PRACTICES, 1697-1935 15 Methods 17 Jesuit Spanish Colonial Period 17 Franciscan Spanish Colonial Period 19 Mexican Frontier Period 20 Anglo Frontier Period 21 Advent of Scientific Inquiry in Papaguerfa 23 Assimilation Into the Arizona Economy 36 Summary 41 3. 'AK-CI7 'ARROYO MOUTH' AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING OF THE PAPAGO FIELDS 43 Ethnological Literature 55 Oral Interviews with Contemporary Papago 58 Map and Aerial Photo Analysis of Field Positions 61 4. SOPOL 'ESIABIG MASAD AND THE EPHEMERAL NATURE OF PAPAGO SUMMER CROPS 67 Ethnolinguistic and Ethnographic Literature 68 Recent Interviews With Papago 75 vi i viii TABLE OF CONTENTS -- Continued Page Analysis of Weather Data 82 Phaseolus Beans: A Comparison 97 Papago Summer Crops and Desert Ephemerals 105 Life Cycle 108 Plant Morphology and Anatomy 110 Behavioral Responses 112 Yields 115 Implications of Ephemeralized Crops 117 5. OIDAG C-ED I:WAKT, VEGETATION DIVERSITY AND PLANT USE IN FIELDS 119 Ethnological Literature 122 Oral Interviews with Contemporary Papago 134 Plant Community Analysis 139 Methods 139 Results 141 6. WAKOLA, FLOODS AND SOIL RENEWAL IN FIELDS 155 Ethnological Literature 158 Oral Interviews with Contemporary Papago 161 Chemical Contribution of Ephemeral Floodwaters 166 Chemical Contribution of Floodwashed Organic Detritus 172 Chemistry of Cultivated and Uncultivated Desert Floodplain Soils 181 7. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 194 APPENDIX I: CHECKLIST OF PLANTS FOUND IN PAPAGO FIELDS AND DITCHES 199 APPENDIX II: PAPAGO NAMES FOR PLANTS, AND THEIR CORRESPONDING TAXA 207 REFERENCES 218 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 3.1 Geographic data on Papago fields 45 3.2 Ecological setting of Papago fields 46 3.3 Field and water management 52 3.4 Physiographic position