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Arizona Land and People, Volume 40, Number 1 (Spring 1990) Item Type Article Publisher College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ) Journal Arizona Land and People Rights Copyright © Arizona Board of Regents. The University of Arizona. Download date 30/09/2021 22:05:03 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/295088 z ARIzoNA's I\DI1SAGRICULTURE Indian agriculture has made In the 1950s and 1960s, the U. S. forming the Southwest Indian significant gains in Arizona Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted Agricultural Association (SWIAA). in the last 20 years. This educational programs in agricul- This organization now works for progress is attributed to ture, home economics and 4 -H, At the betterment of Arizona Indian increased water availability, a that time, Extension served as agriculture through educational higher level of education among support to the BIA. In 1968, programs, communication with Indians in decision -making posi- Extension received funding from congressional leaders and govern- tions and Indian leaders with a the BIA to develop and conduct ment officials, and increased state vision for the future. educational programs for 19 and national visibility. Although agriculture is but one Arizona Indian reservations and SWIAA President Elliott Booth, factor of economic development, it the portion of the Navajo reserva- who also is vice -chairman of the may be the most important for tion located in Arizona. The BIA Colorado River Indian Tribes, Arizona Indians as even more recently was appointed by Dean water becomes available through Sander to serve on the National the Central Arizona Project and Land -Grant Council for Agricultural other sources. The 337 -mile -long Research, Extension and Teaching. CAP, scheduled for completion in Another SWIAA board member, 1995, is a series of canals and dams Leona Kakar, Ak -Chin executive designed to distribute Colorado director and chairwoman of the Ak- River water to Arizona cities and Chin Farm Board, is a member of agricultural users. the UA Maricopa Agricultural Eighteen of Arizona's 20 Indian Center Advisory Committee. Also, reservations are involved in some Ardell Ruiz, Donald Antone, Robert form of agriculture. Porter and Harry Cruye Jr., Gila Significant development is occur- River; Charlie Carlyle, Ak -Chin; ring on the Ak -Chin, Colorado and Clinton Pattea, Fort McDowell; River, Fort Apache, Fort McDowell, and many others, played major Fort Mojave, Fort Yuma, Gila River, roles in starting and organizing Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, SWIAA. Kaibab- Paiute, Navajo, Salt River, Many College alumni now are in San Carlos and Tohono O'odham positions of importance on Arizona reservations. The Pascua Yaqui, Indian reservations. Peter Deswood Camp Verde and Cocopah reserva- Jr., executive director of the tions also have agricultural plans division of natural resources for the in progress. Navajo Nation, and Arnold Taylor The University of Arizona Sr., manager of the department of College of Agriculture has a long canceled the contract in 1981, but natural resources for the Hopi Tribe, history of working with Arizona's Extension faculty were instructed will contribute significantly to the Indian tribes. Scientists from the by the Extension administration to agricultural future of their tribes. departments of animal science and continue to serve Indian reserva- Arizona Indian agriculture is range management have been tions in the same manner as off - here -it will stay -it will grow. conducting research on the San reservation clientele. The UA College of Agriculture and Carlos Apache reservation since The deans and leaders of the Arizona's Indian tribes are an 1954. Researchers from the Office of College have a continuing important alliance for the future. Arid Lands Studies have worked on commitment to Arizona's Indian a variety of economic development population. This commitment was ventures with tribes. reaffirmed two years ago when Cooperative Extension records Dean Eugene Sander appointed me show a relationship with Arizona the liaison for educational programs Indians dating back to the 1920s with Arizona's Indian tribes and and 1930s. Today, Extension agents reservations. This fell in line with Howard E. Jones, specialist in La Paz, Mohave, Pima, Navajo, UA President Henry Koffler's objec- Cooperative Extension Apache, Graham and other coun- tive to increase the total UA Community Leadership and ties apply UA research to problems commitment to Arizona Indians. Resource Development on reservations through agricul- At about the same time as my tural, home economics and 4 -H appointment, representatives from youth education programs. a number of Arizona tribes were ARIZONA LANDCREOPLE Magazine of The University of Arizona College of Agriculture Volume 40, Number 1, Spring 1990 Editor Jan McCoy Art Director Hector Gonzalez Production Manager Robert Casier Artist Ann Helmericks Boice Graphic Assistant Lisa Carder Contributing Photographers Page 21 Allan Fertig, Lucian Garcia, Jan McCoy, Gary Thacker, Georgine Wada, Lorena Wada Page 14 ('OVER STORY Writers New Life for Tohono Lorraine B. Kingdon and O'odham Land 2 Jan McCoy i --a1.0 . The Hopi Vision 6 Arizona Land and People (ISSN 0033 -0744) is published quarterly by The University of Arizona College of Apache Cows Get the Agriculture. Second -class postage is paid at Tucson. Postmaster: Send Once -Over 8 change of address form to: Arizona Land and People, Office of Agricul- tural Sciences Communications, 715 A World -Class N. Park Ave., Tucson, Ariz., 85719. Operation 11 The College of Agriculture includes the School of Family and Consumer Resources, the School of Renewable They Did it Natural Resources, the Office of Their Way 14 Arid Lands Studies, the Agricultural Experiment Station, Cooperative Extension and Resident Instruction. In Step With The College is an Equal Oppor- tunity /Affirmative Action employer. the 1990s 18 Subscriptions are free on request. Letters to the editor are welcome. In For the Information in Arizona Land and People becomes public property Long Haul 21 upon publication and may be reprinted provided no commercial endorsement is implied. Please A Friend of credit authors, photographers, the magazine and the University. Page 8 the People 24 Dean: Eugene G. Sander. Advisory Cover: Michael Enis sifts through the rich Committee: Jim Charrie, Kennith soil that -thanks to a new source of BACK COVER Foster, Jimmye Hillman, Roger Huber, Merle Jensen and Shirley water -again will produce crops for the O'Brien. Tohono C odham Indian Nation. See cover Map of Arizona Indian story on page 2. (Photo by Jan McCoy) Reservations /z \\\ Y MEW LIFE FOR LAND BY JANMcCOY With a new source of San Xavier District will receive water close at hand, 50,000 acre -feet of water and the the Tohono O'odham Schuk Toak District will receive Indian Nation is re- 16,000 acre -feet. The U.S. Depart- turning to its agricultural traditions ment of the Interior, through the that dried up as surrounding non - U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, is Indian users gulped its ground charged with improving and water. expanding the Nation's existing When the Spaniards first came to irrigation systems and developing the Santa Cruz Valley, they found new ones in the districts. the Tohono O'odham farming along One project springing from the the'Santa Cruz River as they had new water source is rehabilitation done for thousands of years. of the now unproductive San Xavier But in modern times, non -Indian Cooperative Farm. Located near the agricultural and municipal devel- San Xavier Mission south of Tucson, opment in the Santa Cruz Valley the farm consists of allotted lands pumped the ground water to ever - belonging to about 1,300 individual deepening levels, drying up the landowners. water that was the lifeblood of For many years, the Tohono Tohono O'odham agriculture. O'odham irrigated their vegetable In 1975, the Nation filed a water crops with water from the nearby rights suit against the non -Indian Santa Cruz River. water users in the Santa Cruz "I remember when I was small, Basin. The suit claimed non -Indian the Santa Cruz River always had water users had pumped water about 6 to 8 inches of very clean, from under its land without cool water running year- round," compensation. says Michael Enis, chairman of the Congress settled the suit with the San Xavier District Cooperative landmark Southern Arizona Water Association. "My grandfather Rights Settlement Act of 1982. In would harvest his sweet corn and exchange for dropping the suit, the other vegetables by horse and plow. U. S. Department of Interior will In the mid -to -late 1930s, everybody deliver 66,000 acre -feet of imported was farming and going great -guns water per year from the Central because they had water." Arizona Project and other sources In the early 1940s, wells and beginning no later than October canals designed to make farming 1992. more efficient were installed by the Two of the Nation's 11 political U. S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. districts will receive the water. The Through the 1950s, the Tohono Opposite page: The level -basin Irrigation system Is one of the methods that will be used to Irrigate the Tohono O'odham Indian Nation's San Xavier Cooperative Farm. Water from the canal along the right side of the road flows through a pipeline built underneath and runs headlong Into concrete barriers set at the entrance of the field. The rushing water slows to non -erosive speeds and spreads evenly over the entire area. Arizona Land & People /3 mwitti 647! O'odham continued growing vege- with the farm association on the ground gets touched," he says. "We tables for their own use, and began rehabilitation project since 1987. He still have to do some clearing, take to lease parcels of land to a non - arranged field trips for Enis and old canals and fencing out, and Indian cotton farmer.