Yumanos Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

At least 13 federally recognized Native American tribes are culturally and historically associated with the Great Bend of the Gila, a distinctive stretch of the lower Gila River valley and surrounding landscape in rural southwestern Arizona. The cultural landscape of the Great Bend is renowned for its impressive body of unique and nationally significant archaeological and historical sites, including an abundance of world-class rock art. The vast majority of these cultural resources are attributable to the ancestors, as well as the ancient and contemporary cultural traditions of the 13 associated tribes. To celebrate and better preserve this fragile, multi-cultural landscape—and the contemporary and future human connections to it—a Great Bend of the Gila National Monument (restricted solely to lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management) has been proposed.
As assessed through a review of prior cultural affiliation studies, ethnohistorical literature, and ethnographic projects in and around the Great Bend of the Gila, the 13 federally recognized tribes referenced above include: (1) Ak-Chin Indian Community; (2) Cocopah Indian Tribe; (3) Colorado River Indian Tribes; (4) Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation; (5) Fort Mojave Indian Tribe; (6) Fort Yuma Quechan Tribe; (7) Gila River Indian Community; (8) Hopi Tribe; (9) Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community; (10) Tohono O’odham Nation; (11) Yavapai-Apache Nation; (12) Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe; and (13) Pueblo of Zuni. This study provides ethnographic overviews of 11 of the associated tribes (Colorado River Indian Tribes and Fort Mojave Indian Tribe were unable to participate), with specific focus on their cultural, historical, and contemporary ties to the landscape and cultural resources encompassed by the proposed national monument.
This study merges background research with contemporary tribal perspectives, as shared through recent meetings with tribal representatives and culturally knowledgeable elders, to: (1) examine each participating tribe’s connection to the Great Bend landscape and its cultural and natural resources; (2) evaluate the heritage value the participating tribes attribute to them; (3) assess the participating tribes’ interests in better conserving the Great Bend landscape and better preserving the cultural resources within it; and (4) ascertain the participating tribes’ support for establishing a Great Bend of the Gila National Monument.
The ethnographic overviews demonstrate that each participating tribe maintains a unique connection to the Great Bend of the Gila that is particular to their community’s history, identity, and values. Meetings with the tribes’ cultural resource professionals and advisors, and in some instances, their governing bodies, revealed that each participating tribe is concerned about the long-term preservation of the Great Bend of the Gila’s landscape and the cultural resources within. Further, each participating tribe supports increased effort, investment, and accountability on the part of the Bureau of Land Management for protecting cultural resources on federal lands in the Great Bend area, and for engaging associated tribes more consistently, effectively, and respectfully in the area’s management and the interpretation of its cultural resources. As formal acts of support, to date eight of the 11 participating tribes have issued official Letters of Support or Tribal Resolutions backing the establishment of a Great Bend of the Gila National Monument.