Akimel O’odham (Pima) Tribe
Understanding the Akimel O’odham (Pima) Tribe
The people in this community are normally associated with the river on which they reside. Therefore many of their economic activities are related to the rivers which they occupy. It is a fully independent community that is trying to make a successful transition into the modern world without the assistance of some of the other elements that determine the outcomes for many people within the USA.
This community has a close relationship with the Tohono O’odham people. The rough translation of this title infers that they are desert people. They are within the Gila River communities’ project and enjoy the status that that proximity brings. They used to call themselves Otama until the Americans corrupted their name to Pima Indians. The descendant line for these people is the Hohokam.
Their natural habitat includes the Salt River, the Gila River and the Yaqui Rive. They are also within the proximity of the Sonora River. Their villages are customarily set up in the form of loose houses that are centered on familiar relationships. They share a central Ramada and kitchen facilities. They tend their crops on a seasonal basis and therefore their homes reflect this sedentary lifestyle.
Economic outlook of the Akimel O’odham (Pima) tribe
They are primarily dependent on subsistence farming. They also participated in gathering and hunting. Trade was used to acquire certain products that were not commonly available within the vicinity. They are well known for their irrigation systems that are still in use today. Their textile baskets indicate the growth of traditional skills within the context of a remote tribe. Colonial contact has changed them in many respects but there are efforts to keep the original traditions that have kept the community together so far.
Today the community is part of the Gila River Indian Community or GRIC. This is a heritage preservation system that ensures that the capitalist clutches of America do not completely destroy the rights of indigenous people. They are part of a sovereign tribe that covers close to half a million acres of land in central Arizona. The Akimel O’odham (Pima) tribe offers an opportunity to see some of the ancient Native American tribes. It also adds a new dimension to the immigration debate whereby some people on the Right are arguing that they are taking a “Nativist” approach to immigration, whilst conveniently forgetting that all their ancestors were invaders.