Indigenous History in the Borderlands

Akimel O’odham are found amongst three contemporary Arizona tribes, including the Salt River Pima‐Maricopa Community, the Gila River Indian Community, and the Ak‐Chin Indian Community – the first two shared with members who are Maricopa, and the last shared with members who are Tohono O’odham.

Synonymy
“Pima” and variations appears in Spanish from the late seventeenth century, and thereafter in English. Akimel O’odham – “River People” – is the autonym. See also Goddard, Handbook of North American Indians, v. 10, p. 134.

Special Collections Materials | Arizona Historical Society Materials

Letterbook of J.H. Stout, 1871-1875 (AZ 119)

Includes the correspondence, accounts, record, and observations of J.H. Stout, appointed to the Gila River Indian Agency during the brief era when agencies were staffed by Christian denominations. Stout represented the Reformed Church of America (RCA). Most of his observations speak to the Akimel O’odham and Maricopa, the Tohono O’odham, and, incidentally, the Apache.

A Pima Remembers, ca. 1958-1959 (AZ 154)

Contains George Webb's manuscripts for A Pima Remembers, his memoir published by the University of Arizona Press (1959), describe the life and experiences of a twentieth‐century Akimel O'odham rancher. Also included are unpublished traditions, correspondence, and publication designs.

Edward Palmer manuscripts, 1865-1889 (AZ 197)

Contains the the U.S. Army surgeon's account of nineteenth‐century Akimel O'odham life, including healing, witchcraft, and other cultural practices.

Lewis W. Douglas papers, 1859-1974 (AZ 290)

Contain accounts of efforts to address several durable reservation issues during the early 1930s, including debt relief, the challenges of capital investment in agriculture, and reports on reservations and tribal health and welfare.

Stewart L. Udall papers, 1950-02010 (AZ 372) 

Contains materials about the Akimel O'odham that addresses water, irrigation, and the development of mid‐century water projects affecting central Arizona and its communities.

University of Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station records, 1890-1915 (AZ 406)

Includes records of early‐twentieth‐century efforts to construct a pumping station to irrigate tribal lands, including bids
from firms across the United States.

Harold Christy Schwalen papers, 1896-1967 (AZ 563)

Include logs for water wells drilled throughout Arizona's reservations, including Gila River, during the same era as the University of Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station.

Papers of Paul Howard Ezell, 1939-1987 (MS 282)

Contains publications from Paul Ezell's research on mid‐twentieth‐century Pima‐Maricopa claims before the Indian Claims Commission (ICC).

Papers of Chester J. Higman, 1957-1984 (MS 292)

Contains materials that describe Chet Higman’s brief tenure as business manager for the Tohono O'odham in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Some material on other tribes appears, notably the Akimel O'odham, Hopi, and Navajo.

Papers of Morris K. Udall, 1920-1995 (MS 325)

Contains decades of work in Congress involving the interests of Arizona's tribes, including the Akimel O'odham. Material covers economic development during the Johnson years, adjustments to reservation boundaries, and small business initiatives.

Gary Paul Nabhan papers (MS 337)

Contains materials documenting Nabhan’s early career in ethnobotany, including work with Akimel O’odham and Tohono O'odham informants. Amongst his collection is a Pima‐Papago field diary.

Papers of Byrd Howell Granger (MS 340)

Includes the folklorist’s notes and manuscripts for her unpublished “Folklore and Legends of the Indians of the Southwest” with drafts of a chapter with Akimel O'odham content.

Papers of L.S.M. Curtin, 1930-1953 (MS 395)

Contains materials from Leonora Curtin's fieldwork amongst the Akimel O'odham during the 1930s and 40s, including ethnobotanical research and general ethnographic observations.

Dennis DeConcini papers, 1944-2003 (MS 399)

Contains materials documenting extended negotiation of water rights and the effort during the 1980s to secure a comprehensive southern Arizona water settlement, including for the Gila River and Salt River reservations.

Louis A. Witzeman collection of Rural/Metro Corporation records, 1947-2004 (MS 400)

Includes a 1982‐83 contract for fire protection on the Salt River Pima‐Maricopa Indian Community.

Bernard Fontana papers, 1832-2000 (MS 434)

Includes materials gathered for his work on tribal communities in Arizona and New Mexico; clippings; research with Clifford Kroeber (published as Kroeber and Fontana, Massacre on the Gila: An Account of the Last Major Battle between American Indians: With Reflections on the Origin of War [University of Arizona Press, 1986]); and documentation of research work for a federal court claim.

Julia D. Hayden Photograph collection, 1934-1942 (MS 456)

Includes images of Akimel O'odham life incidental to the Snaketown excavation of the 1930s, as well as deliberate and extensive documentation of roundhouse construction and the artistic process of Akimel O'odham potter Annie Jackson.

The materials located in this section can be found at the Arizona Historical Society Tucson location, an institution separate from the University of Arizona. There you can find manuscript materials, photographs, oral histories and books that highlight Indigenous life in the U.S./Mexico borderlands. This selection represents only a small fraction of the Arizona Historical Society's materials related to Indigenous life in the borderlands. Please contact their archivists for questions about additional materials.