audio descript 2

Before Walled Compounds

The text on this panel reads," About 4,100 years ago, people in southern Arizona began to grow corn. Over time more and more crops were introduced by trade. People became more settled and lived in the same place for longer periods of time. They built earthen homes called pithouses and began to dig canals to water their fields. Some 1,500 years ago, larger villages began to appear in southern Arizona. Around 800 years ago people here began to build not only pithouses, but aboveground buildings and walled compounds like the ruins you see before you today."

Next to the text is a red inset with images of 5 ears of corn, pale yellow in color. The text reads, "ANCIENT GRAINS, ANCIENT TECHNOLOGIES. The corn you see here closely resembles ancient maize grown in the Southwest 1,500 years ago. Baskets made harvesting crops easier. People used stone tools to grind grains. Pottery helped store and protect food and seeds from pests."

The background image shows a painting by Robert Ciaccio of an earthen pithouse, pinkish desert tan in color. At the side of the house, a woman kneels, grinding corn. A blanket is draped over her shoulders. Next to her a child stands, holding a basket. Beside them is a collection of seven large pottery jugs and bowls and two woven baskets full of corn. In front of the door to the house a man stands, along with a boy and a dog. Both of them wear knee-length skirts and the man wears a long sleeved shirt. To the left behind the house, another house is under construction. We see a pit with a timber frame erected above it. A man works, adding long poles to the structure.

As you stand facing this panel the desert extends out in front of you, pinkish tan in color with patches of gravel here and there. Creosote bushes are scattered about along with the taller saguaro. To your right is the sidewalk back to the visitor center. To your left, the sidewalk extends to the next wayside sign, about 45 feet away. Behind you are the ruins of Compound A and the Great House.

 

• Family Working Together

  
  

  Jacob Butler of the Salt River-Pima-Maricopa Indian Community talks about how Akimel O'odham families today are similar to families of ancient times.

  Credit / Author:

  NPS, movie outtakes, thanks to volunteer editor Jenise Cook

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

  Audio Transcript

  My name is Jacob Elliott Butler. I’m a member of the Salt River-Pima- Maricopa Indian Community, I’m Akimel O’odham. And even in the great house, you see these little hands that help stucco up the walls of the adobe. And so you know people were over there throwing mud at each other. Cause we’ve done it when we’ve made adobe walls and you know playing around in it and making jokes. And you can see that the whole families got into it because on that wall the handprints are tiny. They just had to be little kids. I can see going out in my field and working my crops and showing my daughter you know this is what a bean looks like when it’s growing. Or giving her a fresh ear of corn out of the field you know letting her try it. I can imagine somebody doing that with their child you know 2000 years ago.