Tohono O’odham National Cultural Affairs Office

The Tohono O’odham Nation faces the Herculean task of preserving and protecting its cultural identity and practices. This is the task assigned to their Cultural Affairs Office where many of these efforts are assigned to either Joe Joaquin or Peter Steere. Off reservation development, cross border legal and illegal immigration, and countless requests from federal agencies including Homeland Security keep the Cultural Affairs Office on their toes. Internal tribal requests concerning discoveries, roadside shrines, native plants, language and ceremonial issues including requests from tribal elders all must be accommodated.

It was the Cultural affairs office that first raised the issue of additional telescopes on Kitt Peak (pictured). It was the Cultural Affairs Office that was one of the first to discover the lack of compliance for work on the existing solar telescope. It was the Cultural Affairs Office that quickly discovered the damage near La Osa Ranch. It was the Cultural Affairs Office that first discovered damage to archaeological sites along the border. It was the Cultural Affairs office that champions the plight of tribal members across the border. We honor the work of the Cultural Affairs Office led by Joe Joaquin and Peter Steere.