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Tucson, Arizona's rich tri-cultural identity, stemming from ancient Native American, Hispanic and pioneer traditions, has helped shape the Old Pueblo into a vibrant, thriving Southwest community. But the deepest-running roots of Tucson's heritage - those of the ancient, desert-dwelling Tohono O'odham tribe - were the first to influence the land that would become Tucson.

Thousands of years ago, the O'odham people's ancestors - the Hohokam - settled along the Santz Cruz River in Southern Arizona and expertly planted river floodplains to nourish crops like beans, squash and corn. Today's Tohono O'odham - meaning "People of the Desert" - are still expert desert inhabitants, farming native foods and gathering natural desert ingredients like cholla cactus buds, saguaro flowers and mesquite beans.

While Tucson's culinary culture celebrates the foods of the desert first used by the Tohono O'odham, it is the tribe's remarkable craft artistry that best preserves its ancient heritage. Best known for their intricate and beautiful hand-woven basketry, the Tohono O'odham harvest bear grass, yucca and devil's claw to weave the complex, colorful creations.

Tucson is steeped in Native American or tribal culture - from museums and missions, to art shops and restaurants. For a taste of the traditions of the Old Pueblo's first inhabitants, delve into Tucson's American Indian offerings. Pick and choose your customized Native American experience from the attractions, museums and sites listed below. Or visit www.visitTucson.org/daytrips for a recommended two-day journey through Southern Arizona's American Indian offerings.

Arizona State Museum
University of Arizona, 1013 E. University Blvd.
Tucson, AZ 85721
Phone: 520-621-6302
Web Site: www.statemuseum.arizona.edu

Arizona State Museum is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution and is the oldest, largest anthropology museum in the region. ASM introduces visitors to the native cultures of the Southwest, and is renowned for its excellence in preserving, interpreting and presenting the material culture of our region. The people of the state of Arizona have many reasons to be proud of this unique treasure. This amazing facility is the oldest and largest anthropology museum in the Southwest, established in 1893. It holds the world's largest whole-vessel collection of Southwest Indian pottery (20,000 specimens) and houses more than 150,000 catalogued archaeological and ethnographic artifacts; a quarter of a million photographic negatives and original prints; and 70,000 volumes including many rare and hard-to-find titles.

Native Seeds/SEARCH
526 N. 4th Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85705
(520) 622-5561
Web Site: www.NativeSeeds.org

Native Seeds/SEARCH is a non-profit organization that seeks to preserve the crop seeds that connect Native American cultures to their lands. Through seed conservation and community interaction, Native Seeds works to protect crop biodiversity and to celebrate cultural diversity. The organization's Seedband warehouse stores the seeds of crops and wild plants traditionally used by native cultures of the U.S. Southwest and northwestern Mexico as food, fiber and dyes, for use by future generations.

Tohono O'odham Nation Cultural Center and Museum
Fresnal Canyon Road, Topawa, Arizona
Phone: 520-383-0201
Web Site: www.tonation-nsn.gov/cultural_center_museum.aspx

The new Tohono O'odham Nation Cultural Center and Museum opened in June 2007. The 38,000-square-foot, $15.2 million facility is located just 70 miles from Tucson in a desert landscape with the sacred Baboquivari Peak as a backdrop. The museum features an extensive collection of basketry, pottery, historic and contemporary photos, and two climate controlled repositories -- an 1,800-square-foot archival repository for maps, photos and manuscripts, and an artifact repository for archeological, art and ethnographic collections. An eight-foot glass window engraved with the man in the maze design is a feature of the Elder Center located on the property. This is the only facility of its kind open to the public on the Tohono O'odham Nation, offering an intimate glimpse into Tohono O'odham life. A retail store on-site offers a wide variety of exclusive items including one-of-a-kind works by Tohono O'odham artists, clothing imprinted with images by celebrated painter Mike Chiago, hand made baskets, traditional foods including rare saguaro syrup, jewelry, traditional music and Waila Band CDs, books by and about the Tohono O'odham and limited edition Pendleton blankets with Tohono O'odham basketry designs.

Mission San Xavier del Bac
1950 W. San Xavier Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85746
Phone: (520) 294-2624
Web Site: www.sanxaviermission.org

"The White Dove of the Desert." Located nine miles south of Tucson in the Santa Cruz Valley on the Tohono O'odham Reservation, the Mission is acclaimed as the finest example of mission architecture in the United States. San Xavier was built by the famed Jesuit missionary and explorer Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, who first visited Bac - "place where the water appears" - in 1692. The foundation for the first Bac church, located two miles north of the present Mission, was laid in 1700. The present church - an active parish - was built from 1783-1797, and is currently open every day of the year, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Amerind Foundation
P.O. Box 400
Dragoon, AZ 85609
Phone: 520-586-3666
Web Site: www.amerind.org

Located in spectacular Texas Canyon in the Little Dragoon Mountains of southeastern Arizona, the Amerind houses one of the finest private collections of Native American art and artifacts in the country. Established in 1937, the Amerind Foundation and Museum seeks to foster and promote knowledge and understanding of the Native Peoples of the Americas through research, education and conservation. The Amerind experience is more than art and artifacts. At times, Amerind visitors will find Indian artists demonstrating their skills in the museum's main gallery, and special events and openings are a periodic feature on the Amerind calendar. Special events and programs seek to present a Native perspective. Amerind's Fulton-Hayden Memorial Art Gallery features works on western themes by such artists as Carl Oscar Borg, William Leigh, Frederic Remington and Andy Tsihnahjinnie. One room in the Art Gallery is dedicated to the works of indigenous artists. Here, the exhibits - mostly by contemporary artists - change every six months to a year.

Fort Bowie
3203 S. Old Fort Bowie Rd.
Bowie, AZ 85605
Phone: 520-847-2500
Web Site: www.nps.gov/fobo

For more than 30 years, Fort Bowie and Apache Pass were the focal point of military operations in the Southwest, eventually culminating in the surrender of Geronimo in 1886 and the banishment of the Chiricahuas to Florida and Alabama. It was the site of the Bascom Affair, a wagon train massacre, and the battle of Apache Pass, where a large force of Chiricahua Apaches under Mangus Colorados and Cochise fought the California Volunteers. Along the three-mile round trip hike around the site, visitors can see several important sites, including the remains of the Butterfield Stage Station; the Post Cemetery; a replica of a Chiricahua Apache Camp; and Apache Spring, which still provides water to the Fort area.

The Desert Diamond Casino Hotel
7350 S Nogales Hwy
Operated by the Tohono O'odham Gaming Enterprise
Phone: 520-294-7777
Web Site: www.desertdiamondcasino.com

Tucson's Desert Diamond Casino - Southern Arizona's first casino hotel - officially opened its doors in late December 2007. The 150,000-square-foot hotel is part of a $90 million expansion project that also included a new 120,000-square-foot casino. The new casino features 998 slot machines, 24 Blackjack tables, 25 poker tables, a 500-seat Bingo Hall and a 35-seat Keno area. Non-smokers can enjoy fresh air in the new smoke free gaming area. The hotel boasts a premium steakhouse, a buffet restaurant, a 200-seat nightclub featuring monthly live acts, and even a fast food venue for those in a hurry. The hotel's rooms range from standard level to Executive Suites, which feature a whirlpool garden tub, a wet bar and separate living and sleeping quarters. The hotel itself includes an outdoor pool, fitness center, four 40-person-capacity meeting rooms, and a banquet hall that accommodates up to 400 people and comes equipped with state-of-the-art audio / video technology.

Feast your senses on Tucson's Native American Heritage, and take some home, too! Many renowned galleries specializing in American Indian arts and crafts throughout the city offer opportunities to purchase their products. Bahti Indian Arts (520-577-0290) is owned and run by Mark Bahti, son of the man who literally wrote the book on American Indian art, Tom Bahti. Since 1952, his store has sold high-quality jewelry, pottery, rugs, art and more. Mark Sublette's Medicine Man Gallery (520-722-7798) specializes in the life work of famed western painter Maynard Dixon, as well as antique American Indian art, early Western paintings and contemporary works. Below is a descriptive list of Tucson's best spots for admiring and selecting a piece of the Native American culture to call your own.

Bahti Indian Arts
4330 N. Campbell Ave., Ste. 73
Tucson, AZ 85718
Phone: 520-577-0290
Web Site: www.bahti.com

Tom Bahti began his career in Indian arts in 1949. After graduating from the University of New Mexico he opened Tom Bahti Indian Arts in 1952. In 1966 he authored the first general introduction to the work of artists of the region. Entitled Southwest Indian Arts and Crafts, it was the first of a trilogy of books - Southwest Indian Tribes and Southwest Indian Ceremonials, which together have sold over a million copies, and were revised and expanded by his son in 1977. His son, Mark Tomas Bahti, took over upon Tom's death in 1972 and continues to run the store, working with many of the same artists and craftspeople who traded with his father. In some cases he is seeing work by the great-great grandchildren of artisans who sold to his father. Bahti Indian Arts offers an array of authentic Native American items including katsinas, baskets, fetishes, pottery and more. To feed the hunger for more information about this amazing culture, choose from a wide variety of literature on the topic as well.

Grey Dog Trading Company
Email: greydog@greydogtrading.com
Phone: 520-881-6888
Web Site: www.greydogtrading.com

The selections in this gallery reflect the owners' love of high quality, handmade Native art focusing primarily on southwestern tribes, including Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, Santa Clara and Santo Domingo, among others. Here visitors find exceptional Hopi katsina dolls (kachina dolls) by artists such as Dennis Tewa, Ros George, Robert Albert, Arthur Holmes, Jr. and Brian Honyouti. The store carries exclusively Zuni fetishes, and includes the names and family associations of all the carvers. Famous Navajo weaver Barbara Teller Ornelas shows her fine tapestries at Grey Dog, and the store also shows hand-coiled pottery by a range of talented artists including Alice Cling and the Folwell/Naranjo family, as well as many noted miniaturists. The Navajo and Pueblo jewelry is carefully selected for originality and beauty.

DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun
6300 N. Swan Rd. Tucson, AZ 85718
Lance Laber, Executive Director
Phone: 520-299-9191
Web Site: www.degrazia.org

Tucson's legendary landmark of art and architecture, created by Ted DeGrazia, features Southwestern paintings, ceramics, bronzes, serigraphs, lithographs and more by the world-acclaimed artist. Explore the 13-room adobe gallery, Mission in the Sun and cactus courtyard on DeGrazia's 10-acre Foothills retreat.

Steve Getzwiller's "Nizhoni Ranch Gallery"
P.O. Box 815
Sonoita, AZ 85637
Phone: 520-455-5020
Email: getzwiller@gmail.com
Web Site: www.navajorug.com

Nizhoni means "beautiful place" in Navajo. The Gallery offers the finest in contemporary and historic Navajo weaving and other select American Indian art forms, including baskets, pottery, katchinas, jewelry and more. Steve Getzwiller is a leading authority on Navajo textiles. He has been a collector, trader and collaborative innovator of Navajo weaving for more than 35 years. Visit the Gallery's website to view representation of available weavings.

Morning Star Traders, Inc.
2020 E. Speedway Blvd.
Tucson, AZ 85719
Phone: 520-881-2112
Email: morningstar@theriver.com
Web Site: www.morningstartraders.com

Morning Star is one of the oldest dealers of antique American Indian art and Spanish Colonial furniture in Tucson. The two stores - Morning Star Antiques and Morning Star Traders - are centrally located on Speedway Blvd., just East of Campbell Ave. Both stores boast a large stock of antique and contemporary Southwestern jewelry, American Indian pots, rugs, blankets, baskets, artwork, and one of the finest selections of colonial Spanish furniture in Tucson.

Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery
Email: art@medicinemangallery.com
Phone: 520-722-7798
Tollfree: 800-422-9382
Web Site: www.medicinemangallery.com

A love of Maynard Dixon's art got Medicine Man Gallery owner Dr. J. Mark Sublette into the art business. But it was being exposed to pueblo pottery (his parents were research scientists and art collectors, too) when he was growing up in New Mexico that stoked his love of art. Sublette specializes in Maynard Dixon, Taos Society Founders, Maria Martinez, Native American antiquities and nationally acclaimed Southwestern contemporary painters and sculptors, including works by Cowboy Artists of America. Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery is a Tucson "must-see."

Mac's Indian Jewelry, Inc.
Phone: 520-327-3306
Email: macsindian2@aol.com
Web Site: www.macsindianjewelry.com

Mac's Indian Jewelry is a family-owned and -operated business that has served the Tucson area for more than 30 years. Located at 2400 E. Grant Road, Mac's takes pride in not only the quality of its products, but also in the very personal service they offer their customers. Visit Mac's website for more information.

Indian Village
Phone: 520-623-1162
Email: indianvillage@earthlink.net

Conveniently located in the colorful La Placita Plaza in downtown Tucson, Indian Village is a third-generation business serving the Old Pueblo for more than 30 years. Indian Village offers Native American jewelry, arts and crafts, and Southwestern souvenirs. Visitors are sure to find perfect gift or collectible.

Gallery West
Phone: 520-529-7002
Email: gallerywest@aol.com
Web Site: www.indianartwest.com

Located in the posh foothills of the Catalina Mountains just north of Tucson, Gallery West specializes in very high-end Native American artifacts (mostly pre-1940s) such as New Mexico Pueblo pots, Apache and Pima baskets, 19th-century Plains Indian beadwork, Navajo weavings and katsinas. Beautiful and authentic contemporary and vintage jewelry can also be found at this unique Tucson treasure.

Native American Events in Tucson and Southern Arizona:
Celebrating the beauty and spirit of the Native American cultural experience

New Year's Competition Powwow - January
Organizer: North American Indian Information and Trade Center
Location: Rillito Park Race Track, 4502 N 1st Ave. Tucson, AZ 85718
Phone: 520-622-4900
Website: www.usaindianinfo.org

Dozens of tribal nations from North America gather in Tucson every January for the New Year's Competition Powwow. Dancers, drummers and singers in colorful outfits perform in contests and exhibitions. Dancers include Yaqui Deer Dancers from southern Arizona, Hopi Tribal Dancers from northeastern Arizona, and the Nahui Ollin Aztec Dancers from Mexico. All participants join in the Midnight Friendship Round Dance on New Year's Eve. There is also an Indian Craft Market, a children's activity area, a tee-pee village, a birds-of-prey exhibit, indigenous-food vendors, and information booths. Camera and video photography are allowed for personal use only. The event takes place on New Year's weekend.

American Indian Exposition - February
Organizer: North American Indian Information and Trade Center
Location: Flamingo Hotel Ballroom, 1300 N Stone Ave. Tucson, AZ 85705
Phone: 520-622-4900
Website: www.usaindianinfo.org

The American Indian Exposition is part of the Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase. This "gem show" is a marketplace of merchandise created by Native American artists that normally includes everything from jewelry, basketry, pottery, blankets and paintings, to musical instruments (such as flutes and drums), masks, and all sizes of dreamcatchers. Prices range from a few dollars for a child's flute to thousands of dollars for a bronze sculpture. There are daily demonstrations by artists who make and sell their work on site, social dancing exhibitions and live music on weekends, and food vendors. This event occurs on the last Sunday of January through the second Sunday of February.

Southwest Indian Art Fair - February
Organizer: Arizona State Museum, The University of Arizona
Location: Arizona State Museum, 1013 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85721
Phone: 520-621-4523
Website: www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/events/swiaf/swiaf.shtml

The Southwest Indian Art Fair is presented by Arizona State Museum, the oldest and largest anthropology museum in the Southwest, established in 1893. This two-day fair takes place under tents on the museum's grassy grounds and is geared for serious shoppers and collectors of high-quality artworks. Shoppers can meet and buy directly from 200 of the finest Native American artists in the region. The merchandise includes pottery, Hopi kachina dolls, paintings, jewelry, baskets, rugs, blankets and much more. There are also artist demonstrations (such as a Navajo blanket weaver), traditional Native American foods, and music and dance performances. This event occurs in mid-February, about the same time as the Tucson Rodeo or La Fiesta de los Vaqueros.

Wa:k Powwow - March
Organizer: Tohono O'odham Nation
Location: Mission San Xavier del Bac, 1950 W. San Xavier Rd., Tucson, AZ 85734
Website: www.sanxaviermission.org

Native American dancing, drumming and singing are showcased at the Wa:k Powwow at Mission San Xavier del Bac. Although the Tohono O'odham Nation hosts the powwow, Native Americans from across the nation come to participate. Colorful costumes and headdresses, complete with delicate beadwork, feathers and hand stitching, adorn the many dancers competing for awards. Merchants sell traditional foods and crafts (the O'odham are well-known for their basket weaving). Photographs are generally not permitted during ceremonies; please ask for permission. This two-day event usually takes place in March and benefits the Tohono O'odham (Desert People) community at San Xavier, which has populated the Tucson area since prehistoric times.

Waila Festival - May
Organizer: Waila Committee and Arizona Historical Society
Location: Bear Down Field, University of Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ 85721
Phone: 520-628-5774
Admission: Free to public.
Website: www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org

The Arizona Historical Society presents the Waila Festival in May. This family-oriented festival celebrates the traditional, social dance music of the Tohono O'odham (Desert People) of Southern Arizona. Waila (pronounced why-la) music is a hybrid of popular European polka and waltzes with a variety of Mexican influences mixed in; it takes its name (waila) from the Spanish word for dance (baile). At the festival, spectators are invited to dance to toe-tapping waila (polka), chote (schottische), mazurka and cumbia tunes performed by O'odham bands. Traditional O'odham foods, such as cholla buds, red chile and tepary beans may be served.

Ha:san Bak, Saguaro Fruit Harvest Festival- July
Organizer: Colossal Cave Mountain Park
Location: La Posta Quemada Ranch, 16721 E. Old Spanish Trail, Vail, AZ 85641
Phone: 520-647-7121
Website: www.colossalcave.com

The Ha:san Bak Festival takes place between mid-June and the end of July, depending on the weather, when the ruby-red fruit of the saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) ripens. At an early-morning workshop in the desert, pre-registered participants harvest saguaro fruit; prepare and taste saguaro products; and learn about the cactus, its natural history, and uses by the Tohono O'odham (Desert People) of Southern Arizona. Afterward, the park opens to the public for a festival that normally includes an exhibition by rain dancers, basket-making demonstrations, and samples of freshly made saguaro syrup and other native foods. The saguaro cactus grows only in the Sonoran Desert region near the Arizona-Mexico border; harming one in any manner is illegal by state law in Arizona.

Children's Social Powwow - October
Organizer: Tucson Children's Museum
Location: Tucson Children's Museum, 200 S. 6th Ave., Tucson, AZ 85701
Phone: 520-792-9985
Admission: Free to public.
Website: http://www.tucsonchildrensmuseum.org

The Tucson Children's Museum hosts a powwow that it especially geared to children and their families. This one-day event provides fun, hands-on opportunities to learn about the diverse cultural traditions of Native American communities, both in Southern Arizona and across the United States. Children lead the celebration that includes exhibitions and contests of traditional dance, drumming, and inter-tribal singing by children wearing formal regalia. There are also various arts and crafts vendors and community information booths. Past powwows have included art workshops for children led by local Native American artists, a variety of hands-on activities promoting healthy lifestyles, and hands-on science and engineering activities.

Traditional American Indian Feast - October
Organizer: North American Indian Information and Trade Center
Location: San Xavier Plaza, 1959 San Xavier Rd., Tucson, Arizona 85734
Phone: 520-622-4900
Website: www.usaindianinfo.org/feast2.htm

The Traditional Native American Indian Feast takes place under the stars at San Xavier Plaza on the first Saturday in October. The Feast features a banquet of unique foods, live entertainment by Native American dancers and musicians, a silent auction of arts and crafts, and a presentation of two scholarships to promising youth. The program begins with a blessing ceremony, followed by a banquet of foods indigenous to distinct regions of the United States: Buffalo and salmon from the Northwest; Wild rice soup from the Great Lakes region; and cholla bud salad, prickly pear tea, saguaro cactus syrup, chili stew and Indian tamales from the Southwest. Seating is limited. Proceeds benefit the scholarship fund.

American Indian Heritage Month Social Powwow & Craft Market - November
Organizer: North American Indian Information and Trade Center
Location: Rillito Park Race Track, 4502 N 1st Ave. Tucson, AZ 85718
Phone: 520-622-4900
Website: www.usaindianinfo.org

On Thanksgiving weekend, native peoples from more than 50 North American tribes gather in Tucson for the Native American Month Social Powwow and Indian Craft Market. This bustling outdoor event includes exhibitions and contests of both traditional and contemporary ceremonial dancing, drumming and music. Merchants offer native foods and artworks, including handmade baskets from local San Xavier Tohono O'odham weavers. Exhibits like the birds-of-prey display and tribal information center promote awareness of a rich past. Many children's activities teach about native history, clothing, food and traditional practices. Admission discounts are offered for new, unwrapped toys. Camera and video photography are allowed for personal use only.