Ak-Chin O'odham Runner - Ak-Chin Indian Community

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4 October 7 - 20, 20114John Janzen, Geographic Information Sepcialist, gives a presentation on thedepartment during the Community Meeting.September Community MeetingStory & Photo by R. MiguelThe September Community Meetingfeatured presentations from; John Janzen,Geographic Information Specialist(GIS), Capital Projects Project ManagerJeffrey Yazzie, Ak-Chin Tribal PlannerBart Smith, and Joy James from theEducation Outside the Box program.Janzen and GIS staff member,Shauna Rae Brown, are both part of theCapital Projects Department. Duringhis presentation, Janzen describedGIS’ duties, which included numerousproposals, collection of underneathdata such as where certain piping,electrical, and other infrastructure itemsthat may need mapping are located.Through a PowerPoint presentation,Jansen showcased programs they arecurrently working with and it benefitsthe community.According to Janzen, GIS is acollection of layers and different data,which includes; streets, addresses,land features, aerial photos, utilities,background information, design filesand others. GIS takes features and stacksthem together through layers whichcreates maps. Property line location isanother job GIS performs; it allows themto locate boundary and proper propertylining which is stored into data throughGIS.Site planning is another item thatis highly requested by departments.“Before a project is begun, we share ourinformation with contractors and othersthat need to identify where certain itemsare located,” Janzen said. “These itemsinclude underground utility lines, waterlines, and other items of interest.”Other duties of GIS includes assigningaddresses to new homes or buildingwithin the community boundaries, GISrecently was responsible for assigningan addresses for the new Waste WaterReclamation Facility. Council Memberscommended GIS for a job well done fortheir mapping work on distributed landsthe community inherited in the VekolValley.Yazzie discussed the Bureau ofIndian Affairs (BIA) Agent HouseRestoration Project. Yazzie gave a slidepresentation which showed past andcurrent pictures of the home which sitson seven acres on the corner of FarrellRoad and Thomas Street. Yazzie gavea brief history of the house which wasbuilt in June of 1925 and the estimatedcost was $1,469. The house was built bythe Ak-Chin labor force and served bothas a residential facility and head startfacility of community children.In 2003, Capital Projects wasdesignated by Tribal Council to getfeedback from a survey of communitymembers on their thoughts of whatshould be done to the BIA home.Members wanted the home to stay “asis” and to serve as a museum and exhibitwithin the community. Throughout thepast few years, the project has receivedsome minor restoring and a chain likedfence was placed around the facility.One of the major changes thus farhas been the placement of a new roof,which was of much need. Because themain plan of the home will be an exhibit,more touch ups such as; drainage,stability, landscaping, and electrical andsanitation restoration; need to be donebefore it is open for public viewing.Parking will also be another projectthat will be included in the plans forrestoration. Capital Projects hopes tobegin construction in December of thisyear and have a completion date of Aprilof 2012.On behalf of the Ak-Chin Men’sGroup, Planning Department’s BartSmith touched on the “Waila Project”which will renovate the old dance floor,located at the former San Juan ChurchFeast grounds near the home of DavidWhite, Jr to help celebrate the Articlesof Association and Mas:ik Tas. Thegroup was approached by communityleaders and asked to revitalize the olddance floor and grounds. For the pastfew months, the group has been meetingand coming up with ideas on how toapproach the assigned project.The group recently began clean upin the area and has begun to come upwith plans on what is needed to make theproject a success. The group expandedthe site to give it more room to grow andto move traffic in and out of the area.During meetings with elders for input,the topic of security was of main concernbecause of the existing homes that arearound the area. Because of a shorttime frame, phases were implemented,phase one consists of tending to parkingissues and facelift of the dance floor,which will done with a joint effort fromthe Maintenance Department and Men’sGroup.“We wanted to kind of emulatewhat was once out there,” Smith said.“Therefore we want to leave the dancefloor exactly where it is located now.Because it is an open area and there areno set ups as far as seating and booths,we will allow vendors and spectators toset up their chairs and tents around thearea during the dance.”The site of the old San Juan Churchmay possibly have a monument set up;discussion and planning are still ongoing. Therefore, a temporary crossmay be placed in the area during thescheduled dance in December. For theevent, portable restrooms will be placedand utility services will be implementedby the community. The dance floorproject will most likely begin sometimethis month with a completion date inNovember or December.James of the Outside the BoxProgram introduced the StrengtheningFamilies project that her program isplanning. The program that will beoffered in the community would helpfamilies communicate with each other;and focus on kids between the ages of 10to 14. The program will have four sevenweek sessions; each session is going tobe two and a half hours long and willfocus on communication exercises andteamwork.Sessions will give parents andchildren more of an opportunity to learnabout each other’s problems that theymay wish to share with each other. At theconclusion of the program a graduationwill be held involving both parents andchildren. Because the program is still inthe planning stages, more informationwill be given to the public of when theprogram will begin.Following the presentations,Council addressed community issuesthat included; Federal lawsuit issuesfor the right of ways, which are nearcompletion, the community is stillawaiting information from Countyofficials. Land into Trust for the SouthernDunes golf course and Industrial parkwas discussed. Improvements on theSouthern Dunes cart paths, which wascompleted, will entice golfers goinginto the new season this month.A second White Shell Buildingand the improvements of the run wayat the Phoenix Regional Airport on theIndustrial Park grounds were discussed.Harrah’s will be releasing “old bedsets” which community members canreceive once an “assets give away” isset up. The proposed movie theatre/bowling alley/game room/amphitheatreis moving forward, Ultra Star will bemanaging the movie theatre. A plannedbusiness center will allow communitymembers who may be seeking theirown retail business venture can look toutilize the center by leasing a buildingin the center.The community is looking to breakground in quarter four of this year withconstruction to follow immediatelyafter. A completion date of the project isslated for quarter four of 2012.Other topics discussed were; Grantsfor a Language Building, CulturalBuilding construction, Judicial SystemComplex, possible water distribution toan Arizona Indian Community, VekolMarket progress (building completion isstill on schedule), temporary/permanentjob opportunities and training forcommunity members, upcoming Stateand National elections and Mas:ik Tasupdates.Next Community MeetingMonday, November 28, 20116 pm - 8 pm atAk-Chin Service Center
5 October 7 - 20, 20115Ak-Chin Men’s Group focus of September GatheringStory and photo by Kris MoragoAt most Community Gatherings,the women outnumber men, but atSeptember’s Gathering, men not onlyoutnumbered the women, they weresome of the presenters. With a near fullhouse of attendees, Cultural Resourcesmanager Carol Antone opened theevening with a welcome, introducingthe topic of Cultural Awareness.In the era of where many tribaltraditions and culture are being lost,Antone sees, “Cultural Resources role isbringing some of that back.” By sharingsome of the information tonight, sherealizes that “there’s still a lot to do,”and it “depends on every one of us,”to make sure the O’odham traditioncontinues.A blessing by Connie Narcia wasnext, and everyone enjoyed an Indian tacodinner. Elders were graciously servedby the younger members attending. IrisSmith shared a delicious and “healthy”chocolate cake for dessert.Language Preservation CoordinatorVelacita Lopez began the Gatheringby sharing a power point which firstcovered O’odhamac. “O’odhamac is noteasy,” she said, “the things you do reflecton your family’s future generations.”Lopez added, “Elders say if you learn it,you have to live it, and the consequencesare on you.”The presentation touched on thetopic that is not often shared or talkedabout, the responsibility and importanceof maintaining the O’odham balance ofHarmony. Attendees learned and werereminded as O’odham; we have withineach of us the power to direct our livesfor ourselves and future generations. Butto maintain that balance begins whenwe are infants and are given the clay,which sets our tribal rite of passage.It was explained at the Gathering thatwhile giving of the clay must be done;Ak-Chin Men’s Group (from left to right): Duane Antone, Gabe Lopez, LuisRhodas, Marco Thompson, Rufus White, Dennis Antone, Raymond Whitman,Roy Lewis and Danny Soliz, Jr.there are those that never received it,and although may appear fine, cannotbe completely balanced in their Life.Failure to receive the clay will havenegative impacts on family, and possibleother negative consequences. The clayrite of passage is still encouraged evenas an adult if it was never given, as itprovides strength in one’s ability to dealwith negativity in their life...The audience was remindeddecisions made by an O’odham arenever necessarily only about self,but rather for their family and futuregenerations. “What we do today willaffect future generations,” Lopez said. Itis something that is the primary focus ofthe Cultural Resources Program. Whilethere are laws which Cultural Resourcesabide by to protect the Community’sresources, the department recognizesO’odhamac our traditional laws havegreater consequences. The group wasreminded that it is “abstract, you cannot touch and see it, but it does comeback to remind us of who we are.”The topic also included the rites ofpassage for both young men and womenwhen they reach puberty. At those times,they both have their own ceremoniesbut during those times, the Women andMen in the village meet with them andtell them about their responsibilities.This introduced the next topic, whichwas sharing the Traditional Roles ofO’odham Men.The department shared a power pointdescribing the current Ak-Chin Men’sGroup activities. The sharing startedat beginning from their first meetingsince they started meeting monthlysince July 2008. The goal of the groupis to help re-learn and encourage thetraditional leadership role of men in thecommunity.The Men’s Group participates in avariety of events and depending on the1.a.b.c.d.e.2.a.b.c.d.e.3.a.b.c.d.e.4.a.b.c.d.e.5.a.b.c.d.e.What does Him Dak meanOur way of lifeHappinessLife’s JourneyOur peopleThe landWhat Valley is the Ak-Chin IndianCommunity located inMaricopa ValleySanta Cruz ValleyHappy ValleyCasa Grande ValleyAk-Chin ValleyAk-Chin is an O’odham wordmeaningpeople of the desertplace where the wash loses itselfin the groundplace of our homeland of our peopleour ancestor’s landIn what year did U.S. PresidentTaft make Ak-Chin an officialcommunity19191912197519991900There are approximately howmany members in the Ak-ChinIndian Community1,0005,0002,00010,000100,000Answers on page 12Ak-Chin Triviaactivity, the groups have been both largeand small. They have helped preparethe BBQ for the Masik Tas and Unityrun, gathered traditional plant materialsfor Elders and basket makers, assist inburials, gather fire wood, and clean uptraditional areas. The group participatedin the Tamale and Tortilla classes offeredby Cultural Resources to make the fireand keep it going for the cooking. Inthe past the men have primarily beenresponsible for keeping the fire goingfor the cooking and warmth at feastsin their community. A reward is beingable to taste test the tamales and takesome tortillas home. The Young Men’sgatherings also allowed for some toexperience and learn the traditionalprocess of butchering a cow.Councilman Gabe Lopez spoke,and gave further detail of the activities.Some of the meetings are presenters ondifferent subjects, community projects,and preparation of food for communityevents.He also introduced the membersin attendance. Each took time to sharea little about themselves and whatthey’ve learned from the experiencesin understanding their role as menand caretakers of the Community.Sharing from the Men’s Group, wereLuis “Hoppy” Rodas, Dennis Antone,Raymond Whitman, Marco “Nano”Thompson, Roy Lewis, and RufusWhite. There were other members whowere not in attendance but have beeninvolved in most of the Men’s Groupactivities.6.a.b.c.d.e.7.a.b.c.d.e.8.a.b.c.d.e.9.a.b.c.d.e.How many members are there onTribal Council7105320Who is the Chairperson of TribalCouncilDelia CarlyleGabriel LopezLouis Manuel, Jr.Terry EnosWilliam AntoneOn the official seal what does thelightning representinspiration and energy to upholdthe ideals of the communityour belief in a brighter tomorrowexcitement for all in thecommunityunity in the communitythat community members areNative AmericanIn what year was the TribalCouncil established1974196119121999190010. As one of the largest farmingcommunities in the U.S. Ak-Chinharvest how many acresa. 15,000b. 5,000c. 10,000d. 500e. 30,000
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Ak-Chin O'odham Runner - Ak-Chin Indian Community

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