Development and Sites of the Papago Villages of Arizona and Sonora

Abstract

political control is exorcised through tho appropriate nativo official. In this way the foreign control is less likely to provoke opposition and yet bo able to achieve its ends—tho ordered development of Nigerin for the Nigerians. Apart from agriculture Northern Nigeria has rathor limited resources. Of these allnviol tin doposits in tho Bauehi Platoau aro tho most important and constitute the main export commodity. Under the present regime, largely through tho building of railways, production has been facilitated, and the country ranks fourth in world output. The British have boon able to establish ii·. Northorn Nigeria a successful system of colonial government hasod upon tho use of indigenous institutions which havo been evolved over a long period of timo and which are closely adapted to environmental conditions. Many pi-obloms remain, but an orderod existence has been mado possible and economic development is boing fostered along lines host suited to native intorcsts and géographie conditions . Development and Sites of the Papago Villages of Arizona and Sonora J. w. HOOVER State 'Poachers Collego, Tempe, Arizona The Pnpago Indians, numbering about 5.500, arc almost tho solo occupants of about 5000 square miles of desert country in southwestern Arizona anil northern Sonora. They have beon noteworthy for their Ability to maintain self support and practico agriculture in an area uncovotod by tho white man and with rainfall considerably below that usually considered the sustenance level. The present villages may be traced to about twelve commun centers from which now communities havo boon established over nrens coinciding fairly well with tho lnrgor physical units of the region. Tho villago sites are determined èhiofly by two sets of factors centering upon a dependable supply of water, for drinking and domestic purposes, and by tho distribution of tracts with a combination of soil and moisture conditions making cultivation possible. Until recently these two factors woro almost nowhere to bo found togethor, and inter-villngo migrations wore necessitated. Tho two typos of villages may be geographically designated as "piedmont or mountain villages," and "plains villages." The first wore formerly the moro important, being located at springs or on sandy washes leading from tho mountains and carrying underground wator. Favorable soils are found only on the open plains where flood waters can be spread from the shallow washes, local fans or the intersections of drainage channels . The names of most Papago villages are suggestive of their situations. Sinking of wolls by tho United Statos Indian Service, combined with a tendency to shift to a grazing economy, has reversed the relative importanco of plains and piedmont villages. The cattle industry has seomod most promising as a moans of support, but in tho occasional severo and protracted droughts, such as bas been experienced in tho last two years, many thousands of the cattle porish from starvation or thirst and the herds are reducod to tho lowest terms. But for tho government program providing employment, these Indians would bo in a critical situation at the present timo. (23) ...