[Source: Carmen Duarte, Daily Star] --The grand opening of the Tohono O'odham Nation Cultural Center & Museum kicks off with two days of festivities starting Friday in the community of Topawa. Priceless artifacts dating back 5,000 years up to modern-day pieces will be showcased in the nation's $15.2 million state-of-the-art complex. Arrowheads, pottery and agricultural tools that were unearthed in archaeological digs and now rest in Arizona museums are returning to the O'odham, or the "Desert People". "Not only will the legacy of our past be celebrated, but the future survival of our heritage will be practiced through the interactive programs and events planned by the staff," outgoing Tohono O'odham Nation Chairwoman Vivian Juan-Saunders said in a news release. "We embrace our past, honor our survival and prepare to meet tomorrow's challenges with the same spirit as our ancestors." Last week, the museum staff was working to prepare artifacts and complete exhibits for Friday's opening (pictured). Among them were Allison Francisco, the museum's visiting curator, who was building an exhibit that included a roundhouse and a ramada. She made an adobe base and worked on the exhibit with mud, straw, mesquite and creosote. She worked within the 38,000-square-foot complex nestled in desert with the sacred Baboquivari Peak as a backdrop. The O'odham creator, I'itoi, is said to live in a cave on the 7,730-foot mountain where O'odham make pilgrimages and pray to their creator. The complex includes a community cultural and educational center with artist studios for a residency program, a special-collections cultural archive and two repositories for artifacts. Outside are an open amphitheater, a covered patio and a storytelling circle. At the entrance of the museum, guests will receive both O'odham and English greetings that will air on a rotating video display.
[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Kelly Presnell, Daily Star.]
