Caretakers of the Land: A Story of Farming and Community in San Xavier with Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan

Mar. 16, 4:00 PM (Virtual)

Farming has always been the way of life for the Tohono O’odham community in San Xavier, located just south of Tucson. Their way of life depended on access to the land and to the water, namely the Santa Cruz River, which nourished agriculture in the area for generations. But a history of division sown through government land allotments and land development plans, coupled with the declining flow of the Santa Cruz, fractured community farming. How did the community come together to revitalize the land for future generations? What lessons can we learn from their story? Join Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan for a program about land, water, and community in San Xavier.

Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan is Tohono O'odham and from the San Xavier District. She currently teaches in the Tohono O'odham Studies Program at Tohono O'odham Community College. Ramon-Sauberan is a Doctoral Candidate in American Indian Studies with a minor in Journalism at the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on the history of land and water in the San Xavier District and she has written for news publications across the US including Indian Country Today Media Network. Ramon-Sauberan is also an information specialist for the National Science Foundation’s AURA/NoirLab.

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This program series is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.