Quail Creek residents and friends share a moment with traditional flood irrigation Tohono O’odham farm team. The red monolith in the background is a Double Master II edible tepary bean harvesting combine.
Ron and Vicki Sullivan
“Many miles away from where we are now, I saw the dark storm clouds forming over the Baboquivari Mountains. Within minutes our entire 57 acre ak chin farmland was under water.” As alarming as Vernal Sam’s description of that summer day sounded, his face remained stoic and steadfast. For Vernal this was really the beginning of understanding ak chin or flood-based irrigation farming. The three holding ponds near Cowlic on the Tohono O’odham Reservation would soon be filled to their brims with the rushing monsoon rains.
There is a new generation of Tohono O’odham ak chin farmers. Vernal Sam, Anthony Francisco and farm manger Noland Johnson shared their knowledge of traditional farm practices with 12 gardeners from the Ogden and Desert Meadows community gardens on January 13, 2015. Nine of the 12 gardeners are Quail Creek residents.
When Noland joined the Tohono O’odham staff in 2002, he had never planted a garden, much less a farm. Today he manages the Ak Chin farm in Cowlic. “I like being able to learn new things and the freedom to experiment,” says Noland.
Aspiring farmer Vernal Sam said, “The physical labor came easily.” Like many Tohono O’odhams, he helped out on his uncle’s cattle ranch as a kid, bringing in cash when his family needed it and he helped his grandfather plant traditional tepary beans and squash seeds in the brown clay soil. What felt different about his new farm apprentice job was the sense of possibility within the bounds of the reservation.
The community gardeners got a firsthand look at monsoon farming, a traditional return to Tohono O’odham agriculture. Although traditional, much of the day-to-day operations require some modern machinery. Next to the four acres of ready to harvest white tepary beans stood a two story farm monolith. Shown in the group’s photo, the Double Master II edible bean harvesting combine does most of the harvest work. Noland says, “Hand labor is still used for getting the crop to market.”
Following the tour the gardeners returned to Sells to savor traditional foods at the Desert Rain Café. Following lunch, co-founder, President and CEO of Tohono O’odham Community Action (TOCA) Terrol Dew Johnson greeted the guests with words of thanks and appreciation.
For more information about TOCA go to www.tocaonline.org.