Su:Dagi/ Shu:Thag: Rekindling Our Connections

This rotating exhibit is open through June 2026

Su:dagi/Shu:thag: Rekindling Our Connections examines the Akimel O’odham’s (River People) longstanding relationship with water and focuses on the intersection between the politics of water rights and the celebration of traditional agricultural knowledge.

The exhibit invites the viewer to take a journey regarding the history of Akimel O’odham’s relationship with water. The exhibit begins with the Huhugam, Ancestral O’odham, that started it all by making the Salt River Valley habitable through their expertise in canal systems and irrigation agriculture. Then it transitions to ongoing battles in water rights litigations resulting from the challenges of modernity. The exhibit concludes with a hopeful look towards the future as younger generations of Akimel O’odham promote healing in their communities by embodying stewardship for traditional knowledge and maintaining their cultural connection to water. 

See this exhibit during regular museum hours.