A Tohono O’odham Family Integrates Catholic and Native Beliefs in the Arizona Desert
- Many members of the Tohono O’odham Nation maintain both Catholic and Native beliefs passed down since the late 17th century.
- The integration of Catholicism and O’odham life is seen as strengthening connections to faith and community.
- Members of the Tohono O’odham Nation incorporate Catholic and Native beliefs within their families and homes, reflecting a blend of both faiths.
- The relationship between Catholicism and Native spirituality has a history marked by violence and oppression.
32 Articles
32 Articles

A Tohono O’odham family integrates Catholic and Native beliefs in the Arizona desert
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — On St. John the Baptist’s feast day in late June, an extended Tohono O’odham family attends Mass out at their desert camp…

A Tohono O'odham family integrates Catholic and Native beliefs in the Arizona desert
The history of encounters between Catholicism and Native spirituality has often been marred by violence and oppression. But many Tohono O’odham families hold onto both faith traditions in the remote desert at the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. On St. John the Baptist’s…
A Tohono O'odham Family Integrates Catholic and Native Beliefs in the Arizona Desert
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — On St. John the Baptist’s feast day in late June, an extended Tohono O’odham family attends Mass out at their desert camp, where they gather to harvest saguaro fruit in a process sacred in their Native spirituality.
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