Archaeology on the Desert River: Cultural Resource Management on the Gila River Indian Community

2016 Southwest Symposium Poster.
The Gila River Indian Community (GRIC), home of the Akimel O’odham and Pee Posh tribes, is situated in south-central Arizona. Increasing levels of development on the Community and a desire to oversee Cultural and Heritage Resource planning within the Community prompted the GRIC to establish a Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO) as well as a Cultural Resource Management Program (CRMP). For more than twenty years the CRMP staff has been comprised of a blend of Native and non-Native archaeologists in field, lab, and administrative positions. This collaboration between Community members and non-Community members has allowed for a richer, more comprehensive understanding of the abundant cultural resources located on the GRIC. The development of CRMP has also led to the ability to offer specialized services to other agencies outside of the Community across the state and across the country, making the program unique among tribal archaeology departments.