TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) 鈥� On in late June, an extended Tohono O鈥檕dham family attends Mass out at their desert camp, where they gather to in a process sacred in their Native spirituality.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e raised as being a Catholic and raised as being an O鈥檕dham, you have both of those within your home, you have both of those within your family,鈥� said Maria Francisco. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 a combination.鈥�
With her cousin, Tanisha Tucker Lohse, and about three dozen other family members and friends, Francisco worshipped at the early morning Mass in a ramada 鈥� a canopy topped with saguaro ribs to provide shade, this one decorated with paper flowers. A folding table covered by a white and gold tablecloth served as an altar. A priest visited from Tucson to celebrate the Mass.
A statuette of St. John the Baptist stood by a bunch of fresh flowers, candles and burning desert sage in lieu of incense. There also were photographs of Tucker鈥檚 late mom and their great-great-aunt, known as 鈥淕randma Juanita,鈥� whose advocacy preserved the camp. Juana is Spanish for Jane, so she celebrated her name day on St. John's and the family is continuing the tradition.
A dozen cross-shaped saguaro fruit-picking poles leaned behind the table. Made from saguaro ribs, they're used to hook the fruits and push or pull them down from the towering plants.
The history of encounters between has often been marred by violence and oppression. But many members of the Tohono O鈥檕dham Nation hold onto both faith traditions as they were passed down since the late 17th century, when an Italian-born , the Rev. Eusebio Kino, introduced Christianity to these remote deserts in what now are the U.S.-Mexico .
鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 the lived consequence of trying to do Catholicism on their own,鈥� said Seth Schermerhorn, a Hamilton College professor who studies Indigenous adoption of Christian practices.
Many O鈥檕dham villages have mission churches, though a shortage of priests means regular Mass is a rarity. The Rev. Aro Varnabas came from his parish, Saint Kateri, to celebrate this service.
鈥淢aking people feel connected to God through the things they鈥檙e familiar with, that鈥檚 what I see,鈥� he said.
Michael Enis, who works for the O鈥檕dham鈥檚 San Xavier鈥檚 district 鈥� home to one of the most beautifully decorated colonial Catholic churches in the Southwest, San Xavier del Bac 鈥� brought his three young children.
He sees a special kinship between his nation and Jesus鈥� cousin, who lived off the desert, calling for repentance at the risk of his life, and baptized Christ himself in the Jordan River.
鈥淵ou connect the story of St. John and O鈥檕dham life, and you鈥檙e stronger for it,鈥� Enis said.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP鈥檚 with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Giovanna Dell'orto, The Associated Press
