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Tohono O'odham - Arizona (U.S.)

Native American

image by Donald Healy, 1 February 2008

The band
The flag
Variant flags
2012-2015 twelve feather flag
Department of Education
Districts

See also:

The Band

map image by Peter Orenski based on input from Don Healy

Tohono O'odham - Arizona

The Tohono O'odham Nation occupies a vast 2.75 million acres in southern Arizona (NAA, 275) is the land of the Tohono O'odham or Desert People (TDAI). Formerly known as the Papago, a term derived from the Pima language phrase "Papahvio-otam" or "bean people", the Tohono O'odham lands encompass the second largest reservation in area in the United States.

The land of the Tohono O'odham is the Sonora Desert where life has always been hard. In the thousand years that the Tohono O'odham have lived in the region they have become experts at survival in a climate alien to most human beings. They have found a wealth of food in the form of cacti, gourds, beans, squash and other hardy plants (ENAT, 176-178).

Today the Tohono O'odham continue to engage in agriculture, subsistence ranching and mining, especially the sale and lease of mineral rights to copper mining concerns to support their living (GAI, 120-121).

The Flag

The flag of the Tohono O'odham reflects their reservation's topography and flora in a simple but effective way. The main element of the flag is the bicolor of yellow over purple (sample flag provided by "The Turquoise Turtle", Sells, AZ). In these colors one can see the sun breaking over a distant mesa, grown purple by the shadows of its own walls. One can also see the brilliance of the colors of the flowers of the Saguaro cactus, a major food source for the ancient Hohokam, the ancestors of the Tohono O'odham. Crossing this field on the obverse only is a red staff from which hang eleven feathers. These feathers stand for the eleven districts into which the huge reservation is divided.

Flags for the Tohono O'odham Nation were made on the reservation and came in the full range of sizes. The local shop (The Turquoise Turtle, Sells, AZ) that made the small desktop flag has found that it has become so popular that a backlog of orders keeps them busy. It is one instance of local pride expressed through the tribal flag that has brought improvement, even a small one, to a severely under employed people. Recently, the popularity of the flag has outgrown the small local enterprise's capabilities and a commercially manufactured supply of 3' x 5' (approximately 1 meter by 1.65 meters) has arrived in the capital city - Sells, AZ.

With this new order a change has occurred in the flag. The tribal name has been added to the canton emphasizing the identity of the flag in red letters. In Sells, as one drives through the heart of the town, the popularity of the flag is quite evident. It can be seen at the tribal schoolhouse, the Tribal HQ, the tribal courthouse and several other buildings. This new design appeared only in the year 2000. Prior to that time, a streamer bearing the Tribe's name flew above the flag keeping one of the simplest and most dramatic Native flags in the United States uncluttered with writing.

[Thanks to the kind and generous staff at the Tohono O'odham Tribal Headquarters in Sells, AZ for their assistance and appreciation of our efforts to show their flag to the world.]

© Donald Healy 2008
information provided by Peter Orenski, 1 February 2008

Variant flags

The Tohono O'odham Nation tribal flag features a red staff with a relaxed brown band attached near both ends that is festooned with eleven feathers. Versions of the flag from 2001 and later have the words "Tohono O'odham Nation" in the canton. Prior versions had the tribal name on a streamer detached from the flag, flying above the flag.

The symbolism of the flag includes a yellow sunrise over a darkened mesa cliff (purple), the tribal staff of unity of the eleven districts of families, the red of the blood of the ancestors, the brown of the band representing the earth, the black and white of the feathers representing the duality of life. The colors red, yellow, white, and black are also the colors of the saguaro cactus flower and opened fruit.

An unofficial flag also exists, "the man in the maze," and is used mainly as a sign of tribal identity among individuals. The man in the maze flag is a pan-tribal emblem between various O'odham (Piman) tribes.
David Cowell, 13 December 2009

2012-2015 twelve feather flag

image located by Valentin Poposki, 1 March 2020

This image is of the temporary flag (2012-2015) when the flag was changed to match the number of districts, from eleven feathers to twelve. In 2015, TON re-adopted the old flag with 11 feathers.

Information and this photograph from the O'odham News "The Runner News" from 10.07.2013 " The Tohono O’odham Nation has unveiled a new tribal flag and seal that takes into account the inclusion of the new Hia-Ced District. The number of feathers on the flag has gone from 11 to 12, and the number of stars on the official seal of the Tohono O’odham Nation also has gone from 11 to 12."
Valentin Poposki, 1 March 2020

Department of Education

image located by Valentin Poposki, 19 August 2019

Districts

Tohono O'odham Nation has local government system of 11 districts. There was a 12th district (2011-2015), which was abolished. Districts have their own flags, and I will present most of them today.
Valentin Poposki, 20 August 2019

Baboquivari District

image located by Valentin Poposki, 20 August 2019

Chukutkuk District

image located by Valentin Poposki, 20 August 2019

Gu Achi District

image located by Valentin Poposki, 20 August 2019

The flag of the district is explained on the district's website. Purple represents the color of mountains. Gold is the color of the sun, which shines bright in the district's desert homeland. Both gold and purple are the colors of the Tohono O'odham Nation, which are a reminder on the flag that Gu Achi is one of its eleven districts.

Red is the color of power and strength. Many Gu Achi cultural songs speak of red game pieces which give the players the power to move ahead. This is the color of the people on this design, and these people are where the power and strength of the district is in, its membership. 32 people are on the flag, 16 male and 16 female. Of these people, there are 4 elderly men, 4 young men, 4 elderly women, and 4 young women. Two clans are in the O'odham culture, 16 represented for each clan.

Green is the color of the land after a blessing by rain, as well as being the color of the creator I'itoi. A map of the district is in this color, with both the main district area and Florence Village.
Daniel Rentería, 21 December 2023

Gu Vo District

image located by Valentin Poposki, 20 August 2019

Hia Ced District

image located by Valentin Poposki, 23 December 2019

The flag of the former district of Hia Ced, the twelfth district of Tohono O'odham Nation that existed from 2012 to 2015. See also: Hia Ced Hemajkam
Valentin Poposki, 23 December 2019

Hickiwan District

image by Daniel Rentería, 30 June 2023

I would like to report the existence of the flag of the Hickiwan District. The drawing I have attached is based off of a district flag displayed as the background for the chairman of the Hickiwan District in a meeting between other district chairmen. Although only half of the flag was visible in the video, I was able to make the drawing attached.
NOTE: Since the text outside of the seal is in a semicircle, I am not sure if there is a word after "CEKSAN", the O'odham word for district.

Information about the flag:
The flag contains 7 feathers for the 7 communities of the district. In the seal is also 7 stars for the communities, and in the center of the seal is a contour of the district, with the "Man in the Maze" symbol centered inside of it.
Daniel Rentería, 30 June 2023

Pisinemo District

image located by Daniel Rentería, 23 May 2024

The flag of Pisinemo District (or Pisin Mo'o) is quartered in blue and white. In the center is a device which reads "PISIN MO'O CEKSAN", ceksan meaning district. The device also carries feathers and a buffalo head, the buffalo head being the namesake of the district.
Daniel Rentería, 23 May 2024

San Lucy District

image located by Valentin Poposki, 20 August 2019

San Xavier District

image located by Valentin Poposki, 20 August 2019

Schuk Toak District

image located by Valentin Poposki, 20 August 2019

Sells District

image located by Valentin Poposki, 20 August 2019

Sif Oidak District (not confirmed)

image located by Valentin Poposki, 20 August 2019

Hia Ced Hemajkam

image located by Valentin Poposki, 23 December 2019

Hia Ced Hemajkam is an organized group of Tohono O'odham Nation, that was against liquidation of the Hia Ced District. At present time, this group is unrecognized, but they are thinking about seeking federal recognition. The seal is almost exactly as the seal of the district, but the flag is like a desert paysage.
Valentin Poposki, 23 December 2019

image located by Valentin Poposki, 23 December 2019