Archaeology Cafe: The Greater Gila River: Public Lands, Tribal Lands, and Our Connections to These Places (Phoenix)

Knowledge-seekers of every kind are welcome at Archaeology Café at Changing Hands for a season of programs exploring the deep and diverse history of Phoenix and the greater Southwest in a jargon-free zone. Join us as Dr. Bill Doelle challenges us to think big with a presentation entitles “The Greater Gila River: Public Lands, Tribal Lands, and Our Connections to These Places.”

Now home to nearly six million people, the Greater Gila River basin is tamed by dams and pumped such that stretches of its watercourses are usually dry. But it was not always this way. The river and its tributaries were once lifelines and travel corridors for diverse peoples of the southern Southwest. Tribal and public lands (National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and others) make up much of the river basin today. Dr. Doelle will explore the relationships of modern groups, including today’s tribes, to these lands.

This program is supported by a grant from Arizona Humanities.