AZ Speaks

The promise of unimagined riches is what brought many of the earliest colonizers to the Arizona Territory. Following the trail to the discovery of the mother lode, they built, then dismantled and finally abandoned communities when mines played out – leaving behind tantalizing clues of difficult hardships. Some towns survived like Bisbee, Jerome, Tombstone and […]

The promise of unimagined riches is what brought many of the earliest colonizers to the Arizona Territory. Following the trail to the discovery of the mother lode, they built, then dismantled and finally abandoned communities when mines played out – leaving behind tantalizing clues of difficult hardships. Some towns survived like Bisbee, Jerome, Tombstone and […]

Buckey O’Neill was one of Arizona’s legendary pioneers, even author William MacLeod Raine called him “the most many-sided man Arizona has produced”. Before dying in Cuba while serving as one of Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, O’Neill made his mark in Arizona as a newspaper editor, sheriff, mayor, and prospector, among other professions. Whether chasing train […]

Royce Manuel (Akimel O’odham) best describes his work through the “Tools of Yesterday” using plant fiber, primitive bows & arrows, knapping stone, and making agave plant cordage. As a tribal and cultural educator and member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Royce and Debbie specializes in the revival and teaching of artistic traditions while […]

It has been thought that the Apache do not become Apache until the adoption of the horse, which triggered the raiding adaptation. While horses played a central role in the Apachean world, the horse divide is not as pronounced as thought. Horses changed the ancestral Apache lifeway and horses survived and thrived without European horse […]

Whatever we think about fundamentalism, it is a very dynamic religious movement that attracts men and women alike. What are the features of religious fundamentalism in the traditions of Abrahamic religions? This presentation is about neither the “right” or “wrong” of fundamentalism, nor about “right” or “wrong” of particular religious traditions. We learn why fundamentalism […]

Although stereotyped as an unmusical machine only fit for The Addams Family, the harpsichord is the most expressive and subtle of musical instruments. It has a unique and beautiful repertoire, and a very special and distinctive playing style. In this session, Dr. Guy Whatley will demonstrate the stunning music written for the harpsichord, and the […]

  Father Kino bridged the gap between the Anglo world and the Native American through his charismatic and caring heart. He was a cartographer, explorer, geographer, scientist, and a man with a mission. Through his knowledge of agriculture, he introduced new livestock breeds and taught animal husbandry to native groups. The new plants and fruit […]

Arizona’s rivers were first, lush green ribbons of life through a desert landscape. They became sustaining paths, first for the indigenous, later for immigrants leaving wagon tracks. On the Salt River, Hohokam built vast canals to direct water for irrigation. The first European citizens of Phoenix used these same trenches. The history, stories and songs […]

This presentation will explore the US Army’s experiment with using camel from the Middle East to make it more mobile in the newly acquired Southwest.  In order to teach the soldiers about camels, a local from the Middle East, who was called Hi Jolly, was shipped over with the camels.  Even though Secretary of War […]