The Tohono O’odham, whose land spans the U.S./ Mexico border, have struggled to maintain their traditional way of life since security along the border has increased dramatically since 9/11.  Many undocumented immigrants and drug smugglers now use Tohono O’odham lands to enter the U.S.; this increased activity on the land threatens the environmental and cultural sanctity of the tribe’s homeland.  Yet the U.S.’ proposed border wall would only cause further harm by bisecting the tribe’s ancestral lands.

For a community that uses oral tradition to pass down knowledge of the land and its resources, this political issue has cultural deep impacts. “There is a word for our way of life: Himdag,” says Ofelia Rivas, leader in the O’odham Solidarity Project. “Our way of life is based on the land and living in harmony with the land. All of this has been violated and there has been a tremendous imbalance even within our own people.”