Tribal Nation To Get Nod At Every Pima County Board Meeting

TUCSON, AZ — The Pima County Board of Supervisors will now acknowledge the Tohono O'odham Nation and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe for their long histories in the county at the start of every board meeting, following the Pledge of Allegiance.

The board voted 4-1 during a Tuesday morning meeting to approve the statement, with only Supervisor Steve Christy voting against it.

The full statement reads:

"On behalf of Pima County residents, we honor the tribal nations who have served as caretakers of this land from time immemorial and respectfully acknowledge the ancestral home homelands of the Tohono O'odham Nation and the multi-millennial presence of the Pascua Yaqui tribe within Pima County. Consistent with Pima County's commitment to diversity and inclusion, we strive toward building equal-partner relationships with Arizona's tribal nations."

The board's vice chair, Adelita Grijalva, introduced the statement to the board and said that it had been approved by the Tohono O'odham cultural committee.

Supervisor Rex Scott thanked Grijalva for working to craft language that was acceptable to the committee and called the statement, "accurate, respectful and worthy of approval."

"This land acknowledgement stems from a candid recognition of the entire scope of our history, which is an important lesson for our children," Scott said. "Its adoption can also encourage all of us to learn more about the histories of our indigenous neighbors.”

He added that he hopes the statement is a starting point for the supervisors to work more closely alongside local native communities.

Christy called the statement "beautiful," but added that he believes it would be appropriate to read prior to events and celebrations in the community, not before each board meeting.

“It does not belong as a mandatory recitation before each board meeting,” Christy said, adding that he doesn't believe the statement fulfills the board's core mission of unifying the entire Pima County community.

Two Pima County residents also submitted emailed public comments against the proposed statement. Tuesday's board meeting was conducted virtually, so members of the public could not attend to comment in person.

Sharon Fickes pointed out that Native Americans make up around 4 percent of Pima County’s total population, or around 39,000 people out of more than 1 million. She asked the supervisors to vote against the statement, saying it would divide Pima County residents by race and class.

Fickes added that the supervisors should be careful not to set some sort of precedent by acknowledging unceded ancestral territory.

Gail Ault also asked the supervisors to vote against the proposal because she said it would divide residents into separate and unequal groups.