Established in 1983, the Wassaja Carlos Montezuma Center for Native American Health (“Center”) is rooted in the University of Arizona’s long-standing commitment to advancing Indigenous health, wellness, and education. The Center’s mission is to “grow-our-own” by creating pathways that increase workforce capacity on Tribal lands, and by fostering education grounded in cultural humility to improve the quality of life for Native American (NA) communities.
The Wassaja Oidag project will provide the groundwork to create a garden and living classroom to learn about the intersection of environmental sustainability and indigenous practices. The project will install the necessary equipment for irrigation that responds to environmental changes, modify the roof drainage for the water harvester, purchase a small selection of native medicinal plants, and add 2-3 raised garden beds. Three student workers will be hired to oversee and maintain the garden as it is implemented. Volunteer days, public planting events, traditional healing, and open-house demonstrations will be held to further the reach of the Wassaja Oidag. Additionally, a digital photo journal and blog on the Wassaja Center website will document each phase of the project.
