11/22/2024
🌵 Field Trip Highlights: Huhugam Heritage Center 🌾
Our microschool had an incredible day visiting the Huhugam Heritage Center Huhugam Heritage Center! This beautiful facility, with its fountain, open spaces, stunning glass features, and rooftop views of the picturesque desert and Route 347, set the perfect backdrop for a day of learning and connection.
The staff was so welcoming and patient with our kids, and our tour guide, Mini, was absolutely fabulous. She brought the stories of the P*e Posh and Akimel tribes to life, sharing fascinating details about their pottery and basket weaving. Did you know their baskets were so tightly woven they could hold prickly pear wine?
We also learned about their unique version of lacrosse, their traditional tattooing methods using prickly pear spines, mesquite ash, and cotton, and their love of music as a way to pass down stories—a universal truth we can all connect with.
The historical stories were powerful, too. We heard about a tribal member who was on a ship hit by a kamikaze in WWII and later helped raise the American flag on Iwo Jima. We also learned about Butte Camp, a Japanese internment camp once located in our area.
The hands-on activities were a hit! The kids made clay pots, colored mini-woven baskets, and created bracelets—truly engaging experiences that tied into Native American Heritage Month.
We’re so grateful for this enriching experience and the chance to honor and learn from the history and culture of the local tribes. It was a fantastic day, loved by all!
