Tohono O’odham Community Action (TOCA) is committed to making the Tohono O’odham Nation a healthy, sustainable and culturally vital community. In order to succeed in this endeavor, the organization has set four principles to facilitate their decision-making in their program goals and strategies (TOCA’s History and Approach): O’odham Himdag (Desert People’s Way). When faced with difficulty, the tribe draws upon the wisdom learned throughout their history to formulate solutions apt to their culture.
By contextualizing the issues they encounter and considering their heritage and culture, the people form not only long-term solutions, but also a more stable community (TOCA’s History and Approach). Community Assets. The community gives priority to the resources readily available in their land. TOCA asserts that when a problem arises, it is important to utilize their own assets rather than introduce solutions that are foreign to them. This will ensure that the decisions made are culturally-based and promotes sustainability (TOCA’s History and Approach).
Encourage community self sufficiency. The area has long been self-sufficient. However, previous social programs have destroyed the structures enabling the community to support itself. To address this situation, TOCA is geared towards re-empowering the people to become more and more self-sufficient (TOCA’s History and Approach). Context is crucial. Preserving cultural practices (such as ceremonies, songs, and stories), is not enough. The materials used in carrying out cultural activities must also be preserved.
The organization is aimed at restoring the material foundation of the community’s culture (TOCA’s History and Approach). There has been considerable damage to the traditional food system of the community, resulting in an upsurge of cases of diabetes. For many centuries, traditional desert foods (examples include tepary beans, mesquite beans, acorns and cholla (cactus) buds), which have been found to regulate blood sugar, and the physical effort required to produce them, maintained the Tohono O’odham’s good health.
The introduction of processed foods and the dramatic decrease in crop production, however, led to high rates of Type II (adult-onset) diabetes. Even in 1960s, diabetes was inexistent in the community. But at present, 70% of adults over 35 has it, the highest rate in the world (Traditional Tohono O’odham Food System). Tristan Reader, co-director of TOCA, asserts that it is vital to focus on four areas to revive and sustain the food system—health, economy, culture, and agri-culture. These four aspects are interrelated and thus, equally important.
To address the physical condition of the people, they called to mind their ancestors’ diet and way of life. Not only were the traditional foods helpful, but the physical effort to cultivate and produce them are also necessary to restore the health of the tribe members. The food system is also embedded in cultural activities and thus, performances and stories must be revived. Also, the Tohono O’odham is an agri-culture, and one way to sustain it is through expanding production, processing, and marketing of their products. This will revive and sustain their economy (TOCA: Past Wisdom Reinvents the Future).
TOCA is an example of cultural awareness, cultural sensitivity, and cultural competence. To formulate solutions for the tribe, the organization familiarized itself with the traditions and history of the Tohana O’odham, and thus became culturally aware. It is also culturally sensitive and competent. They acquired knowledge and developed an understanding of the people’s culture before implementing programs and making recommendations that are culturally relevant and specific to the community.
References
Tohono O’odham Community Action (2008 June 16). TOCA’s history and approach. Retrieved November 25, 2008, from http://www. tocaonline. org/About_TOCA/Entries/2008/6/16_TOCAs_History_and_Approach. html Tohono O’odham Community Action. Traditional Tohono O’odham food system. Retrieved November 25, 2008, from http://www. tocaonline. org/Oodham_Foods/Entries/2008/6/17_Traditional_Tohono_Oodham_Food_System. html W. K. Kellogg Foundation. TOCA: Past Wisdom Reinvents the Future. Video retrieved from http://www. wkkf. org/DesktopModules/WKF. MediaPlayer/Player. aspx? CID=-1&ID=223&SID=1103&LanguageID=0