Guest speaks to DV students about history, culture

Now a museum aide for the Huhugam Heritage Center, Sara Bird-In-Ground, is a long way from her days as a casino manager in Montana.

But as a member of the Gila Indian River Community, Bird-In-Ground looks to spread awareness about Arizona's rich Native American history to the next generation.

She visited with the Native American group on campus at Desert Vista High School last week in an effort to recount that history, which dates back hundreds of years.

On Tuesday, Sept. 30, she met with the students to reaffirm their background and their culture and explained the importance of what it all means in today's age.

"If you know your history, you will be more confident," she told the group. "We are all important."

She spoke of how the Gila River served as a crossroad for many groups throughout American history and explained how the current tribes that encompass the area today came to be.

"This area is really the breadbasket of the Southwest," Bird-In-Ground said.

The Native American group meets the last Tuesday of every month and, for October, she said they will be joining her at the Huhugam Heritage Center, 4759 N. Maricopa Road in Chandler, to visualize the events that have taken place throughout the history of the area.

"I'm really passionate about cultural awareness and teaching (students) about Indian gaming," she said. "It was a lot of fun to interact with them, they were so respectful."

At the beginning of the meeting, Bird-In-Ground asked everyone about their heritage and what languages they spoke. When some of the students replied they did not know any additional languages, she encouraged them to show the initiative to look into learning.

"They will be happy that you want to learn," Bird-In-Ground told the group. "Learning the language is part of preserving the culture."

To find out more about the Huhugam Heritage Center, visit www.huhugam.com or call (520) 796-3500.