Investigating an 'Olas Kii Pithouse

Discover the past through evidence from an archaeoogical site in Arizona!
In this investigation, students will use geography, history, oral history, and archaeology to learn about an 'olas kii pithouse and the Tohono O'odham who lved in it. Examine historic photographs, primary source documents, artifacts, and maps of an 'olas kii pithouse shelter. Students meet Mr. Samuel Fayuant, a Tohono O'odham person, through reading his biography and oral histories. Students then "uncover" a real archaeological site, classify artifacts, and infer how the geographic area of central and southern Arizona shaped the 'olas kii pithouse. Explore the history and use of the 'olas ki pithouse with its' contemporary correlations. Engage students in a civic dilemma that involves archaeoogy and historic preservation.