Casa Grande Ruins National Monument | Featured Speakers: Royce and Debbie Manuel

Casa Grande Ruins will host Royce and Debbie Manuel, who will present a lecture titled “Protecting a Way of Life: Kinship Responsibilities”.

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Every Wednesday from January 24–February 28 | Noon

COOLIDGE, AZ – Casa Grande Ruins’ annual speaker series continues January 24 through February 28, 2018. At noon on January 24, 2018 Casa Grande Ruins will host Royce and Debbie Manuel, who will present a lecture titled “Protecting a Way of Life: Kinship Responsibilities”. The speaker series will continue every Wednesday at noon through February 28.

Royce Manuel (Akimel O’odham) best describes his work through the “Tools of Yesterday” using plant fiber, primitive bows & arrows, knapping stone, and making agave plant cordage. As a tribal and cultural educator and member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Royce and Debbie specializes in the revival and teaching of artistic traditions while renewing and protecting indigenous knowledge for generations to come. Debbie’s traditional and bi-cultural lifestyles, provides valuable insight and practices in both urban and tribal community settings while preserving their heritage.

As a tribal member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Royce Manuel has long played an important role in perpetuating cultural knowledge within the tribal nation by service to the Auk Mierl Aw-Aw-Thum. Royce maintains the distinction of keeping the Calendar Stick. Today, he continues to record and initiate collaborative projects that will engage the Aw-Thum (O’odham) sister tribes in creative strategies of integrating the Calendar Stick concepts into projects, design, wellness, math, science and critical learning.

Debbie Nez-Manuel (Diné) has a Masters in Social Work, Arizona State University and is experienced in both non-profit and tribal communities. Debbie’s traditional and bi-cultural lifestyles, provides valuable insight and practices in both urban and tribal community settings while preserving, strengthening, and renewing cultural identity.

The program begins at 12:00 pm in the Casa Grande Ruins visitor center theater at 1100 W Ruins Drive, Coolidge AZ, 85128. There is no fee for the program, but normal entrance fees apply.

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument protects the multi-story Great House (Casa Grande) and the remnants of other ancient structures built by the Ancestral Sonoran Desert People over 800 years ago.  Established as the nation’s first federal archeological reserve in 1892, the Ruins sparked the beginning of the archeological preservation movement in America.  The Monument is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., May through September, and from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., October through April, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Independence Day holidays.  Directions and additional information are available on the Monument’s website, http://www.nps.gov/cagr. You may call (520) 723-3172, or follow us on Facebook by searching for Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.

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Event Categories: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Park Events

Event Tags: casa grande ruins, cultural knowledge, Diné, Salt River, speakers