Our visit to the Saguaro Fruit Harvest is one that will never be forgotten. We were immersed in the vast culture of the Tohono O'odham Nation and one of its traditions and rituals of harvesting the delicious fruit of the Saguaro Cactus. A group of about 20 traveled to the site of the harvest and became acquainted with a member of the tribe, Stella Tucker, who has been harvesting fruit for over 20 years. Stella and several other Tohono O'odham members demonstrated the technique of removing fruit from the saguaro. To do so, they use saguaro ribs for the base of the poles. A crossbar made of ironwood is tied near the top of the saguaro ribs as a hook to knock off the fruit. Typically, someone will be at the base of the saguaro with a bucket to catch the fallen fruit

After we collected some fruit, everyone gathered around the campsite, located in Saguaro National Park, and began cutting open the fruit with the stem of the fruit, which serves as a knife to remove the meaty center. Later on, we ate a fantastic dinner prepared by Stella, which consisted of traditional Tohono O'odham foods including tepary beans, tortillas, and cholla buds. The students enjoyed the food as they engaged in conversations at the dining tables. We were then served juicy watermelon that quenched our thirst and cooled us down.

Once dinner was finished, we all sat and asked Stella numerous questions such as how she began fruit harvesting and what products can be made from the fruit. We also asked about the culture of the tribe and how traditions and rituals are being lost and forgotten. Generation after generation, people do not view saguaro fruit harvesting as a way of life and thus become involved in other activities.

My favorite portion of the trip was eating the saguaro fruit syrup and some of the other products made from the fruit. As I ate the syrup with bread, I felt as though I somehow became part of the culture and knew that if the tradition of saguaro fruit harvesting disappears, a unique tradition of the southwest United States will disappear as well. We said our good-byes and thanked everyone for their services and support and departed back to the University of Arizona.

Saman Nematollahi, UBRPer in Dr. Carol Barnes's lab, Neurosystems, Memory and Aging