SE Valley Times

The City of Mesa has officially renamed the Mesa Grande Cultural Park to Sce:dagi Mu:val Vaaki, reflecting the cultural heritage and connection to the O'odham and Piipaash peoples. The new name, meaning "Blue Fly's place of dwelling" in the O'odham language, originates from songs of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, situated about a mile from the site.

The renaming ceremony took place at Sce:dagi Mu:val Vaaki, located at 1000 N Date, Mesa, Arizona. It honored the Native communities that have lived on this land for generations. Mayor John Giles emphasized this by stating, "The lands that comprise present-day Mesa are culturally affiliated with the O'odham, Piipaash and their ancestors, who have lived on and stewarded this land from time immemorial. This renaming pays tribute to their enduring legacy and the sacred significance of these lands to the O'odham and Piipaash way of life."

Mesa has collaborated with Indigenous communities like the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) and Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) to preserve significant cultural sites. The renaming underscores these efforts and highlights the connection between these communities and their ancestral landscape.

A $200,000 grant from SRPMIC has been awarded to develop educational materials for Sce:dagi Mu:val Vaaki through the Arizona Museum of Natural History (AZMNH). The City acknowledges its location on Native homelands where cultural values are deeply embedded.

Sce:dagi Mu:val Vaaki will be open to visitors starting November 9th until mid-April on weekends. For more details, visit azmnh.org.

Historically, Sce:dagi Mu:val Vaaki was built by ancestors of modern O'odham near an extensive irrigation network in America. It featured a large platform mound used as a civic center for administrative and religious activities, supporting a large community with over 27,000 acres of farmland.