Arizona Memory Project now home to historic Tohono O’odham newspaper

PHOENIX – Published from Sells, Arizona, the capital of the Tohono O’odham Nation, the Papago Indian News used the name given to them by Spanish Explorers. The all-volunteer written newspaper was thought of as a voice of the tribe. It shared mostly community news, such as baptisms, marriages, deaths and other notable events. Student accomplishments, member relocations, public health and Tribal Council actions were other frequent topics.

“This newspaper is important as it chronicles the self-governance of the Tohono O’odham Nation and the concerns of the community during the 1950's and 1960's,” said Sativa Peterson, National Digital Newspaper Program grant project director and news content program manager for the State of Arizona Research Library.

This is just one of six newspaper titles from indigenous communities around Arizona that were digitized and added to the Arizona Memory Project by the Arizona State Library in partnership with the University of Arizona Libraries, thanks to the National Endowment for the Humanities and Library of Congress’ National Digital Newspaper Program. Issues of the Papago Indian News from 1954-1963 will be available indefinitely and can be viewed for free on any digital device at https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/digital/collection/papagonews.

For questions about this or any digital collection, or for cultural institutions interested in sharing collections on the Arizona Memory Project, contact [email protected].      

The Arizona Memory Project provides free online access to the wealth of primary sources in Arizona archives, museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions. The Arizona Memory Project is supported by the Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records, a division of the Secretary of State, with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.        

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