The second half of CoLang 2024 took place on tribal land at the Scottsdale Community College’s Indigenous Cultural Center, with two weeks of practica focusing on the O’odham, Piipaash and Māori languages.

On the evening of June 18, participants were invited to the Round House Café at the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community for CoLang Cultural Sharing Night, presented by the SRPMIC Cultural Resources Department.

At the café, people were served a traditional meal of red chili, beans, squash and cemait (tortillas) by Cultural Resources employees and volunteers.

O’odham and Piipaash gourd singers and dancers performed traditional songs, taking turns with participants from other tribes who shared their own songs and dances in their languages. Visitors from the Cook Islands Māori got everybody involved when they invited attendees to join them in their traditional dance.

The evening ended with a traditional O’odham social dance that extended outside to the Two Waters Courtyard and back inside again. Everyone joined hands and learned the tempo and dynamics of the dance—starting with your legs closed and counting five steps, then you open your legs and count five steps, and so on.

“In our O’odham tradition, everything that we do in terms of a circular motion is going to be counterclockwise,” explained OPLP Outreach Coordinator Cody Achin, directing people on how to participate in the dance.

“This is a connection song when you all connect arms and you feel that energy back and forth,” said SRPMIC Vice-President Ricardo Leonard. “You’re blessing not only the dancers and yourself, but you’re also blessing the ground.”