A Mesa Park just south of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community has been given a new name in the O’odham language.

On the morning of November 4, Mesa Mayor John Giles and tribal officials from the SRPMIC, Gila River Indian Community, Ak-Chin Indian Community and Tohono O’odham Nation gathered at the Mesa Grande Cultural Park for a renaming ceremony honoring O’odham and Piipaash Heritage. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs was also in attendance. 

According to the Arizona Museum of Natural History, the Mesa Grande Cultural Park was purchased by the city of Mesa in the 1980s in hopes of preserving a cultural treasure and was open to the public for educational and recreational purposes in later years. 

Within the past year, the city of Mesa adopted land acknowledgments to honor the Four Southern Tribes on whose land the city is located. The renaming of a site that holds deep significance to O’odham people is the first of many steps in building a rich connection with surrounding communities and the 22 federally recognized tribes of Arizona.

“When we first adopted our land acknowledgment, we shared our commitment to build on the foundation of our strong relationships with our tribal partners,” said Giles. “We knew that that sentiment needed to be followed by meaningful action, not just words on a piece of paper.”

Mesa worked with tribal partners to select a name that was recognized and approved by the Salt River and Gila River communities: Sce:dagĭ Mu:val Va’aki. In the O’odham language it means “Blue fly’s place of dwelling” or “Blue fly’s house.”

The name change comes only months after Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park in Phoenix changed its name to the S’edav Va’aki Museum for similar reasons.

Before the curtains fell, revealing the new name on the side of a park building, officials, including SRPMIC Vice-President Ricardo Leonard, had the opportunity to speak at a ceremony that included O’odham traditional dancing and song. SRPMIC President Martin Harvier and Council members Jacob Butler, Mikah Carlos and Deanna Scabby also attended. 

Hobbs issued a proclamation naming November 4, 2024, as Sce:dagĭ Mu:val Va’aki Day, a day that recognizes the importance of honoring the cultural values shared between the sibling O’odham tribes and the city of Mesa.

“We have to make sure that your stories are woven into our shared history,” said Hobbs. 

Sce:dagĭ Mu:val Va’aki is located on the northwest corner of West Tenth and Date streets and is open to the public on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sundays from 12 noon to 4 p.m. through mid-April.

This is just the beginning of a future full of collaborations between Indigenous communities and the city of Mesa, multiple speakers said. 

“Over the next year there is a lot that’s going to happen here that’s going to transition into being a better representation of the city’s commitment to respecting and honoring our heritage, making sure that we include the Native American communities and helping us to know how to do that,” said Giles.