Food & Foodways


Master Artists

The Last Potter and the Next One

The late Ron Carlos and his apprentice, August Wood, on traditions of O’odham and Piipaash pottery. Ron Carlos passed away in May 2023 due to complications from cancer. He was a member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. He learned traditional paddle and anvil technique pottery in the mid-1990s…

Making Rope

Jesús Garcia connects people to the Sonoran Desert past and present with horsehair and plant fiber Interview by Casely Coan Born and raised in Sonora, Mexico, with ranching and farming parents, Jesús Garcia learned horsehair and agave fiber rope “reata” from his father and other residents from his hometown of…

Listening All the Time

Karen Falkenstrom on building taiko drums, creating community, and passing on tradition. Interview by Eryka Dellenbach Karen Falkenstrom (she/they) is a taiko drum maker and performer from Tucson, Arizona. Co-founder of Odaiko Sonora, Tucson’s Japanese drumming ensemble, Karen has been building Japanese drums for over 20 years and is recognized…


Thinking like a Folklorist


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