It’s Saguaro fruit harvest season and that means members of the Tohono O’odham Nation are out this weekend picking that sweet, sweet fruit from the tops of those iconic Arizona cactuses. In this episode, I talk with Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan, Ph.D student in American Indian Studies at the University of Arizona and Tohono O’odham history and culture teacher at the Tohono O’odham Community College, about this centuries-old traditional harvest.

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All photos by Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan
Tanisha Tucker (Tohono O’odham) demonstrates how to use a kuipad (picking stick) and knock down Saguaro fruit for a group from the University of Arizona. Tucker, her mother Stella Tucker and family members continue the tradition of picking Saguaro fruit with a camp located in the Saguaro National Park West.
Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan with her Kuipad (picking stick).
Jacelle’s mother, Janice Ramon, knocking down Saguaro fruit with her kuipad (picking stick).
Saguaro fruit.