MESA, AZ — "THRIVE–The First People: Yesterday, Today, and Forever" is on display at the Arizona Museum of Natural History!
“THRIVE, which is a new exhibition, and it's about the O'odham people, or the American Indian tribes, right where we live, here in the Valley. It's about their continuous settlement for 1000s and 1000s of years. What's unique about this is we tell the stories of all of our community, and this is the first story that we're telling, and it's in their own voices, about their survival and prospering right up to present day today,” said Simon Tipene Adlam, director of the Arizona Museum of Natural History, in an interview with ABC15.
Guests can explore the history, culture, and nature of the Sonoran Desert through artifacts, displays, interactive media, and O’odham oral histories, highlighting the enduring traditions and sustainable practices of its societies.
“You can learn about the types of agrarian things, or what came off the land in order to eat and survive, how the tribes managed and used water for prosperity here. There were hundreds of 1,000s of people living here off the Salt River 1,000 years ago, a thriving economy and culture. So, all those lessons are embedded in this exhibit. And again, we're a family Museum, so there's a lot of interactivity, so you can have a lot of fun with the kids,” added Tipene Adlam.
SAVE THE DATES
With three floors of prehistoric fun, the Arizona Museum of Natural History in Mesa is keeping things cool this summer with special events and programs for kids and adults.
“We have some phenomenal programming this summer, so stay cool inside. So first of all, we have Storytelling on Saturdays all through the month of July. So that's storytellers in here with kids telling amazing stories about, you know, that's amazing people here. Also, we do have, as well for adults, we have a summer Lecture Series, which is scholars and academics, renowned scientists in their field, in the evenings on a Wednesday night, which is our late night,” said Tipene Adlam.
- Dinosaurs After Dark: July 9 and 16 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- The Art and Science of Storytelling: July 12, 19, and 26 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Check out other upcoming events at the museum right here.
“[The events] are all included in your general admission when you come here. What's really great [and something most] people don't know about is we have an all-day pass, meaning, if you come here at 10 o'clock in the morning and you want to go and have an ice cream […] with the kids or your grandchildren, and then you can come back again,” said Tipene Adlam.
The video in the player above showcases some of the best things to do in the Valley this July - read more about it right here.
