People of the Desert / Tohono O’Odham Nation
Before Mexico, before the United States and long before the era of modern border security, the Tohono O’Odham — the desert people — lived in what is now southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico. For thousands of years there was no border but today, the tribe is divided. The native land has become a smuggler’s paradise, it’s sparsely populated with small villages spread far apart and crisscrossed by hundreds of desert backroads. According to the tribal police, smugglers routinely approach tribal members, looking for help shipping drugs north to major cities.
In this documentary I dive into the everyday life of the Tohono O’odham Nation to meet some incredible members of the ancient indigenous community and learn about their personal experience as they deal with 24-hour border surveillance, smuggling routes and the imminent threat of Trump’s wall construction.
Credit: Director/ Producer
