In this blog, exhibit designer Caitlin Dichter tells us how and why the collection of pre-contact archaeological sites previously known as the Pueblo Grande Museum is now the S’eḏav Va’aki Museum.
It turns out that two-word shift is about much more than a name: it signals volumes about power, authority, and respect.
For more than a decade, the S’eḏav Va’aki Museum has consulted monthly with the Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs) of two Indigenous communities in the region: the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) and Gila River Indian Community (GRIC).
While these consultations began as compliance-focused dialogues on citywide archaeology, over time they have shifted toward broader discussions as our partners have gotten more comfortable giving input on a wide variety of topics.
