Pascua Yaqui tribal leaders and elders are honored on the field before kickoff.
Mike Christy/Arizona Athletics
At halftime, several dozen Yaqui tribal members took to the field, each carrying a large tile. Together, the tiles formed the Pascua Yaqui flag on one side and the tribe's official seal on the other.
Marison Bilagody/Arizona Athletics
At halftime, several dozen Yaqui tribal members took to the field, each carrying a large tile. Together, the tiles formed the Pascua Yaqui flag on one side and the tribe's official seal on the other.
Marison Bilagody/Arizona Athletics
Terry Goedel (left), and his son Michael, give a hoop dancing performance at the President's Bear Down Tailgate before the game.
Marison Bilagody/Arizona Athletics
Michael Goedel gives a hoop dancing performance at the President's Bear Down Tailgate before the game.
Marison Bilagody/Arizona Athletics
Terry Goedel gives a hoop dancing performance at the President's Bear Down Tailgate before the game.
Marison Bilagody/Arizona Athletics
Before the game, the university's Office of Native American Initiatives held a silent auction of artwork created by Native American artists.
Marison Bilagody/Arizona Athletics
Before the game, the university's Office of Native American Initiatives held a silent auction of artwork created by Native American artists.
Marison Bilagody/Arizona Athletics
The University of Arizona honored the Pascua Yaqui Tribe during the Wildcats' home opener against New Mexico on Saturday.
The game was the university's second annual Land Acknowledgement Game, designed to recognize the contributions and traditions of Native American communities in Arizona and beyond. The game each year focuses on a specific tribe or group of tribes; last year's home opener against Northern Arizona recognized the four O'odham tribes in Arizona.
On Saturday, a delegation from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, which included tribal council members and elders, was briefly recognized on the field before kickoff. Destiny Olea, a Pascua Yaqui Tribe member and senior in the College of Medicine – Tucson's Bachelor of Science in Medicine program, sang the "The Star-Spangled Banner" before a packed Arizona Stadium.
At halftime, several dozen Yaqui tribal members took to the field, each carrying a large tile. Together, the tiles formed the Pascua Yaqui flag on one side and the tribe's official seal on the other.
The game also marked the unveiling of the university's new land acknowledgement video, which played on the stadium's big screen before kickoff. The minute-long video features tribal leaders and members reciting the university's land acknowledgement statement. Created in 2021, the statement recognizes the university's location on tribal homelands, particularly those of the O'odham and Yaqui.
Auction to support Native graduate students
Before the game, the university's Office of Native American Initiatives held an auction of artwork created by Native American artists. Tessa Dysart, assistant vice provost of Native American initiatives, organized the auction, which was held at the President's Bear Down Tailgate ahead of the game.
The money raised at the auction, the first of several planned, will go to the U of A Graduate College to support Native American graduate students, Dysart said. Those interested in learning more about future auctions can email Dysart at tdysart@arizona.edu.
The Wildcats beat the Lobos 61-39.