The Family of Raymond Narcho, Sr. lived on the Tohono O'odham reservation in 1940 and were enumerated in April of that year. Listed as a one year old child, and therefore born in 1939, Raymond's father was Augustine Narcho and his mother was Isabelle, both of whom were said to have been born in Arizona. Also listed are Raymond's two older brothers, Ambrose, age six, and Bernard, age three.3
From the 1940 census, additional information can be gathered about Raymond Narcho's family. Father Augustine was twenty-nine years old and mother Isabelle was twenty-six. Both had finished no more than the sixth grade. While their residence location was defined as “rural”, they did not live on a farm and Augustine owned the house in which they lived. Augustine's occupation is listed as a mixed metal miner and he worked fifty-two weeks a year for $490. Isabelle was a homemaker while eldest son Ambrose was in school.4 Taking into account inflation, in 2013 this family's income would be $8,125.81.5
Augustine's consistent employment was an anomaly amongst the Tohono O'odham of this time period. Only a small portion of the labor force was steadily employed and making a living wage in one occupation even as late as the early 1960's.6 More often, income was derived from a series of unskilled and poorly paid jobs related to the seasonal migration of the Tohono O'odham. Most adult members of the household, male and female, contributed throughout the year to the household's income and the general occupational categories usually listed for individuals are oversimplifications.7 Even the term “housewife” or its derivatives conceals the contributions of women to the household, as many were employed in home based occupations, such as basket weaver.8
A further clue to this family's location are the enumeration and supervisorial districts listed on the 1940 census. In this instance, these are enumeration district 10-72 and supervisorial district 2. This corresponds to the Baboquivari grazing district, an area on the eastern edge of the reservation that contains the Baboquivari Mountains. Written into the street number section of the census page is “Chiuli Shaik Village”. A village by that name did exist within the Baboquivari district in the foothills of the mountains in 1940, but by 1974 it had been virtually abandoned.9 About one mile north of the location of Chiuli Shaik was the tiny village of Maish Vaya (also called Covered Wells), comprised of three houses. Settled around World War I, Maish Vaya was founded by members of the Narcho family on the slopes below a gold mine. Its principal inhabitant was Jesus Narcho. In 1974, his widow was the only permanent inhabitant of the village.10
The concept of a single farm inhabited by a nuclear family and surrounded by unrelated neighbors was not the norm for the Tohono O'odham of this time period. Instead, an extended family resided in a compound of several houses. Two or three compounds might comprise a village. Therefore, it can be assumed that individuals with a common surname within a village are likely related.11
Based on the 1940 census, Raymond Sr.'s father, Augustine Narcho, was born around 1911 in Arizona. Since he was likely to have passed away before his one hundredth birthday, a search was made of the Social Security Death Index. There is only one Augustine Narcho listed in the index and his birth date was February 11, 1911. He died February 23, 1991 in the town of Sells, Arizona which is located on the Tohono O'odham reservation. His middle initial is given as “L”.12
Having discovered Augustine's dates of birth and death, a check was made of the 1930 census to see if he could be found prior to his marriage, however, no Augustine Narcho was listed in the 1930 census or any prior federal United States census. Due to the migratory nature of Tohono O'odham life, this was not uncommon.
The state of Arizona Department of Health Services has made available online birth records from 1855-1937 and death certificates from 1861-1862. While Augustine was not listed in either of these databases, two of his sons were. Elder sons Ambrose and Bernard were born before the 1937 cutoff. On Ambrose's 1934 birth certificate, his father is listed as Augustine Narcho Lopez, age 25, while his mother is simply Isabel, age 19. Ambrose is listed as the couple's first child. Both are listed as living in Fresnal Canyon and were born in the town of Sells. Fresnal Canyon is located in the Baboquivari District of the Tohono O'odham reservation. The village of Chiuli Shaik, the 1940 home of Augustine and his family, is located within the canyon.13
On Bernard's 1936 birth certificate, his parents are Augustine Narcho, age 26, and Isabel Montana, age 24. They are both still living in Fresnal Canyon, but now their birth location has also been changed to Fresnal Canyon. Augustine is listed as a bus driver. Both children were born at the Indian Oasis Hospital. That his children possess birth certificates while he and his wife do not likely indicates that Augustine and Isabel were born at home. In the years between the births of the two generations, the customs and circumstances of birth among the Tohono O'odham changed. Indian Oasis Hospital was completed in 1921 and provided obstetrical and maternal care. Children born in this setting were part of the government system and received birth certificates. Previously, Tohono O'odham women retreated to specially constructed huts at the onset of labor and remained separated from the community for thirty days before being ritually cleansed by a medicine man. During this time, her family brought her food and helped her care for her child. The Tohono O'odham considered the reproductive aspects of a woman's life, from menstruation to birth, to be dangerous for men, requiring segregation and ritual purification. A menstruating woman who touched a man's bow would cause it to no longer shoot correctly. If she touched him, he might die.
Since Augustine was missing from all but one of the federal census records, a secondary source was consulted. Agents of the the Bureau of Indian Affairs submitted near yearly compilations of the residents of their reservations to the federal agency from the years 1885-1940. Some of these records have been microfilmed and are held by the National Archives.14 In the Indian Census taken April 1, 1933, Augustine Narcho, age 22, and wife Isabelle, age 18, are listed as being of full Native American blood and living on the reservation.15
The next Bureau of Indian Affairs census that he appears in is the one taken June 30, 1926. This is prior to his marriage as he is listed in the household of his presumed parents, Jose Garcia Miguel and Marie Cholia Narcho. There is a slight discrepancy in his birth date, as this record lists him as being born in 1910. Also listed with Augustine are siblings: Juliana, born 1908; Clemencia Lupe, born 1912; Anita, born 1913; Lena, born 1916; and an unnamed girl, born in 1918.16 The family is listed as living in Topowa Village, a community in the Baboquivari district.17 The 1925 record matches the 1926 record in all but one detail, Maria Narcho's middle name is spelled Cholis.18
3 Year: 1940; Census Place: Papago Indian Reservation, Pima, Arizona; Roll:T627_112; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 10-72
4 Year: 1940; Census Place: Papago Indian Reservation, Pima, Arizona; Roll:T627_112; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 10-72
5 "US Inflation Calculator" http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
6 Robert A. Hackenberg, Papago Population Study Research Methods and Preliminary Results, (Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona, 1961), 63.
7 Robert A. Hackenberg, Papago Population Study Research Methods and Preliminary Results, (Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona, 1961), 64.
8 Robert A. Hackenberg, Papago Population Study Research Methods and Preliminary Results, (Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona, 1961), 52.
9 William S. King, and Delmos J. Jones, Papago population studies II, (New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1974), 15-16.
10 William S. King, and Delmos J. Jones, Papago population studies II, (New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1974), 15-16.
11 Robert A. Hackenberg, Papago Population Study Research Methods and Preliminary Results,(Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona, 1961), 17.
12 Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index [database on-line].
13 William S. King, and Delmos J. Jones, Papago population studies II, (New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1974), 15-29.
14 http://www.archives.gov/research/census/native-americans/1885-1940.html
15 Ancestry.com. U.S., Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [database on-line].
16 Ancestry.com. U.S., Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [database on-line].
17 Underhill, Ruth, Social organization of the Papago Indians, (New York: AMS Press, 1969), 69.
18 Ancestry.com. U.S., Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [database on-line].
From the 1940 census, additional information can be gathered about Raymond Narcho's family. Father Augustine was twenty-nine years old and mother Isabelle was twenty-six. Both had finished no more than the sixth grade. While their residence location was defined as “rural”, they did not live on a farm and Augustine owned the house in which they lived. Augustine's occupation is listed as a mixed metal miner and he worked fifty-two weeks a year for $490. Isabelle was a homemaker while eldest son Ambrose was in school.4 Taking into account inflation, in 2013 this family's income would be $8,125.81.5
Augustine's consistent employment was an anomaly amongst the Tohono O'odham of this time period. Only a small portion of the labor force was steadily employed and making a living wage in one occupation even as late as the early 1960's.6 More often, income was derived from a series of unskilled and poorly paid jobs related to the seasonal migration of the Tohono O'odham. Most adult members of the household, male and female, contributed throughout the year to the household's income and the general occupational categories usually listed for individuals are oversimplifications.7 Even the term “housewife” or its derivatives conceals the contributions of women to the household, as many were employed in home based occupations, such as basket weaver.8
A further clue to this family's location are the enumeration and supervisorial districts listed on the 1940 census. In this instance, these are enumeration district 10-72 and supervisorial district 2. This corresponds to the Baboquivari grazing district, an area on the eastern edge of the reservation that contains the Baboquivari Mountains. Written into the street number section of the census page is “Chiuli Shaik Village”. A village by that name did exist within the Baboquivari district in the foothills of the mountains in 1940, but by 1974 it had been virtually abandoned.9 About one mile north of the location of Chiuli Shaik was the tiny village of Maish Vaya (also called Covered Wells), comprised of three houses. Settled around World War I, Maish Vaya was founded by members of the Narcho family on the slopes below a gold mine. Its principal inhabitant was Jesus Narcho. In 1974, his widow was the only permanent inhabitant of the village.10
The concept of a single farm inhabited by a nuclear family and surrounded by unrelated neighbors was not the norm for the Tohono O'odham of this time period. Instead, an extended family resided in a compound of several houses. Two or three compounds might comprise a village. Therefore, it can be assumed that individuals with a common surname within a village are likely related.11
Based on the 1940 census, Raymond Sr.'s father, Augustine Narcho, was born around 1911 in Arizona. Since he was likely to have passed away before his one hundredth birthday, a search was made of the Social Security Death Index. There is only one Augustine Narcho listed in the index and his birth date was February 11, 1911. He died February 23, 1991 in the town of Sells, Arizona which is located on the Tohono O'odham reservation. His middle initial is given as “L”.12
Having discovered Augustine's dates of birth and death, a check was made of the 1930 census to see if he could be found prior to his marriage, however, no Augustine Narcho was listed in the 1930 census or any prior federal United States census. Due to the migratory nature of Tohono O'odham life, this was not uncommon.
The state of Arizona Department of Health Services has made available online birth records from 1855-1937 and death certificates from 1861-1862. While Augustine was not listed in either of these databases, two of his sons were. Elder sons Ambrose and Bernard were born before the 1937 cutoff. On Ambrose's 1934 birth certificate, his father is listed as Augustine Narcho Lopez, age 25, while his mother is simply Isabel, age 19. Ambrose is listed as the couple's first child. Both are listed as living in Fresnal Canyon and were born in the town of Sells. Fresnal Canyon is located in the Baboquivari District of the Tohono O'odham reservation. The village of Chiuli Shaik, the 1940 home of Augustine and his family, is located within the canyon.13
On Bernard's 1936 birth certificate, his parents are Augustine Narcho, age 26, and Isabel Montana, age 24. They are both still living in Fresnal Canyon, but now their birth location has also been changed to Fresnal Canyon. Augustine is listed as a bus driver. Both children were born at the Indian Oasis Hospital. That his children possess birth certificates while he and his wife do not likely indicates that Augustine and Isabel were born at home. In the years between the births of the two generations, the customs and circumstances of birth among the Tohono O'odham changed. Indian Oasis Hospital was completed in 1921 and provided obstetrical and maternal care. Children born in this setting were part of the government system and received birth certificates. Previously, Tohono O'odham women retreated to specially constructed huts at the onset of labor and remained separated from the community for thirty days before being ritually cleansed by a medicine man. During this time, her family brought her food and helped her care for her child. The Tohono O'odham considered the reproductive aspects of a woman's life, from menstruation to birth, to be dangerous for men, requiring segregation and ritual purification. A menstruating woman who touched a man's bow would cause it to no longer shoot correctly. If she touched him, he might die.
Since Augustine was missing from all but one of the federal census records, a secondary source was consulted. Agents of the the Bureau of Indian Affairs submitted near yearly compilations of the residents of their reservations to the federal agency from the years 1885-1940. Some of these records have been microfilmed and are held by the National Archives.14 In the Indian Census taken April 1, 1933, Augustine Narcho, age 22, and wife Isabelle, age 18, are listed as being of full Native American blood and living on the reservation.15
The next Bureau of Indian Affairs census that he appears in is the one taken June 30, 1926. This is prior to his marriage as he is listed in the household of his presumed parents, Jose Garcia Miguel and Marie Cholia Narcho. There is a slight discrepancy in his birth date, as this record lists him as being born in 1910. Also listed with Augustine are siblings: Juliana, born 1908; Clemencia Lupe, born 1912; Anita, born 1913; Lena, born 1916; and an unnamed girl, born in 1918.16 The family is listed as living in Topowa Village, a community in the Baboquivari district.17 The 1925 record matches the 1926 record in all but one detail, Maria Narcho's middle name is spelled Cholis.18
3 Year: 1940; Census Place: Papago Indian Reservation, Pima, Arizona; Roll:T627_112; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 10-72
4 Year: 1940; Census Place: Papago Indian Reservation, Pima, Arizona; Roll:T627_112; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 10-72
5 "US Inflation Calculator" http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
6 Robert A. Hackenberg, Papago Population Study Research Methods and Preliminary Results, (Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona, 1961), 63.
7 Robert A. Hackenberg, Papago Population Study Research Methods and Preliminary Results, (Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona, 1961), 64.
8 Robert A. Hackenberg, Papago Population Study Research Methods and Preliminary Results, (Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona, 1961), 52.
9 William S. King, and Delmos J. Jones, Papago population studies II, (New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1974), 15-16.
10 William S. King, and Delmos J. Jones, Papago population studies II, (New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1974), 15-16.
11 Robert A. Hackenberg, Papago Population Study Research Methods and Preliminary Results,(Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona, 1961), 17.
12 Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index [database on-line].
13 William S. King, and Delmos J. Jones, Papago population studies II, (New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1974), 15-29.
14 http://www.archives.gov/research/census/native-americans/1885-1940.html
15 Ancestry.com. U.S., Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [database on-line].
16 Ancestry.com. U.S., Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [database on-line].
17 Underhill, Ruth, Social organization of the Papago Indians, (New York: AMS Press, 1969), 69.
18 Ancestry.com. U.S., Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 [database on-line].