District 7 Hosts 159th Annual Mustering In Day Celebration

Joseph Morales

GRIN Intern

The 159th Annual Mustering In Day Celebration was held in District 7 Maricopa Colony on Saturday, Sept. 7. The celebration again honors the O’otham and Pee Posh men who were mustered into service as what became known as the “First National Guard” of Arizona in 1865.

This year’s event theme was “Never Forgetting The First Nation Guard, Forever Honoring.” Hundreds gathered on 83rd Avenue along the District 7 Multi-purpose building for the morning’s parade.

This year, several entries represented various tribal programs, enterprises, departments, color guards, O’otham and Pee Posh traditional dance groups, and Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis and Lt. Gov. Regina Antone.

Michael Marrietta, U.S. Army veteran, and Joey Whitman, U.S. Army, were grand marshals for the event’s parade. The day recognizes the 88 O’otham men that formed Company C and the 94 Pee Posh men that made up Company B. These men protected the Arizona Territory in the 1860s while most of the U.S. military was occupied with the Civil War.

“Over 159 years ago when Arizona was a young state, they looked to our Pee Posh and O’otham warriors, precursors to our national guard and law enforcement,” said Gov. Lewis. He added, “This is an amazing, long-standing tradition that we have here in the Community. It’s important to keep this history alive.”

Following the parade and opening remarks, came an intermission with lunch provided to the first 500 people in attendance. Informational and departmental booths were also on site along with arts and crafts vendors. Live entertainment continued throughout the day and into the night with traditional dancing featuring both O’otham singers and dancers and Pee Posh Bird singers and dancers.