Tohono O'odham Religion and Rituals
Himdag is a Tohono O'odham word that translates to "way of life". The eight elements of religion are found throughout the Tohono O'odham past and present cultural beliefs.
The Tohono O'odham believe that they were created by a God named I'itoi. I'itoi once created a people whom were known as the Hohokam or the ancient ones. The Hohokam turned on I'itoi and attempted to kill him four times. After the fourth attempt on I'itoi's life he found refuge in the underworld. From the underworld he brought forth the wuskam, roughly translated as the ones who came out. The wuskam were the Tohono O'odham brought to this world to eradicate the Hohokam and inhabit their land.
The Tohono O'odham like many Native American tribes were converted to some sort of Christianity. The denomination adopted by the Tohono O'odham was Catholicism. The catholic faith was brought to the O'odham first by the Jesuit missionaries and further enhanced by the Franciscan missionaries. The catholic religion has since been integrated with the Tohono O'odham himdag. The Tohono O'odham have found a comfortable middle between religion and spirituality. There are many aspects in O'odham himdag that coincide with the catholic religion. Author Donald Bahr speaks about the similarity of the creation stories of the O'odham and the Christian biblical stories. He dissects the myth of a flood in both creation stories, as well as a parting of a body of water such as that of the story of Moses parting the red sea. Mr. Bahr also makes a connection to the killing of a creator or messiah and their resurrection. (Bahr, Smith, Allison, & Hayden, 1994)
Most Tohono O'odham are brought up with the catholic faith. However, within the past 50 years different denominations have found its place in the lives of the Tohono O'odham; but the catholic religion remains the dominant religion in the Tohono O'odham community. Regardless of which religion is chosen by an O'odham, one thing remains the same and that is the O'odham himdag.
The Tohono O'odham way of life like many religions or spirituality is filled with phenomenon and taboo. Sacredness to the Tohono O'odham can be very extensive. Mountains, landmarks, animals, oratory and songs are just a few to be named. Tohono O'odham are very protective of their region, even from other member of the tribe. For example, out of respect songs that originate from a specific region or village should not be sung from any other person not from that village. Songs are created about certain events or location in which these events took place. Every village has a mountain range in which they consider to be theirs. These mountains are sacred to the villagers because it is their home. The Tohono O'odham are a semi-nomadic tribe during certain times of the year they will relocate and stay for a certain amount of time and specific location. Before monsoon season begins the O'odham people will go to the mountainous region and harvest the saguaro fruit. This fruit is turned into jam and syrup and is also used to ferment into wine. The wine is used for a cleansing ceremony called the nawait i'ita or wine feast (Underhill, Bahr, Lopez, Pancho, & Lopez, 1979). This ceremony is performed during the monsoon season. All animals are to be treated with respect, when one hunts for food, the hunter is to speak to the animal and explain why the animal is to die. No animal is to be killed for sport. The Tohono O'odham believe that everything in this world has its place. Tohono O'odham believes that sickness is imminent if a person does not live righteous. If an animal is killed maliciously a sickness can be brought to that person. Other precautions that the O'odham have are for pregnant women. A pregnant woman is told not to think ill of anyone, or make fun of people. This could bring harm to the child.
Certain ceremonies are performed throughout a person's life. One ceremony is performed at a 3 months after the birth of a child. This can only be explained as a baptismal. A baby must ingest a substance called bith. The bith coats the child soul and protects the child from harm. Throughout a person's life the protection can be broken and a sickness can be brought upon this person. Another ceremony is the burial ceremony. This ceremony is an all night event that takes place from sundown to the rise of the sun. Throughout the night traditional songs are sung and the rosary is prayed to assist the deceased to the after world. This ceremony is one that integrated with the catholic religion. At sunrise the body is buried and for next three days after the burial the songs will be sung and the rosary performed. For the next year the deceased belongings will remain untouched and the family will refrain from wearing any brightly colored clothing. On the first year death anniversary the deceased belongings will be buried and a vigil will be given. Every year a family will honor their dead. This ceremony is called kokoi gegosith; this is translated to feeding the ghost.
Tohono O'odham himdag is a way of life that is full of rights and rituals. Although the Tohono O'odham have adopted western religion, they have not neglected their own ways. The religious elements could be found throughout any one aspect of the Tohono O'odham himdag.

References
Bahr, D., Smith, J., Allison, W. S., & Hayden, J. (1994). The Short Swift Time of Gods on Earth. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.
Underhill, R. M., Bahr, D., Lopez, B., Pancho, J., & Lopez, D. (1979). Rainhouse and Ocean. Flagstaff, AZ: Museum of Northern Arizona Press.