As a follow-up to our brief discussion of the Pima “Story of Creation,” here is some interesting information about how termites (aka “white ants”) function in the desert ecosystems of the American southwest:

“In the warm deserts of the American Southwest, termites are perhaps the greatest earth-movers. Subterranean termites transport a tremendous amount of relatively deep soil materials to the surface when they construct their mud-covered tunnels on the soil surfaces and on the cellulose-containing foods they consume. In this way, desert termites accomplish the same kind of ecological role as do earthworms in soils of moister regions. In the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico, a group of ecologists estimated that termites annually brought over 1760 pounds (800 kg) of soil materials per two and one-half acres (1 hectare) to the soil surface.” (http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_desert_soils.php)

Recall that the “Creation Story” states that Juhwertamahkai “created white ants, and these worked and enlarged the earth; and they kept on increasing it, larger and larger, until at last it was big enough for himself to rest on” (22).  The Pima’s clearly were aware of the local flora and fauna and incorporated their knowledge of the land and creatures into their creation story.

Above is a photo taken of a large termite structure!