Phoenix's S'edav Va'aki Museum, known for a long stretch as Pueblo Grande, is closing in on one year since shaking off its old name like yesterday's news. The change is more than just a nod to political correctness. It's a full-blown embrace of the indigenous cultures that call the region home. Come March 23rd, it'll be a full year since the Phoenix Park and Recreation Board green-lit the switch to spotlight the O'Odham and Piipaash people's connection to the spot.

The museum hasn't been shy to quickly adopt the new moniker. They got busy slapping a fresh logo crafted by Jacob Butler of Onk Akimel O'Odham fame on just about anything that would stay still long enough. It's meant to do more than just catch the eye—it's to show respect for the Ancestral Sonoran Desert People and nod to the native folks around the Phoenix metro area. But they didn't stop there, and went on to update signs inside and out, making sure visitors knew there was a new sheriff in town.

According to the museum's official news release, November saw SVM strut its revamped stuff with the Legacy mural by local O'Odham artist Thomas “Breeze" Marcus as well as an exhibit cheekily titled "What's in Our Name?" The whole shebang is about showing off how the museum has switched up its game with a new mission statement and a plan for telling the ancient tales in new ways.

More recently, the museum crew rolled out the red carpet for new signage meant to give the spotlight some justice next to the Legacy mural. Here's your chance to get into the head of the artist, with the sign showcasing Breeze's own statement, a rundown of the artwork's guts, and a dive into the deep end of its cultural bones and personal heavy-hitters. It's a bold move to make sure that visitors get to steep themselves good and proper in the symbolism and stories splashed across the walls.

This whole affair is way more than renaming a building and calling it a day. It's a tip of the hat to the enduring spirit of the local indigenous communities and the historic grounds they tread on. From the sounds of it, Phoenix's S'edav Va'aki Museum is setting itself up as a lesson in cultural reverence—one that'll stick with folks for a good while after they step back out into the Arizona sun.