Southwest Archaeology Today for Dec. 14, 2006

Archaeology Making the News – A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

– Arizona Star Posts 12 Articles on the Tribes of Arizona and Southwest: Twenty-one American Indian tribes call Arizona home, including the Tucson area’s Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui. A special report in today’s Arizona Daily Star by reporter Carmen Duarte examines the history, culture and the modern lives of Arizona’s tribes. Learn about the tradition of Tohono O’odham basket-weaving and the artistry of the Hopi-carved katsina – more commonly known as “kachina” – as well as the festivals and scenery that make visiting Arizona’s tribal land a worthwhile road trip.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/tribes/160180
Note: The article links to an index of the special report, a sample of two of the articles is listed below.

– Celebration of O’odham Culture: At age 52, Saraficio continues passing on the knowledge to her four children and families enrolled in basket-weaving classes at the San Xavier District Education Center. She also teaches the O’odham language to students before the weaving classes begin.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/tribes/159269

– Hopi Katsinas: The Hopi believe that a katsina – they prefer this spelling to “kachina” – is a supernatural being who once lived in the spirit of a good person and has returned as a messenger.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/tribes/159387

– The Impacts of Oil Production on Archaeological Research & CRM: :The oil and gas boom of the West has also opened vast lands to discoveries by an unlikely group: archaeologists such as Kevin O’Dell. With crews spaced 100 feet apart, O’Dell and other archaeologists are walking thousands of acres of sagebrush highlands, valleys and hills, and they’re achieving a remarkable increase in identification of prehistoric and historic sites – from those of ancient American Indians to the homesteaders of the last century.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/12/13/news/wyoming/25-archaeology.txt

– Forensic Archaeology on the Archaeology Channel: This film tells how forensic sciences and archaeology have been used to investigate international human-rights abuses in trouble spots around the world. The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF), an international Non-governmental Organization (NGO), took footage of forensic investigations they carried out in Argentina, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, and East Timor in order to tell the story of what they do. Exhumation and reburial sequences document the heavy emotional toll befalling survivors and their families. Through forensic applications, archaeology can be used directly as a tool in the pursuit of justice worldwide. This use of archaeology is described in detail and in real cases by Following Antigone: Forensic Anthropology and Human Rights Investigations, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org/