Paris Auction House Sells Contested Objects Sacred to Hopi Tribe

Paris Auction House Sells Contested Objects Sacred to Hopi Tribe
A contested auction of sacred Hopi Indian artifacts went forward on Friday in Paris and generated more than $1 million in sales, despite the presence of protesters inside and outside the auction house who urged patrons not to take part. One featured item, a headdress known as the Crow Mother, drew intense interest. Bidding on this 1880s artifact, which had a high estimate of $80,000, soared to $210,000, drawing applause from a crowd of some 200 people in the sales room and protest from a woman who stood up and shouted: “Don’t purchase that. It is a sacred being.”  http://nyti.ms/15dMAoB – New York Times

Slideshow – Arizona State Museum Celebrates 120 Years
The Arizona State Museum is 120 years old Sunday. It is the oldest and largest anthropology museum in the Southwest and was established by the Arizona Territorial Legislature in 1893. Here are examples of exhibits, community events and services provided by the museum. http://bit.ly/16WynKK – Arizona Daily Star

Obituary for Linda Cordell
Linda S. Cordell, former longtime director of the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History and a preeminent archaeologist of the American Southwest, died last week in Santa Fe, N.M. The reported cause of her March 29 death was a heart attack. She was 69. http://bit.ly/100wLAC – Colorado Daily

Phoenix Archaeology Café Update
This Tuesday, Karen Gust Schollmeyer (Arizona State University) will discuss long-term patterns in archaeological animal bone deposits in the U.S. Southwest. These faunal remains reveal information about  human impacts on animals and about different species’ resilience in human-dominated landscapes. Archaeology Café begins at 6 p.m. in the Aztec Room of Macayo’s Central, 4001 N. Central Ave. Seating is open and unreserved, but limited. It is best to arrive half an hour before the presentation begins. We encourage guests to share tables and make new friends at this free event. Please support our hosts at Macayo’s Central (near the Indian School light rail stop) by purchasing refreshments from the menu—at happy hour prices! http://www.www.archaeologysouthwest.org/event/archaeology-cafe-phoenix-animal-bones/

Heard Museum Names New Director
James Pepper Henry has been named as the Heard Museum’s director and CEO. Henry comes to the Heard after a successful six-year tenure at the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, Alaska’s premier art, history and science institution. There, he oversaw the completion of the museum’s $110 million, 80,000-square-foot expansion, including the debut of the new Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center exhibition hall and the new Imaginarium Discovery Center. http://bit.ly/ZUHZ2a – Heard Museum

Casa Grande and the Ancient Architectural Marvels of Arizona
While the pyramids of Egypt, some dating back to 4,000 B.C., get credit for being one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, other builders were busy working their own architectural marvels at Hohokam sites in Arizona. To celebrate Arizona Archaeology & Heritage Awareness Month, the Amerind Foundation orchestrated a five-day Hohokam World Tour event that covered nearly a dozen locations along the Gila, Salt, and Santa Cruz River valleys to explore survival tactics among the ancients. http://bit.ly/ZqAJvW – Indian Country Today

Malicious Desecration of Petroglyphs at Joshua Tree National Park
More Joshua Tree closures have been announced by the National Park Service, and it isn’t because of budget cuts or the sequester. Instead, it’s the work of vandals engaged in a campaign of what the park service has called “continued malicious desecration” of both the scenic canyons and ancient archeological ruins. The graffiti campaign started in January and has only gotten worse. Rattlesnake Canyon will be closed through the end of April for the emergency clean-up. On April 30, officials will reassess the closure. For now, the public is absolutely forbidden to enter the Rattlesnake Canyon area. http://bit.ly/1297QJ2 – The Inquisitr

Registration Open for 11th Annual Arizona Historic Preservation Conference
Presented by Arizona State Parks, State Historic Preservation Office, Arizona Preservation Foundation, National Park Service, Arizona Archaeological Council, Arizona Historical Society, and Arizona Main Street, the conference will be held June 12-14, 2013 at the Hilton Phoenix East / Mesa (SR 60 and Alma School).  http://bit.ly/16WBPoD – AZ Preservation Foundation

Forrest Fenn’s Treasure Hunt Leading People to Serious Legal Problems
A collection of gold and jewels that a retired Santa Fe art dealer says he stashed in the mountains north of Santa Fe has generated so much interest from amateur treasure hunters that some have put their lives in jeopardy or been cited for illegally digging on public lands.  http://bit.ly/14nLVl3

Video Presentation – Mesa Grande and the Hohokam of the Salt River Valley
Explore the Mesa Grande Ruins and the Hohokam Civilization and hear about how they thrived in the lands of what is now Arizona. See the massive ruin of adobe walls and platforms as we explore the mound built by the ancient civilization that lived in the area from AD 1100 to AD 1400. http://youtu.be/rpdZBKqoC8A – C SPAN via YouTube

Due Date for Nominations for GAAC’s Awards in Public Archaeology Extended to April 19
The Governor’s Archaeology Advisory Commission (GAAC) is sponsoring its 27th annual Awards in Public Archaeology. The Commission is a statutory board that advises the State Historic Preservation Officer on issues of relevance to Arizona archaeology. The Awards are presented to individuals, organizations, and/or programs that have significantly contributed to the protection and preservation of, and education about, Arizona’s non-renewable archaeological resources. Download the nomination form at http://bit.ly/Wx20in. For more information or questions, contact Kris Dobschuetz at kdobschuetz@azstateparks.gov or 602-542-4171.

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Scott Ortman, Omidyar Fellow, Santa Fe Institute and Lightfoot Fellow, Crow Canyon Archaeological Research Center, and Author, Winds From the North: Tewa Origins and Historical Anthropology, who will give a lecture on Diversity and Complexity in U.S. Southwest Archaeology on April 15 at 6pm at Hotel Santa Fe as part of the annual Ancient Sites Ancient Stories II Lecture Series held annually to honor and acknowledge the work of The Archaeological Conservancy. Admission is by subscription or $12 at the door. No reservations are necessary and refreshments are served. Contact Connie Eichstaedt, tel: 505 466-2775, email: southwest seminar@aol.com, website: http://bit.ly/YhJddr  – Southwest Seminars

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society is pleased to present Carolyn O’Bagy Davis  tonight, Monday, April 15 at 7:30 PM at DuVal Auditorium (1501 N. Campbell Ave. inside University Medical Center) to discuss Goldie Tracy Richmond: Trapper, Trader, Quiltmaker. Davis will discuss the life of Goldie Tracy Richmond (1896-1972), who came to Arizona in 1927 where she and her husband ran traplines, prospected, and operated trading posts. She also created applique’ quilts depicting scenes of daily life of her Tohono O’odham neighbors, which are revered for their artistic vision and are preserved in museum collections. Contact Jon Boyd @ 520 444-6385 with questions about this, or any other AAHS program.

Editor’s Note: Congratulations to Henry Wallace of Desert Archaeology, Inc., who was awarded the Award For Excellence in Cultural Resource Management on the third of April at the 2013 annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Honolulu, Hawaii. The society’s award committee recognizes an individual or a group’s lifetime contributions and special achievements in the categories of program administration/management, site preservation, and research in cultural resource management.

Thanks to Cherie Freeman for contributing to this week’s newsletter.