Did Protesting the Sale of Sacred Objects Compound the Sacrilege and Increase Auction Profits?

Did Protesting the Sale of Sacred Objects Compound the Sacrilege and Increase Auction Profits?
I used to work in a Native arts gallery in Tucson. I quickly learned potential buyers of Native art want a story to go with their purchase. The better the story, the quicker the sale. The articulate pleas to stop the auction and return the kokko friends created a dramatic stage for the auction. The kokko friends sold in the auction have tribal, museum professional and legal protests, Hollywood big-wigs, and the international press telling a passionate story. It’s a disgusting and disturbing realization that our collective efforts to stop the auction increased the visibility of the kokko friends and most likely contributed to their swift sale at higher-than-expected prices. http://bit.ly/151QNfR – Indian Country Today

Eyewitness Account of Paris Auction of Sacred Puebloan Objects
The whole event got a lot of people doing what they could to prevent it and might have raised enough awareness to not hold such “exceptionally rich” auctions anymore. The danger is that katsinam might surface here and there, and just be included in a general auction without anyone even noticing or saying much about it. The auction master said, “Folks, you realize there won’t be another such auction soon. This has caused way too much trouble.”  http://bit.ly/10lFyG6 – Indian Country Today

Celebration of the Life of Linda Cordell Scheduled for the First of June in Santa Fe
Please join family and friends for a celebration of the life and work of Dr. Linda Cordell, Saturday, June 1, 11AM-1 PM, at the New Mexico History Museum Auditorium, 113 Lincoln Avenue Santa Fe, NM (behind the Palace of the Governors). Please RSVP for Memorial Service and Reception by May 25:  mjpiper@unm.edu No on-site parking is available, however, free parking can be found at the State Capitol Parking lot at Paseo de Peralta and Old Santa Fe Trail, and paid parking can be found at downtown City of Santa Fe parking lots, including the Santa Fe Convention Center.

International Rock Art Conference Scheduled for May 26-31 in Albuquerque
The American Rock Art Research Association invites Scientists, Researchers, Educators, Conservators, and all interested people to the XVII International Congress of IFRAO in conjunction with the ARARA 2013 Conference.  Field trips will provide opportunities for all Congress attendees to learn about the rock art of this region. The nearby Petroglyph National Monument will allow attendees continual access to the local rock art throughout the Congress. The Congress theme “Ancient Hands Around the World” is designed to bring together the diverse interests of the many people who study and work to conserve the pictographs and petroglyphs in all countries. Depictions of hands are found in rock art of all cultures and in all time periods, and their symbolism portrays our goal of assembling people from across the globe to share their experiences and knowledge. http://bit.ly/11PxMHD – IFRAO

Canyon of the Ancients Selects Two Artists in Residence
Today, the Bureau of Land Management selected Jeff Potter of Alameda, N.M., and Lewis Williams of Montrose, Colo., to share their artistic vision of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument through the 2013 Artist in Residence program. Each artist spends a weeklong residency absorbing and experiencing the monument’s landscape, creating a work of art in response to the experience and then sharing their vision and techniques with visitors.  http://on.doi.gov/10LTals –  BLM’s Canyon of the Ancients

Reminder  – Archaeology Café in Tucson: Connecting the American Southwest and Mesoamerica—A Ritual Economy
Ben Nelson (Arizona State University) will provide a big-picture view of relationships between the two regions in the past. He will also discuss his investigations at the site of La Quemada. We gather after 5:00 p.m., and presentations begin by 6:15 p.m. Outdoor seating is open and unreserved, but limited. Share tables and make new friends! The event is free. Please support our hosts at Casa Vicente by ordering refreshments from the menu. http://bit.ly/13puGv4 – Archaeology Southwest

Lecture Opportunity – Cortez
The Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society is please to present Dr. Kelly Jenks to discuss Five Centuries of Cross-Cultural Contact in the Upper Pecos River Valley on Tuesday, May 7, at 7:00 PM at First Methodist Church, Cortez, CO. For centuries, the Upper Pecos River Valley has served as a transportation corridor connecting the peoples and products of the eastern plains to the pueblos in the west. She will review five centuries of cross-cultural interaction and trade along the Pecos—from prehistoric trade between Plains Indians and Pecos Pueblo through the arrival and impact of Santa Fe Trail trade—to identify some overarching themes. Dr. Jenks is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Fort Lewis College.  Contact Diane McBride with questions, 970-560-1643.

Lecture Opportunity – Glendale
The public is invited to a free lecture on the Grasshopper Pueblo Research Project offered by the Agua Fria Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society at 7:00 PM on Monday, May 13, 2013 at the West Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 5904 W. Cholla St., Glendale, AZ (off 59th Avenue, south of Cactus). Membership in the Society is not required. The University of Arizona archaeological field school was conducted at the 500-room Grasshopper Pueblo near Cibecue on the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation. This experience was often the jumping-off point for participants into further archaeological careers. The speaker, David E. Doyel, Ph.D., is the archaeologist for the Barry M. Goldwater Range at Luke Air Force Base. For more information contact Tim Cullison, 602-863-9744, tcullisonaz@gmail.com.

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Paul Minnis, Archaeologist and Ethnobotanist, Professor of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma and Author, Social Adaptation to Food Stress: A Prehistoric Southwestern Example, who will give a lecture on Chiles and Cuisine in the Ancient Southwest and Northern Mexico on May 6 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: southwestseminar@aol.com, website: http://bit.ly/YhJddr  – Southwest Seminars

Children’s Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
On Wednesday May 1 from 6-7 p.m. the Pima County Public Library and Old Pueblo Archaeology Center offer a free children’s presentation titled “What Is an Archaeologist?” by archaeology technician Sherry Eisler at the Flowing Wells Branch Library, 1730 W. Wetmore Rd., Tucson. This program is designed to give children an idea of what archaeologists do, how they do it, and how they learn about people through their work. It examples of the tools archaeologists work with, real and replica artifacts, and activities to help children experience how archaeologists interpret the past. No reservations are needed. For details contact Librarian Brian Chanecka at Tucson telephone 520-594-5228or Brian.Chanecka@pima.gov.