Ancient Southwestern Ceramics Point to the Survival of the Most Connected

Ancient Southwestern Ceramics Point to the Survival of the Most Connected
In the late 13th century, the American southwest was hit by a major drought. When resources were exhausted and agriculture failed, some groups of people were forced to migrate out of the region. Entire areas of northern Arizona were depopulated. Other groups also survived by turning outward, but not to a new home.  Instead, they reached out to neighboring communities and formed social networks across greater distances. These networks created a support system for people in the region to rely upon for their livelihood. And they allowed cultures, such as the Hopi, to persist in a time of crisis. A recent University of Arizona study found evidence of these networks in hundreds of thousands of ceramic and obsidian objects from archaeological sites in parts of pre-Columbian Arizona and New Mexico. With a grant from the National Science Foundation, the university and a Tucson-based organization called Archaeology Southwest made a joint effort to catalog the objects in the Southwest Social Network database, a digital archaeological archive. http://to.pbs.org/1L1ZyI9 – PBS News Hour

A Climate Worse than the Great Drought?
During the second half of the 21st century, the US Southwest and Great Plains will face persistent drought worse than anything seen in times ancient or modern, with the drying conditions ‘driven primarily’ by human-induced global warming, a new study predicts. The research says the drying would surpass in severity any of the decades-long “megadroughts” that occurred much earlier during the past 1,000 years — one of which has been tied by some researchers to the decline of the Anasazi or Ancient Pueblo Peoples in the Colorado Plateau in the late 13th century. http://bit.ly/1CxecTD – Science Daily

Preservation Groups Rally to Protect Cedar Mesa
In December, Friends of Cedar Mesa, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Parks Conservation Association jointly requested the BLM defer several proposed oil and gas leases in the Bluff and Montezuma Canyon areas. Our protest came after efforts to consult with BLM officials and encourage a more measured approach to developing oil and gas in areas with high densities of cultural resources. The Hopi Tribe had also expressed significant concern about the proposed parcels that contain significant sacred sites, many of which are undocumented in BLM databases. February 10th, the BLM announced it would defer all of the parcels included in our request, including such significant sites as “Sacred Mesa.” http://bit.ly/17DedLE – Friends of Cedar Mesa

Audio Program: Oil and Gas Industry “Creeping Up” on Chaco Canyon
Oil and gas development may be moving closer to Chaco Canyon National Historical Park and the many tribal communities in northwestern New Mexico. Residents there, along with archaeologists and advocates, are questioning the burgeoning development. What effect might encroachment have upon these communities? What about nearby ancient sites? How can we strike a balance between modern day energy needs, healthy communities and the preservation of ancient sites? http://bit.ly/1EeBQo5 – KUNM Radio

Significant Vandalism at Petroglyph National Monument
Vandals in New Mexico sprayed graffiti and caused other damage at one of North America’s largest petroglyph sites that protects ancient American Indian rock art. Dennis Vasquez, superintendent of Petroglyph National Monument near Albuquerque, recently found graffiti, debris, evidence of campfires and motorcycle tracks while exploring a section of the park. http://on-msn.com/1CxO5cS – Associated Press Via MSN

New Mexico Historic Preservation Month Announced
The theme for this year’s Historic Preservation Month has been announced by the Historic Preservation Division (HPD): Cultural Landscapes that have influenced New Mexico Artists. The New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance is again asking for events that you have scheduled during the month of May to celebrate this special month and be posted on this year’s Preservation Month Calendar of Events. Please use the attached form and include a photo if you would like your event illustrated, knowing that event photos may be used for HPD publicity purposes. Please use the link to the form below and return it to NMHPA at either vtjacobson@gmail.com or information@nmheritage.org by March 12. http://bit.ly/1MoImxW – Docx format document from New Mexico Heritage. Org

The Shiprock Historical Society Has a Story to Tell
Many stories, actually: a kaleidoscope of tales that, collectively, will form the narrative of one of the largest communities on the Navajo Nation. Incorporated in 2010, this volunteer, nonprofit organization is tasked with recording not only the history of Shiprock, New Mexico, but also the varied nuances that come from sharing personal accounts. “Navajo stories traditionally were shared orally,” said Eugene Joe, CEO of the society and one of its founding members. “Everyone has a story that relates to our collective past, but if you look at stories individually, they’re not the full picture. They’re just parts. Everyone’s version of the story has different details, making the whole story richer. We’re bringing those stories back, piece by piece.” http://bit.ly/1CxigmZ – Indian Country Today

The Navajo-Hopi Relocation Disputes Continue
The rolling hills of northeastern Arizona where cornfields lined a watering hole and sheep grazed in the distance were home to Susie Robinson and her extended family. When she moved farther east into a new four-bedroom home, it wasn’t by choice but the result of a bitter land dispute between the Navajo and Hopi tribes that dates back centuries. http://bit.ly/1zXnmcz – Arizona Republic

Evidence of Butchering Refines Contested Yukon Cave Deposit Dates
They’re probably about half as old as scientists once thought they were. But a pair of butchered bones found in a cave near the Alaska-Yukon border are “definite” evidence of human presence in North America just after the end of the last Ice Age, perhaps as much as 14,000 years ago, according to a new study. The bones were originally discovered in the late 1970s by Canadian archaeologist Dr. Jacques Cinq-Mars at a site known as Bluefish Caves, high in northwestern Yukon Territory. http://bit.ly/1L1Ngzp – Western Digs

Lecture Opportunity – Albuquerque
At 7:30 PM, Tuesday, February 17, 2015, at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History (2000 Mountain Road NW) ,Dr. E. James Dixon will present Archaeology on Ice: An Emerging Research Frontier. Global warming is melting glaciers and permafrost around the world, and rare archaeological remains are melting from the ice. Approximately 10 percent of the earth’s land surface is covered by ice, and the archaeological remains preserved in the ice are largely unknown. This exciting research frontier is the subject of a new exhibit, Archaeology on Ice, at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology on the UNM campus. http://bit.ly/1qG2OiG – Albuquerque Archaeology Society

Lecture Opportunity – Coolidge
On Wednesday, February 18^th, at noon, at the visitor’s center of the Casa Grande Ruins, Dr. Douglas Craig will present a lecture on the Friends of Casa Grande Ruins. The talk explains what  the Friends of Casa Grande Ruins is, and its mission to help support Casa Grande Ruins National Monument and assist in the preservation, protection, interpretation, and enjoyment of the Monument for present and future generations. Dr. Douglas Craig is a Principal Investigator with Northland Research, a leading expert on Hohokam archaeology, and President of the Friends of Casa Grande Ruins. The Friends of Casa Grande Ruins is a non-profit, member-driven, citizen-based organization.

Tour Opportunity – Sun City West (NW Phoenix)
On February 21, archaeologist Allen Dart leads Recreation Centers of Sun City West’s 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. “White Tank Mountains Petroglyphs of Waterfall Canyon” educational tour in White Tank Mountain Regional Park, 20304 W. White Tank Mountain Road, Waddell, Arizona. The 30,000-acre park contains hundreds of Archaic and Hohokam petroglyphs, many of which will be seen in a 2.5-mile-roundtrip, fairly flat hike along the Waterfall Canyon-Black Rock Loop Trail. $35 includes park entry fee. Bring lunch and water, wear comfortable walking shoes. Register online at http://www.rcscw.com (click on the EXPLORE tab in left-hand column).

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe 
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Patricia C. Wright, Professor of Anthropology, Stony Brook University and Primatologist, Conservationist, and Founder, Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments, who will give a lecture World’s Last Wild Lemurs: Endangered Species of Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar  on February 23 at 6 pm at Hotel Santa Fe as part of the Ancient Sites Ancient Stories Lecture Series held to honor Picuris Pueblo. Admission is by subscription or $12 at the door. No reservations are necessary and refreshments are served. Seating is limited. Contact Connie Eichstaedt tel 505 466-2775 email: southwestseminar@aol.com.  http://bit.ly/YhJddr – Southwest Seminars

Reminder: Archaeology Southwest’s Archaeology Café (Phoenix) Welcomes Traditional Potters Ron Carlos and Jacob Butler
On February 17, 2015, traditional potters and educators Jacob Butler and Ron Carlos (Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community) will share their perspectives on heritage and connecting to the past in Pottery…a Direct Link to Our Past. We meet in the Aztec Room of Macayo’s Central, 4001 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, near the Indian School light rail stop. Presentations begin after6:00 p.m. It is best to arrive at about 5:30 p.m. in order to get settled, as seating is open and unreserved, but limited. Archaeology Café is free, but guests are encouraged to order their own refreshments from the menu. http://bit.ly/1zy0JuY – Archaeology Southwest

Thanks to Cherie Freeman and Adrianne Rankin for contributions to this week’s newsletter