Bears Ears Education Center Opens September 22

Bears Ears Education Center Opens September 22
Instead, the goal of the new Bears Ears Education Center is to serve up what its organizers say the federal government has neglected to provide — a way to teach the public about protecting the precious but sensitive cultural history in this archaeologically rich and remote part of southeast Utah. The grassroots interpretation center, opening on September 22, aims to meet the dramatic increase in demand and attention on the monument—designated by President Obama and reduced by President Trump—as legal limbo has left this swath of land without a coherent management plan. http://bit.ly/2xaCN50 — KUER

Commentary: Heritage Protection and Human Rights
Development projects are claiming ancestral sites at alarming rates. This ineffective protection of Indigenous heritage is a violation of human rights, while the continued destruction of ancient sites, burial grounds and sacred places can be considered a form of violence. While heritage is essential to all peoples, Indigenous peoples in colonized lands have historically had the least control over theirs. State-controlled heritage policies are a source of regular conflict, with substantial social, political and economic consequences. http://bit.ly/2x6wgbf — The Conversation

Snowmaking on Heritage Lands
Oral arguments in the Hopi Tribe’s lawsuit against Arizona Snowbowl’s snowmaking practices were heard by the Arizona Supreme Court’s panel of seven justices on Tuesday, Sept. 4. In February, the Arizona Court of Appeals revived the question of whether Snowbowl’s snowmaking with reclaimed wastewater causes “special injury” to Hopi religious and cultural sites. http://bit.ly/2x0vSv5 — Arizona Daily Sun

Grant Award for NAGPRA Work at Salmon Pueblo
Larry Baker, Executive Director of Salmon Ruins Museum (the San Juan County Museum Association), together with partner Archaeology Southwest, is pleased to announce the award of a $69,932 grant from the National Park Service’s National NAGPRA Program. This grant will allow Museum staff and consultants to conduct consultation and documentation as part of completing the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) process. http://bit.ly/2x82yT9 — Archaeology Southwest

Coalition Seeks Public Notice of Mining in Contested Bears Ears National Monument
Fearing mining activity looms inside the former boundaries of two Utah monuments, environmental groups and Native American tribes want a federal judge to require advance public notice before any ground-disturbing activity occurs. A federal judge agreed to hold a hearing Thursday on the matter as part of a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration over the reduction in boundaries at the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. http://bit.ly/2x7q3fl — Deseret News

Decline in Paris Auction Sales of Native American Cultural Heritage
A federal report shows the number of Native American cultural items listed for bidding at five Paris auction houses declined after an uproar two years ago led to the halted sale of an Acoma Pueblo ceremonial shield—a piece tribal leaders say was illegally taken from their village in New Mexico. The U.S. Government Accountability Office in a report released this week analyzed sales and listings at auction houses that federal officials identified as primary markets for Native American cultural items—such as clothing and the colorful Acoma shield that remains in Paris amid an investigation. http://bit.ly/2x9LsV2 — Tampa Bay Times

Documenting Trees Bearing Ute Heritage
Walking through forests across the Mountain West, you might not realize you’re walking past historical artifacts big enough to crush you. These artifacts are pine and cedar trees that have had their bark peeled off in a special way. The trees are a bit of a mystery to archaeologists, and one they’re running out of time to solve. http://bit.ly/2x6wu25 — KUNC

Whoever You Are, Tree Historian(s), We Salute You
At present, the locations of 84 medallion trees are known. Each medallion—an aluminum or brass or steel washer about 1½ to 2 inches in diameter—is screwed into the tree over the hole where a core sample was taken to determine the tree’s age. A historic event that corresponds with the germination date, or GD, is stamped on the medallion. http://bit.ly/2x4IUrt — Albuquerque Journal

Scholarship Opportunity, PaleoWest Foundation
The PaleoWest Foundation Graduate Scholarship supports innovative graduate students and their research. If selected, grants up to $2000 will be awarded to applicants. The number of awardees will depend on funding availability and the quality of the applications. Applicants must fill out the application form and submit it by October 1. Any graduate student currently enrolled in an anthropology or archaeology program may apply and the funds may be used any way the student sees fit. However, priority will be given to those students applying the funds to innovative research, dissertation writing, or completing a degree. Requirements include allowing the Foundation to feature any Foundation-supported student project on the Foundation’s website, on social media, and in public presentations. https://www.paleowestfoundation.org/scholarship

Internship Opportunity, Museum Conservation, Albuquerque NM
The position will be with Chaco Culture National Historical Park but will be duty-stationed at the park museum facility located on the University of New Mexico campus in Albuquerque. The intern will work with the park’s Museum Program, focusing on the management of cultural and natural history objects and associated field project records and archives curated in the park’s museum collection. http://bit.ly/2x7t9Qr — Student Conservation Association

Job Opportunity, Desert Archaeology, Inc.
Desert Archaeology is seeking field technicians for the Pine Mountain Survey on the Tonto National Forest northeast of Fountain Hills, Arizona, beginning September 17 and running to the end of October. The survey is approximately 3,500 acres divided into three blocks, with elevation ranging from 3,500 to 4,500 feet. High site density is expected with much of the occupation dating to the Hohokam Classic Period. The terrain is rough with areas of dense vegetation. The ability to conduct fieldwork for long hours in a desert environment featuring extreme temperatures and rough terrain is required. We will be away from the vehicles most of the day so crew members should expect to carry at least a gallon of water, food for the day, and some equipment (roughly 20 lbs). We will be staying in Fountain Hills for a portion of the project and will be camping in the remotest of the three blocks. When in Fountain Hills, single-occupancy hotel rooms will be provided; when camping, crew will be responsible for their own gear (e.g., tents, sleeping bags, food). The hourly rate is $21.79, with per diem provided. If you are interested in this position, email your resume and a cover letter detailing your experience to Jody Parker (jody@desert.com). https://desert.com/open-positions/

Lecture and Tour Opportunity, Santa Fe NM
Santa Fe Watershed Association presents Dr. Michael Aiuvalasit on Common Problems, Commons Solutions: Archaeological Insights into Sustainably Managing Water for the Long-Term, Friday, September 14, 6:30–7:30 p.m. at Santa Fe Women’s Club, 1616 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe. Tour: Saturday, September 15, 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. in the Jemez Mountains. http://www.santafewatershed.org

Lecture Opportunity, Santa Fe NM
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Jason Yeager, President’s Endowed Professor and Chair, Department of Anthropology, University of Texas-San Antonio; Co-Author, “Locating and Dating Sites Using LiDAR Survey in a Mosaic Landscape in Western Belize,” in Advances in Archaeological Practice, who will give a lecture Belize Archaeology LiDAR Project on September 17 at 6:00 p.m. at Hotel Santa Fe as part of the annual Native Culture Matters Lecture Series. Admission is by subscription or $15 at the door. No reservations are necessary. Refreshments are served. Seating is limited. Contact Connie Eichstaedt at tel: 505 466-2775; email: southwest seminar@aol.com; website: southwestseminars.org

Lecture Opportunity, Mesa Verde National Park CO
Dr. Tara Travis, Supervisory Museum Curator at Mesa Verde National Park, will present “The Origins of the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum” on September 21 at 7:00 p.m. at the Chapin Mesa Museum, Mesa Verde National Park. The program is part of the 2018 Four Corner Lecture Series and is free and open to the public. http://bit.ly/2xePcoz — Cortez Journal

Lecture Opportunity, Alcalde NM
Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Talks: Genetic Genealogy Confirms Native American Histories Among Nuevo Mexicanos, Tuesday, September 25, 6:30 p.m. at the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Center, 848 NM-68, Alcalde, NM 87566. Miguel A. Torrez, Research Technologist at LANL, will present findings from the NMGS DNA Project, which employs genetic genealogy to investigate the origins of New Mexico Colonial lineages to gain a better understanding of the contemporary New Mexican’s ancestry. http://bit.ly/2x6F1SV — Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project

Lecture Opportunity, Tucson AZ
The Presidio San Agustin Del Tucson Museum proudly presents the first lecture of this season’s Saturday Salon and Saloon Lecture Series. Local historian Jim Turner, retired from the Arizona Historical Society, will give his lecture Multicultural Marriages in Tucson, 1856–1900. Saturday, September 29, 2:00 p.m., at the Dusty Monk Pub, 201 N Court Street. $5 admission with no-host drinks and food available. https://tucsonpresidio.com/

Archaeology Café (Tucson): Blood Flowed Like Water
Archaeology Café returns to The Loft Cinema for another season of programs exploring the deep and diverse history of southern Arizona.  Join us on Tuesday, October 2, 2018, for Blood Flowed Like Water: Violence among the Sonoran Desert’s Earliest Irrigation Communities, a fascinating exploration of violence among early farming communities over two thousand years ago from Dr. James T. Watson. http://bit.ly/2xaK70u — Archaeology Southwest

Lecture Opportunities, Amerind Museum, Dragoon AZ
Thursday, October 4, from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m., visit the Amerind Museum to hear scholars from around the world talk about their current research on Spanish colonialism from a global perspective. How did Indigenous peoples from the Andes, Caribbean, Philippines, Guam, Mariana Islands, Western Pacific, Oaxaca, Guatemala, West Africa, and American Southwest and Southeast react to, change, adapt, and challenge Spanish colonialism? Learn how cultural identities persisted, were reinforced, and reconstituted during this time period.

Visit the Amerind Museum as Dr. Michael Searcy presents Unravelling the Transition from Pithouses to Paquimé in Northern Mexico on October 13 at 1:00 p.m. The nature of social and political transition sometime in the thirteenth century A.D. continues to be debated. At the heart of this debate is the question of how and why did pithouse-dwelling people of the Viejo period (A.D. 700–1200) in the Casas Grandes region of Chihuahua change their institutional forms, resulting in the centralized town and government of Paquimé?

For more information contact Amerind at 520-586-3666. http://www.amerind.org

Please submit news, book announcements, and events at this link for consideration: https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/submit-to-sat/

Questions? sat-editor@archaeologysouthwest.org