Historic Pueblo-Navajo Summit Expected to Culminate in Joint Resolution

Historic Pueblo-Navajo Summit Expected to Culminate in Joint Resolution
A historic summit between the Navajo Nation and the 20 sovereign Pueblo nations of the All Pueblo Council of Governors (APCG), will occur this Thursday, March 21, at the Sky City Cultural Center of Acoma Pueblo. Discussion will center on how tribal nations in the Southwest can protect sacred sites and traditional cultural properties within the Greater Chaco Region. Tribal and state leaders will tell their story and speak to the importance of conserving public lands in their cultural landscape of Northwest New Mexico. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is currently preparing a Resource Management Plan amendment that will shape future development in northwest New Mexico, where the Great Chaco landscape is located. Additionally, S.2907, legislation that would safeguard the Greater Chaco Zone for future generations is being reintroduced in the 2019 Congress. – Media Advisory from the All Pueblo Council of Governors

University of Kentucky Terminates Museum, Archaeological Survey Staff Positions
“On Thursday afternoon, February 28th, 2019, the Dean of the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences terminated the positions of all William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology staff, effective May 28, 2019. This included everyone working for the Kentucky Archaeological Survey and the Program for Archaeological Research. This action is part of the Dean’s plan for reorganizing the Museum. The staff remain in good standing with the University, and the Dean has encouraged everyone to apply for the newly created Office of State Archaeology GIS position and Museum Curator position. At this time, the Kentucky Archaeological Survey staff does not know the future of the Survey. We are in the process of initiating a campaign to encourage the Dean to continue the Survey’s mission: to provide students with hands-on experiences outside the classroom, conduct research, educate the public about Kentucky’s rich archaeological heritage, and provide a service to other state agencies.” http://bit.ly/2Yakjhq – Kentucky Archaeology Survey Facebook page, via Midwest Archaeological Conference

The Society for American Archaeology is disheartened by the termination of the Kentucky Archaeological Survey (KAS), the Program for Archaeological Research, and their entire staffs as part of a reorganization of the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky, effective May 29, 2019. The elimination of a leader in public archaeology and one of the department’s strongest programs is a setback in the museum’s mission to disseminate anthropological knowledge. We encourage the University of Kentucky to reconsider this decision. In its 20-year history, KAS education, outreach, advocacy, and training efforts have made a large positive impact on the archaeological community. Many of our Kentucky colleagues developed their professional skills through the unique opportunities provided by KAS projects. They brought hands-on learning to students through local school visits, curricula development, and educator partnerships. KAS provided dedicated service to the people of Kentucky by collaborating with state agencies to manage cultural resources and to share research results with the public. http://bit.ly/2Y6A1du – Society for American Archaeology

House Committee Hearing: “The Antiquities Act is not broken”
During the first hearing focused on Trump’s review and subsequent shrinking of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, Republicans and Democrats sparred over the reasoning behind the president’s actions as well as proposed changes to the Antiquities Act that gives a president unilateral authority to designate a monument. “It is my firm belief that this was a predestined outcome and everything since has been to justify that outcome,” House Natural Resources Chairman Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., said at the conclusion of the hearing. He added, forcefully, “The Antiquities Act is not broken.” http://bit.ly/2Y9CCDB – Salt Lake Tribune

House Committee Hearing: Tribes Concerned about Vulnerability of Sacred Places
Hopi Vice Chairman Clark Tenakhongva said he already sees a difference in the year since the Trump administration shrank the size of Bears Ears National Monument, excluding some culturally revered land. “Today, there’s a lot of vandalism, there’s a lot of looting and that still continues,” Tenakhongva said. “So that is the fear that Hopi has because we have our spiritual ties to the kivas there in Bears Ears.” Tenakhongva joined officials from the Pueblo of Zuni and the Ute Indian tribes before the House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday to testify on their worries since President Donald Trump slashed the monument by 85 percent – from 1.35 million acres to about 200,000. http://bit.ly/2Y5BnVU – Cronkite News/Arizona PBS

Commentary and Call to Action: Thank You, Commissioners Maryboy and Grayeyes
The San Juan County Commission sent a strong message Tuesday, signaling it does not stand behind Bureau of Land Management oil and gas leasing in eastern San Juan County. For weeks, the commission has been discussing a resolution, proposed by Commissioner Bruce Adams, in support of a March 2018 BLM lease sale of oil and gas leases in the eastern portion of the county, an area rich in unprotected archaeology. Friends of Cedar Mesa has challenged that sale in court. [Adams] motioned for a vote on the resolution in support of leasing Tuesday but did not receive a second on his motion from either Commissioners Kenneth Maryboy Willie Greyeyes, effectively killing the resolution. Please take the time to thank county commissioners Kenneth Maryboy and Willie Grayeyes for their decision to stand up for sacred sites and send the clear message that unplanned, unrestricted leasing is not in the best interest of this cultural landscape. http://bit.ly/2Y9Q8qM – Friends of Cedar Mesa

The Bears Ears National Monument debate carries on. “They want to grab that and they want to develop it,” said Ute Mountain Ute Tribe member Terry Knight of oil and gas companies interested in the Bears Ears National Monument area. Knight spoke in Moab during a recent symposium about the monument at the Utah Professional Archaeological Council’s (UPAC) annual meeting. Included in the symposium’s program on Bears Ears were presentations made by representatives of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, an organization in support of the establishment of the monument and composed of representatives from the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, Zuni Tribe, Ute Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. http://bit.ly/2Ya3bs5 – Moab Sun News

No More Entry Fees at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Beginning March 7, 2019, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument no longer charges an entrance fee to visit the Monument. After analyzing the costs and benefits of the recreational fee program, park leadership determined that it is in the best interest of both Casa Grande Ruins National Monument and the public to eliminate the entrance fees at the Monument. – Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Video: What’s West of Phoenix? Patayan Archaeology of the Lower Gila River
Dr. Aaron Wright gave this presentation at Archaeology Café (Phoenix) on March 5, 2019. https://youtu.be/8NzeHyUKm-E – Archaeology Southwest (opens at YouTube)

Event Opportunity, Tucson AZ
On March 23, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., join ancient technologies expert Allen Denoyer for Archaeology Southwest’s Hands-On Archaeology program at Mission Garden, Tucson’s birthplace, 946 W. Mission Lane. http://bit.ly/2TgeJ9z

Workshop Opportunity, Tucson AZ
Expert flintknapper Sam Greenleaf offers an Arrowhead-making and Flintknapping Workshop from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday April 6 at Old Pueblo Archaeology Center, 2201 W. 44th Street, Tucson. Through hands-on experience, participants will learn how prehistoric people created projectile points and other tools from obsidian and other stone. All materials and equipment are provided. $35 donation ($28 for Old Pueblo Archaeology Center and Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary members). Reservations and donation prepayment required by 5 p.m. Thursday April 4: 520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org.

Lecture Opportunity, Portales NM
Dr. Jack Hofman is the guest speaker for the ENMU Department of Anthropology and Applied Archaeology’s 20th annual Cynthia Irwin-Williams Lectureship. Hofman’s presentation, “Regional Archaeology and Intercept Hunting During Paleoindian Time,” will review the nature and significance of some of the changes in thinking about Paleoindian archaeology that have occurred in the past 30 years. The lecture takes place at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 28, in room 110 of the Eastern New Mexico University Art and Anthropology Building in Portales. For more information email enmu.anthropology@enmu.edu. http://bit.ly/2ToCCMw

Lecture Opportunity, Dolores CO
On Saturday, April 6, 2019, 1:00 p.m., at the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum, 27501 Hwy184, Dolores, the Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance presents Erica Tucker, Education Manager for Friends of Cedar Mesa. Erica will discuss Project Archaeology in preparation for our upcoming teacher training, June 10-13. Project Archaeology uses archaeological inquiry to foster understanding of past and present cultures; improve social studies and science education; and enhance citizenship education to help preserve our archaeological legacy. This talk is free and open to the public. http://www.swcocanyons.org/

Lecture Opportunity, Tucson AZ
Historian Dr. Michael M. Brescia presents “Whiskey is for Drinking, Water is for Fighting Over: Spain’s Impact on Law and Natural Resources in the American West” for Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s April 18, 6:30-8:30 p.m. “Third Thursday Food for Thought” dinner at El Molinito Mexican Restaurant, 10180 N. Oracle Rd., Oro Valley. Spain’s historical influence in the Southwest tells a fascinating story of legal clashes over water, long after Arizona entered the U.S. No entry fee. Guests may purchase their own dinners. Reservations required by 5 p.m. April 17: 520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org. http://bit.ly/2Tfp0CZ

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

Questions? sat-editor@archaeologysouthwest.org

Thanks to Marvin Jeter for sharing information about the Kentucky Archaeological Survey.