Commentary: Oil-Gas Leasing Would Encroach on Arches, Canyonlands, Bears Ears

Dear Friends,

For the second week in a row, I ventured from my home office. This time, only for a few hours. I “ventured” to the eye doctor, because I really needed some new glasses. I wore a mask. And all the people in the office wore masks.

It turned out the technician fitting me for my new frames had grown up in the San Pedro valley. I shared that I had done a good deal of archaeology there and it was a favorite place of mine. She described visiting archaeological sites as a child. I said that I knew those same places from my professional visits.

It was the first real conversation I’ve had while masked. As we were talking, I realized how much information isn’t communicated when one’s face is covered by a mask. I consciously thought, Can I make my eyes convey some of the positive energy that is being blocked by my mask? How do I “read” the face of this other masked person?

It was interesting to be in yet another new situation where we have to seek new ways to communicate. It’s not easy, but it’s essential—because one thing we truly need is better ways to communicate effectively in these strange times that don’t seem likely to end soon.

Take care,

 Bill Doelle
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest 

Commentary: Oil-Gas Leasing Would Encroach on Arches, Canyonlands, Bears Ears
The public now needs to be aware that more than 114,000 acres in Utah will be up for grabs during the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) upcoming oil and gas lease sale in September. The majority of those leases are located in southern Utah, some within a half-mile of Canyonlands National Park, four miles from Arches National Park, three miles from Capitol Reef National Park and less than a mile from the original boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument. https://bit.ly/38Dzgy6 – Phil Brueck in the Salt Lake Tribune

Interview with Dr. Marcy Rockman
Dr. Marcy Rockman is an archaeologist with experience in national and international climate change policy. Her research focus is how humans gather and share environmental information, especially during colonization and migration, and she’s used this to address situations as diverse as cultural resource management in the American West and homeland security risk communication in Washington, DC. https://bit.ly/2BJgVE6 – Living Landscape Observer

Essay: Whiteness in Archaeology
But a lack of diversity is especially problematic in archaeology because archaeologists help shape humanity’s understanding of the past. Who archaeologists are—our backgrounds, experiences, and mental models—can shape which questions we ask and how we interpret archaeological evidence. https://bit.ly/31WC6wR – William White and Catherine Draycott in Sapiens

NAU Develops Protocols for Native American Archival Materials
The Society of Southwest Archivists (SSA) recently joined the growing number of organizations choosing to endorse the Protocols for Native American Archival Materials developed at Northern Arizona University. NAU developed the Protocols for Native American Archival Materials to provide and promote best practices for culturally responsive care and use of Native American archival and documentary material held by non-tribal organizations. The protocols reflect a Native American perspective and build upon numerous professional ethical codes, significant international declarations recognizing Indigenous rights and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Protocols for Libraries, Archives, and Information Services. https://bit.ly/38BOK5K – NAU News

Job Opportunity: National Museum of the American Indian
This position is located in the Office of Museum Research and Scholarship, National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Smithsonian Institution located in the Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, MD. The employee is responsible for a variety of content development, collections, collections development and information, and public service projects under the supervision of the Supervisory Museum Curator. https://bit.ly/38OE4Bb

Publication Announcement: “A Landscape Perspective on Climate-Driven Risks to Food Security: Exploring the Relationship between Climate and Social Transformation in the Prehispanic U.S. Southwest”
Colleen Strawhacker, Grant Snitker, Matthew A. Peeples, Ann P. Kinzig, Keith W. Kintigh, Kyle Bocinsky, Brad Butterfield, Jacob Freeman, Sarah Oas, Margaret C. Nelson, Jonathan A. Sandor, and Katherine A. Spielmann. American Antiquity 85(3). https://doi.org/10.1017/aaq.2020.35

Online Resources, Events, and Opportunities to Help
Please keep sharing these with us, and we will keep helping to get the word out. Our inbox is sat-editor@archaeologysouthwest.org.

From Amerind Museum: On Saturday, July 11, at 11:00 a.m. MST, Carrie Cannon will present “For the Love of Turquoise.” Registration: https://bit.ly/2ZObSdn. On Saturday, July 18, at 11:00 a.m. MST, Catherine Cameron will present “Migration: A View from the Southwest.” Registration: https://bit.ly/2VYvGK9

From Arizona State Museum: On Friday, July 10, at 9:30 a.m. MST, Charles Adams will present “Coming and Going: 13,000 Years of Migration on the Southern Colorado Plateau.” Registration: https://bit.ly/2ZQ0rBV

From Chimney Rock Interpretive Association: On Thursday, July 16, at 7:00 p.m. MST, Steve Lekson will present “Chaco, North of the San Juan.” Zoom info at www.chimneyrockco.org/lecture.

From Crow Canyon Archaeological Center: On Thursday, July 9, at 4:00 p.m. MDT, Benjamin Bellorado will present “Leaving Footprints in the Ancient Southwest: Visible Indicators of Group Affiliation and Social Position in the Chaco and Post-Chaco Eras (AD 850–1300).” Registration: https://bit.ly/303KAA3.

From the Four Corners Lecture Series: On Thursday, July 23, at 4:00 p.m. MDT, will show the film “Languages of the Landscape: The Cedar Mesa Perishables Project.” Registration: https://bit.ly/2BFV7sZ.

From Mesa Prieta Petroglyphs Project: On Friday, July 10, at 2:00 p.m. MDT, Chester Liwosz will do a “Chat with the Archaeologist” Q & A on Gender and Non-Binary Gender in Archaeology. This event will stream on our YouTube channel, and Chester will take questions in the comments section. On YouTube: https://youtu.be/GYsFxMF3CMI. On Tuesday, July 28, at 6:00 p.m. MDT, for the Mesa Talks series, Matthew Barbour will present “An Archaeological Perspective on Hunting in New Mexico.” Join us on Facebook for that talk: https://www.facebook.com/events/272602470788056.

From the Museum of Northern Arizona: On Thursday, July 16, at 3:00 p.m. MST, viewers can learn about pottery with HOPI-R2. HOPI-R2 is a life-size, working R2-D2, painted to look like Hopi pottery by artist Duane Koyawena. In this fun online presentation, Curator of Anthropology Kelley Hayes-Gilpin will show HOPI-R2 how the designs on his metal body relate to pottery on display in the museum’s galleries, and what some of the designs mean. https://www.facebook.com/events/2866062010171472/

We’re happy to help get the word out. Please submit news, publication announcements, and other resources to this link for consideration: https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/submit-to-sat/

Questions? sat-editor@archaeologysouthwest.org