Dear Friends,
Happy (belated) autumnal equinox!
Bats are one of my favorite seasonal markers. They double the pleasure sugar water provides.
My bat friends are nectar feeders from Mexico—Mexican Long-Nosed and Mexican Long-Tongued bats.
In the morning, freshly stocked with sugar water, my hummingbird feeders succor Anna’s, Costa’s, and Broad-billed hummingbirds. After nightfall, the long tongues of the nectar-feeding bats slurp up what the hummers left behind.
Dinner in my household tends to begin around 7:00 p.m., sometimes later. After dinner, I wash the dishes and set up the coffee to brew in the morning. Then I don my headlamp.
There’s a convenient spot where I can lean against our house and shift my gaze from one hummingbird feeder to the other, watching for the bats. Unlike hummers, these bats can’t hover in place. They fly up to the feeder, deploy their long tongue to do its rapid work, and then flap on. Soon they circle back for more. It’s an entertaining dance. I feel privileged to live in one of their seasonal homelands.
This year’s dance party will end in a week or two. The nectar-feeding bats will migrate south into Mexico, passing above and beyond the intrusive, unfinished wall. That wall and its fragmentation of biodiversity is the topic of a very fine essay in Emergence Magazine, which I highly recommend to you.
I hope you have some simple pleasures like my bat buddies that enrich your lives.
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
P.S. Friends who reside in North America, if you’d like to learn more about why bats are awesome and how to make life easier for them where you live, check out this article from the National Wildlife Foundation.
Banner image: White Sands National Park, David Bustos (NPS)
Human Footprints at White Sands Support Much Earlier Peopling of the Americas
Between 23,000 and 21,000 years ago, people squished through the mud along a lakeshore in what is now New Mexico, alone and in small groups, leaving behind their footprints. … If the dates are right, the discovery would be the strongest evidence yet that people reached the Americas during the middle of the last ice age, thousands of years earlier than many archaeologists thought. … “Thousands and thousands of years ago, our ancestors walked this place,” says [Kim] Charlie [enrolled member of the Pueblo of Acoma], who has visited the footprints and even uncovered some herself. Seeing prints of humans together with extinct megafauna such as camels sheds light on why the Acoma language has a word for “camel,” she says. Lizzie Wade in Science | Read More >>
Commentary: “This is actually an Indigenous story”
“We have been here since time immemorial.” There might be no phrase more ubiquitous in Indian Country than this. … The meaning of the phrase is clear: Indigenous peoples have existed on and stewarded these lands for far longer than modern conceptions of time or human history have ever acknowledged. This truth—this fact—is enshrined through our stories, through our bodies, and through our natural relatives. Nick Martin in High Country News | Read More >>
Tribal Coalition to Biden: Bears Ears Requires Immediate Action
“We have tried to be patient and respectful as we await your decision on restoration. However, the longer action is not taken, real harm, much permanent, is occurring on this sacred landscape,” wrote Clark W. Tenakhongva, vice chairman of the Hopi Tribe, and Henry Stevens Jr., a representative of the Navajo Nation. Joshua Partlow in the Washington Post | Read More >>
Secretary Haaland Is Confident Restoration Will Happen
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland this week said she expects President Biden to restore national monument status to more than 2 million acres of public lands in Utah, even as she acknowledged that a timeline to do so remains uncertain. … “I know there’s a lot of folks who are anxious,” Haaland continued. “I also know there is a tremendous amount going on right now. … I have every confidence that President Biden will do what he promises.” Jennifer Yanchin for E&E News Greenwire | Read More >>
“Speak softly, tread lightly & show much respect”
I recently had the opportunity to speak with the “Science Moab Podcast” about my views on Indigenous Archaeology as well as ongoing conservation work in Southeastern Utah. This interview was included as a part of the Moab Festival of Science. Lyle Balenquah at From the Earth Studio and Science Moab | Listen Now >>
Multimedia: Explore Proposed Avi Kwa Ame National Monument
Avi Kwa Ame, ‘Ah-VEE kwa-meh,’ Mojave for “Spirit Mountain.” Take a multimedia virtual tour of Nevada’s proposed national monument. Take some time today to interact with this incredible landscape that is sacred to many Tribes and home to the world’s largest Joshua Tree forest. This multimedia story format is best experienced with a desktop, laptop or tablet device. Conservation Lands Foundation | Experience Now >>
Commentary: Chaco Culture National Historic Park Is “Under Siege”
The party responsible for the ongoing destruction is a federal agency—the Bureau of Land Management. It administers public lands extending for many miles around Chaco. The BLM has a long history of deferring to industry and handing out concessions to oil and gas companies. But left out from these deals with private companies are the tribes and their desires to protect ancestral sites from harm. Bruce Babbitt in the Salt Lake Tribune (via Writers on the Range) | Read More >>
Commentary: Tribes Must Have a Say in Public Lands Management
For generations, the Pueblo of Acoma, along with other pueblos and tribes, lived on lands that currently are part of the public domain. What are now world-famous national parks and monuments—Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, Bears Ears and Chimney Rock—were once our homes, farms and hunting grounds. We maintain deep cultural ties to these places and the public lands that surround them. The federal government, however, has rarely been willing to recognize and honor those ties and often has prioritized development over stewardship. Governor Brian Vallo, Acoma Pueblo, in the Santa Fe New Mexican | Read More >>
Commentary: Protect Latino Heritage Sites
To ensure that all of this nation’s people and communities are represented equitably and truthfully, we ask that the Biden Administration and its respective agencies act to designate Latino cultural sites as national monuments or other historic designations, while also reforming the designation process to ensure people of color are able to tell their stories, in their own words, and participate in the preservation of their treasured spaces. Manuel Galaviz, Norma Hartell, and Ashleyann Perez-Rivera in the El Paso Times | Read More >>
Life at Tijeras Pueblo
The once-thriving Tijeras Pueblo was situated at the junction of two canyons, one north-south and one east-west, within easy reach of a number of different ecoregions, as well as on a boundary between two distinct culture areas, the Pueblo to the west and the Great Plains to the east. Its location may have created both challenges and opportunities for the pueblo residents. While the elevation of Tijeras Canyon makes this location a challenging spot for maize agriculture, the large number of nearby environmental zones, as well as the social connectivity afforded by the pueblo’s situation, may have afforded its residents access to an abundance of wild resources. Mary Beth King in the UNM Newsroom | Read More >>
Podcast: Jonathan Thompson on the History of the Sagebrush Rebellion
Author and journalist Jonathan Thompson joins Aaron [Weiss] and Kate [Groetzinger] to talk about his new book, Sagebrush Empire, from Torrey House Press. The book explores the birth of the Sagebrush Rebellion, a movement that rejects regulations and restrictions on public lands, as well as how the unique characteristics of San Juan County led the Sagebrush Rebellion to flourish there. He also shares some of his own views on how to manage recreation on public land. Center for Western Priorities | Listen Now >>
Save the Date: Nov. 13, Annual Meeting of the New Mexico Archeological Council
The theme is Legacy Projects: Old Data/New Research. New Mexico Archeological Council | More Information and Registration >>
Reminder: Sept. 30 Webinar: Ask an Archaeologist
Hosted by Dr. Liz Perry, Chief Executive Officer; Dr. Jonathan Dombrosky, Postdoctoral Scholar; Dr. Benjamin Bellorado, Laboratory Director; Dr. Kelsey Reese, Research Associate; and Tim Wilcox, Research Associate. This is your opportunity to ask five Crow Canyon staff members and research associates any questions you have about archaeology, anthropology, and southwestern cultures! Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | More Information and Zoom Registration >>
Reminder: Oct. 5 Archaeology Café 2021
How can you resist “Ancestral Pueblo Turkey Penning in Perspective”? Cyler Conrad will explore how archaeologists have identified and contextualized turkey pens in the Ancestral Pueblo archaeological record, what that means for understanding turkey management, and how conceptualizing turkey penning allows us to better understand the processes of turkey domestication and long-term human-turkey relationships. Archaeology Café (Archaeology Southwest) | More Information and Zoom Registration >>
Oct. 6 Webinar: The Wallace Great House Assemblage
The Wallace great house is one of four great houses in the Lakeview community, along with the Haynie site where Crow Canyon is conducting research. Crow Canyon Postdoctoral Scholar Michelle Turner has been working with our lab archaeologists to analyze thousands of artifacts from the Wallace great house. The webinar will discuss how Crow Canyon completed this exciting legacy research project in the midst of a pandemic and will share what we have learned about the dates of the site, its pottery and other artifacts, and what they tell us about Wallace’s relation to the Chaco world. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | More Information and Zoom Registration >>
Oct. 16: Need a Break? Two—TWO—Opportunities to Break Some Rock
From 9:00 a.m. to noon, flintknapper Sam Greenleaf teaches an arrowhead-making and flintknapping workshop at Old Pueblo Archaeology Center, 2201 W. 44th Street, Tucson. Participants will learn how to make arrowheads, spear points, and other flaked stone artifacts from obsidian and other stone like ancient peoples did. The class is designed to foster understanding of how prehistoric peoples made essential tools, not to make artwork for sale. Reservations and $35 payment (includes all materials and equipment) required by 5 p.m. October 14: 520-798-1201 or info at oldpueblo dot org. Old Pueblo Archaeology Center | Learn More >>
Also from 9:00 a.m. to noon, join Allen Denoyer for his Hands-On Archaeology class, “How Did People Make and Use Stone Tools?” In this beginner class, you will use ancient techniques and replica tools to create a stone projectile point. You will also learn more about how people made and used such points, and that points were just one component of a complete hunting technology. 18 years of age and older, and masks will be required. $40 for nonmembers. Archaeology Southwest | Learn More >>
Oct. 22 & 23: Book Sale to Benefit Arizona State Museum Library (Tucson AZ)
Shop an all-new selection of used anthropology books with emphasis on U.S. Southwest and northern Mexico. General interest, history, biography, even a novel or two. Books start at $2, most under $5. Ninety percent of the proceeds from this book sale, sponsored by the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society, benefit the ASM library. Arizona State Museum | Learn More >>
Publication Announcement: Vandalism and Security at Rural Rock Art Sites
Donna Yates, Diāna Bērziņa & Aaron Wright (2021) Protecting a Broken Window: Vandalism and Security at Rural Rock Art Sites, The Professional Geographer. Read Now >>
Job Opportunity, Arizona State University (Tempe AZ)
The School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University seeks to hire a qualified NAGPRA Collections Specialist to be responsible for locating, documenting, and assessing funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony in compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The review of records, updating of collections information and inventories, and supervision of student interns and employees are integral components of this position. Archaeological collections at Arizona State University’s Center for Archaeology and Society Repository include materials collected by faculty of the former Department of Anthropology, materials donated to the Repository by private individuals, and materials collected during Federally sponsored cultural resource management projects. Learn More >>
Job Opportunities, Archaeology Southwest (Tucson AZ)
Director, Tribal Collaboration Initiative: Archaeology Southwest seeks an individual with proven success in building meaningful and powerful collaborative relationships with Native American Tribes and Nations. The individual should have knowledge of Tribal governance and be able to develop action-oriented programs by, for, and with Indigenous peoples. Learn More >>
Director of Operations: Reporting to the President/CEO, the successful Director of Operations will be a hands-on and participative manager with experience in nonprofit finance, planning and budgeting, human resources, and administration. The Director of Operations is a critical member of the senior leadership team in strategic decision-making and operations as Archaeology Southwest continues to enhance its quality programming and build capacity. Learn More >>
Video Channel Roundup
It’s that time again! Find out which webinars and videos you missed and get caught up at the YouTube channels of our partners and friends:
Amerind Foundation
Archaeology Southwest
Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society
Arizona State Museum
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
Grand Canyon Trust
Grand Staircase Escalante Partners
Mesa Prieta Petroglyphs Project
Museum of Indian Arts and Cultures
Museum of Northern Arizona
Old Pueblo Archaeology Center
School for Advanced Research
The Archaeological Conservancy
See you next week! Remember to send us notice of upcoming webinars and Zoom lectures, tours and workshops, and anything else you’d like to share with the friends.