Dear Friends,
Thanks, bats and hummers friends who responded to my note from last week! Who’s working on bat boxes now?
Those sugar-water-consuming flying entertainers set the stage for yesterday evening’s big bird opener—the debut of Avian Archaeology, our latest Archaeology Café season, which began Tuesday evening.
You’ll want to put the entire series on your calendar if you haven’t already.
For the 2021 part of the season, our offerings are stuffed with turkeys. Last night, Cyler Conrad shared archaeological data on the ways that turkey penning was used by Ancestral Pueblo peoples and what that meant into more recent centuries. Cyler’s historical photographs were especially helpful for clarifying the archaeological information. But, most of all, his energetic engagement with this topic was inspiring.
In November, we’ll serve up “Turkeys of the Mimbres Valley” with Sean Dolan. And, as winter comes upon us in December, we’ll experience a sense of the incredible warmth of turkey-feather blankets, as investigated by Bill Lipe and Mary Weahkee.
You do need to register in advance for these free presentations, which you can do here. And if you missed the history of turkey penning last night, you can catch it on our YouTube channel in the next few days (and we’ll link to it here, as well).
Gobble gobble,
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
P.S. The Avian Archaeology season of Archaeology Café is made possible by The Smith Living Trust in Memory of William T. Lawrence. Thanks, Smiths!
Banner image: Luca Galuzzi [CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
Indigenous Perspectives Inform Grand Canyon Interpretive Program
At a recent Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP) stakeholder meeting, National Park Service Tribal Program Manager Mike Lyndon outlined a mission designed to elevate Native American perspectives and facilitate economic benefit to tribes traditionally associated with GCNP. Lyndon, who has worked with local tribes for the past 15 years, said that parts of the park service mission are perfectly suited to working with Indigenous communities, such as identifying resources and special places in the Grand Canyon, understanding potential impacts and working to protect and preserve resources through collaboration and interpretation. Lo Frisby in the Navajo-Hopi Observer | Read More >>
Mitigating Climate Impacts at Wupatki
Wupatki National Monument recently received a $1.3 million grant from Getty Foundation to help counteract the effects of climate change. The grant will allow the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design to develop a conservation and management plan and professional training program for the monument. … Ancient Lands Conservation Corps will partner with Wupatki National Monument and Vanishing Treasures, Getty and the University of Pennsylvania on the project, said Chas Robles, director of Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps. Katherine Locke in the Navajo-Hopi Observer | Read More >>
Continuing Coverage and Commentary: Frustration over Restorations Grows
Secretary Haaland must act in the spirit of our ancestors and transform how the government and our tribal nations work together to protect our climate and our land. Protection of Bears Ears and Grand Escalante must be restored in the short term and other sacred lands in the long term. Her appointment is history making, and we hope to see history-making decisions coming from her and the administration. Shannon Francis in the Denver Post | Read More >>
Promises made during campaigns cannot always be kept given circumstances and political realities. That’s not the case for preserving the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments. Indigenous Peoples Day is Oct. 11, just a few weeks away. What a perfect time for a president to announce that, yes, he will keep his campaign promises to the first peoples of this continent. Editorial Board of the Santa Few New Mexican | Read More >>
The Department of the Interior has yet to make the critical announcement to restore protections for these national monuments despite a promise early in the Biden term to do so. This is a necessary step to repairing the relationship between the federal government and sovereign nations, and to ensure that tribes and their ancestral lands gain the respect and protective management they deserve. Pete Kolbenschlag in the Colorado Sun | Read More >>
Blog: Pseudoarchaeology Is Dangerous
For a long time, pseudoarchaeology was pushed to the fringe by archaeologists as something not worth their attention. But the fringe is where ideas can fester and become dangerous. As an archaeologist currently working on my doctorate, I have spent the last year examining the ways various groups, such as white nationalists, use pseudoarchaeology in their worldviews. Stephanie Halmhofer in Sapiens | Read More >>
Blog: The Evolution of Throwing
Compared with other animals, humans are poor climbers, poor jumpers, and clumsy sprinters. Throwing is one of the few physical skills at which Homo sapiens truly excels. Adult male chimpanzees, for instance, can throw projectiles overhand at about 20 mph, but 8-year-old boys are able to hurl baseballs at 40 mph. For some top professional baseball pitchers, that number nears 100 mph—and a record-setting fastball topped 105 mph. Marta Zaranska in Sapiens | Read More >>
Blog: Inspiring the Next Generation of Preservation Archaeologists
Over the years, I’ve loved following along as many students kept working on topics they initially explored in their summer research projects for our Archaeology Fair or during other parts of the field school curriculum. Students have taken these interests in exciting directions I’d never have thought of, developing new ideas in conference posters, undergraduate theses, and even a Fulbright scholarship project. … It strikes me how many of these student research projects and interests were inspired by visits and guest lectures by outside speakers, many of whom volunteer their time to drive long distances to interact with our field school. Karen Schollmeyer at the Preservation Archaeology blog (Archaeology Southwest) | Read More >>
Podcast: Maribel Álvarez: Public Folklorist, Scholar, and Advocate for Regional Traditions and Arts
Dr. Maribel Álvarez is the Jim Griffith Chair in Public Folklore in the University of Arizona Southwest Center, Associate Dean of Community Engagement in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and an Associate Research Professor in the School of Anthropology. She founded the Southwest Folklife Alliance, a non-profit organization that supports folklife throughout the U.S. Southwest and Northern Mexico and directs one of the largest folklife festivals in the United States, Tucson Meet Yourself. As a public folklorist and a professor, Dr. Álvarez straddles a line between the life of a scholar and that of a community leader and advocate for regional folk traditions. Journal of the Southwest (Southwest Center) | Listen Now >>
Podcast: With Grit and Determination
During the first segment of this episode, Chelsi, Emily, and Kirsten review the fantastic book, “With Grit and Determination: A Century of Change for Women in Great Basin and American Archaeology.” The hosts are then joined by the book editors, Suzanne Eskenazi and Nicole M. Herzog. The Women in Archaeology Podcast | Listen Now >>
Reminder: 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. 14 Webinar: A Conversation with the Chongo Brothers
In recognition of Indigenous People’s Day and International Archaeology Day, join Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology Director Dr. Robert Preucel as he welcomes the Chongo Brothers: Diego and Mateo Romero (Cochiti Pueblo). This virtual program will include a screening and lively conversation of the Chongo Brothers production: “The Search for the Anasazi.” This film is a satirical take on archaeologists’ fascination with Pueblo culture and a Native commentary on archaeologist–Native relations. Diego and Mateo Romero are both acclaimed contemporary artists working in pottery and painting, respectively. Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology | More Information and Zoom Registration >>
Oct. 14 Webinar: Plant Species Richness at Archaeological Sites Suggests Ecological Legacy of Indigenous Subsistence on the Colorado Plateau
With Lisbeth Louderback and Bruce Pavlik. Identifying how past human populations altered ecosystems is critical for understanding current ecological diversity and for the management of both natural and cultural resources. This study presents evidence for an enduring ecological legacy of ancient people on the Colorado Plateau, where the complexity of archaeological sites correlates with the richness of culturally important plant species. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | More Information and Zoom Registration >>
Pre-Register Now: Oct. 15, 22nd Biennial Jornada Mogollon Archaeology Conference
The conference is divided into two sessions, each consisting of 20-minute presentations on the latest research from the Jornada Mogollon, Mimbres, or Casas Grandes regions. The conference will be held on Zoom, and pre-registration is required (limit: 100 participants). El Paso Museum of Archaeology | Learn More >>
Oct. 19 Webinar: Rio Grande Weaving Evolution
Join us for this presentation by, and conversation with, master weavers Lisa and Irvin Trujillo, owners of Centinela Traditional Arts, a tapestry gallery located in Chimayo, New Mexico. The Trujillos create extraordinary contemporary tapestry pieces in the Rio Grande tradition and by pushing its boundaries. They will share a brief history of Rio Grande weaving from Spanish Colonial times through Mexican and American influence, all the way to what today is proudly known as Chimayo weaving. Arizona State Museum | More Information and Zoom Registration >>
Oct. 21 Webinar: Telling Their Story through Clay
Archaeologist Suzanne Eckert PhD will present “Telling Their Story through Clay: Potters and Identity during the Pueblo Glaze Ware Period (1275-1680 CE) in New Mexico.” She will discuss how Pueblo potters integrated glaze-painted pottery into identity and ritual, how Spanish colonialism effected the demise of Puebloan glaze paint, and why later potters haven’t been able to reproduce it. Third Thursday Food for Thought (Old Pueblo Archaeology Center) | More Information and Zoom Registration >>
Save the Date: March 7–10, 2022, 7th Tri-National Sonoran Desert Symposium
Early Bird registration for the 7th Tri-national Symposium in Celebration of the Sonoran Desert is now open! Additionally, we are soliciting abstracts for presentations and posters from October 1st through November 30th. International Sonoran Desert Alliance | Learn More >>
¡La inscripción anticipada para el 7º Simposio Trinacional en Celebración del Desierto Sonorense ya está abierta! Además, estamos solicitando resúmenes para presentaciones y pósters desde el 1 de octubre hasta el 30 de noviembre. International Sonoran Desert Alliance | Aprende Más >>
Reminder: Lister Fellowship Applications Due Oct. 13
The purpose of the fellowship is to assist graduate students who show promise of making a significant contribution to the archaeological knowledge of American Indian cultures of the Southwest. Recipients of the Lister Fellowship are awarded a stipend of $10,000 to help support the final stages of their research and the writing of their dissertations. A single fellowship is offered in alternate years and is not renewable. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | 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 >>
Job Opportunity: Staff Archaeologist, Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community (Scottsdale AZ)
Under general supervision of the Environmental Programs Supervisor of the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources (EPNR) Division of the Community Development Department (CDD), ensures Tribal compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and its related regulations. Ensures compliance with federal, state, local and Tribal laws and ordinances designed to identify, protect and manage archaeological, historical and cultural resources. Manages the Community’s archaeological collection and preservation activities. This job class is treated as FLSA Exempt. Learn More >>
Job Opportunity: Archeologist, US Fish & Wildlife Service (Albuquerque NM)
This position is an Archeologist, GS-0193-12/13, working in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the National Wildlife Refuge System, Division of Visitor Services. Learn More >>
Job Opportunities: Arizona State Museum (Tucson AZ)
The Museum Specialist (Cultural Institutions Compliance Professional II) will either be between a 0.5-1.0 FTE (full-time-equivalent) position that functions within the Collections Division of the Arizona State Museum (ASM), University of Arizona (UA), reporting to the Archaeological Repository Manager. Learn More >>
The Assistant Museum Specialist (Cultural Institutions Compliance Professional I) is a 0.5-1.0 FTE (full-time-equivalent) position that functions within the Collections Division of the Arizona State Museum (ASM), University of Arizona (UA), reporting to the Archaeological Repository Manager. Learn More >>
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.