Dear Friends,
Our Avian Archaeology series keeps leading me back to birds in these messages.
This week I’m going extra-heavy on the bird theme.
Yesterday evening, I enjoyed Kelley Hays-Gilpin’s talk on “Birds, Feathers, and Ancient Pueblo Pottery.” If you missed it, we’ll have it online soon.
I’ve just started my latest audiobook, A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World’s Smartest Birds of Prey, by Jonathan Meiburg. It’s the story of Striated Caracara. The Crested Caracara I see in the desert areas west of Tucson are among my favorite regional birds, so I knew I’d enjoy Meiburg’s book about these smart—downright cheeky—birds from the far south of the southern hemisphere.
(I’m only on chapter 2, but I’m hooked and look forward to the rest.)
Our friends at Emergence Magazine presented a powerful essay this week. They move the topic from birds to birders. African-American birder and naturalist J. Drew Lanham crafted an imagined exchange of letters between Henry David Thoreau and John James Audubon.
Titled “Birder to Birder,” it speaks eloquently to issues of racism in the historical trajectory of birding—and, I feel, applies to the disciplines of anthropology and archaeology and to the environmental movement, as well. I know I learn a lot about coming to understanding and collaboration every day. And I am grateful.
To close on a lighter note: To celebrate my 73rd birthday on Monday the 28th, I played hooky for a good portion of that afternoon. I skipped out—without telling anyone, ha!—and took a hike in my favorite local refuge, Catalina State Park.
Septuagenarians Unite,
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
Banner image: Crested Caracara by John R. Welch
New Guide Supports Grassroots Efforts to Change Derogatory Place Names on Public Lands
“A Guide to Changing Racist and Offensive Place Names in the United States”—co-sponsored by the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO) and The Wilderness Society (TWS)—delves into the scope of the problem, while also providing a step-by-step tutorial on how to apply to name or rename offensive place names through the U.S. Board of Geographic Names—the official entity responsible for naming lakes, rivers and mountains in the United States. The free guide also provides advice for engaging Tribes, local communities and state naming authorities. The Wilderness Society and the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (press release) | Download Guide Now >>
Essay: Walking the Vertical Walk
Over a decade ago, as an undergraduate student in American Indian Studies, I learned about Bear Lodge Butte, also known as Devil’s Tower. … In class, I read about how climbers were disrupting Indigenous summer ceremonies at Bear Lodge Butte. In the 1990s, recognizing the disruption, the National Park Service issued a voluntary ban on climbing, encouraging visitors to abstain from rock climbing during summer ceremonial time in June. But then a group of rock climbers sued the NPS over the ban. Ultimately, the climbers lost their court battle, but the case illustrated to me and other Indigenous people how the culture of climbing can be deeply problematic, racist, and rooted in white supremacy. Ashleigh Thompson in BorderLore | Read More >>
Continuing Coverage: Comments on the Chaco Protection Zone
BLM Farmington Field Office Acting District Manager Chuck Schmidt said the boundaries are similar to what was included in a 2019 bill introduced in Congress; however, it now goes farther to the south to encompass a Chacoan outlier called Kin Ya’a and stretches farther to the north, abutting the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area. … The withdrawal area encompasses more than 351,000 acres of federal lands. While the meetings in Farmington were not intended to serve as a public comment opportunity, the question and answer session during the first meeting quickly turned into comments and Schmidt encouraged the people speaking to provide those comments in writing so they can be included in the record. The BLM is planning to host a formal comment meeting in March at a date that has not yet been set. Having the opportunity to provide verbal comments is important for the Native American communities that have ancestral and cultural ties to the Chaco region. Hannah Grover in the NM Political Report | Read More >>
Continuing Coverage and Commentary: Retired Major General Urges National Monument Status for Castner Range
Set inside El Paso, Texas, Castner Range makes up 7,000 acres of desert space aboard historic Fort Bliss, one of the largest U.S. Army bases in the country. Throughout history, it has served as home to some of the first living organisms, the ancestral home to indigenous communities such as the Comanche and Apache, the site of diverse plant and animal life and eventually, a training ground for the U.S. military. … Designating Castner Range as a National Monument would ensure military and cultural heritage sites, endangered species, scientific and environmental wonders and an awe-inspiring landscape are permanently protected. Maj. Gen. (retired) Paul Eaton in The Hill | Read More >>
Habicht Mauche Establishes Endowed Scholarship at UC Santa Cruz
For Judith Habicht Mauche, Professor Emeritus, studying ancient pottery brings the stories of ancient peoples to life—giving today’s archaeologists a glimpse into people and cultures that have shaped Native American history. It also offers students the opportunity to practice scientific methodologies and develop skills that can be applied to numerous disciplines. Her contributions to the field of archaeology, her extensive research, and her three-decades-long service to UC Santa Cruz, have left an indelible legacy. Upon her recent retirement, Habicht Mauche established an endowed scholarship to preserve the programs and experiences in human exploration that will open doors to the past for the next generation of UCSC-trained archaeologists. … Habicht Mauche is paying homage to Shepard by naming the scholarship, the Anna O. Shepard Archaeological Futures Endowment Fund in the Division of Social Sciences to support the Archaeological Research Center (ARC) and student research in archaeology. Paula Herman for UC Santa Cruz | Read More >>
Publication Announcement: Some Indigenous Perspectives on Artifact Collecting and Archaeologist-Collector Collaboration
Kelley, A., Neller, A., & Gover, C. (2022). Some Indigenous Perspectives on Artifact Collecting and Archaeologist–Collector Collaboration. Advances in Archaeological Practice, 10(1), 10–13. Read Now (open access) >>
Call for Events, Utah State Historic Preservation Office
May is Utah’s Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month and we want to hear what you have planned to celebrate! Every year the Utah State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) helps put on events and promote partner events to let the public in on the fun of archaeology. Every May, archaeologists across Utah host guided hikes, online webinars, workshops, kids’ activities, and more to help everyday Utahns understand and appreciate the history all around us. Please submit your upcoming May event and help us make 2022 a year to remember! Utah SHPO | Learn More >>
Canyonlands Field Institute Announces 2022 Adult Adventure Seminars
Our Adult Adventure Seminars are the perfect way to learn, connect, and explore while supporting an organization dedicated to helping everyone experience the outdoors. The combination of helpful guides and knowledgeable topic experts will take care of everything, including packing gear, arranging transportation, setting up camp, and cooking meals! All you need to do is enjoy the beauty of the Colorado Plateau. Our adult adventures are specifically designed for the academic crowd and focus on discovery, discussion, and deepening connections. The curriculum includes exploring little-known archeological sites, breathtaking geological formations, and unique natural and human history. Canyonlands Field Institute | Learn More >>
March Subscription Lectures (In-Person), Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars continues its Native Voices series in March, in honor of the Archaeological Conservancy. Adam Duran (Pojoaque), Dr. Joseph Suina (Cochiti), Dr. Matthew Martinez (Ohkay Owingeh), and Theresa Pasqual (Acoma) will present on successive Monday evenings at the Hotel Santa Fe. Southwest Seminars | Learn More >>
REMINDER: March 3 Webinar: Our Teeth Tell Tales: Living and Moving during AD 1000–1200s in New Mexico
Archaeologists use multiple techniques to reconstruct the lives of past peoples; certain aspects of human biology can be beneficial when used in conjunction with archaeological evidence and oral tradition. In this talk, Dr. Lexi O’Donnell will discuss where the Gallina people may have moved upon leaving their homes in the late AD 1200s and individual relationships between people who lived in the La Plata Valley. She uses dental morphology, data on the shape and form of teeth, a non-destructive method to estimate biological distance. Biological distance (biodistance) is a measure of similarity between and within groups. Biodistance reflects shared ancestry, genetic drift (change of allele frequencies in a population by chance), and/or gene flow (migration). Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | More Information and Zoom Registration >>
March 7 Webinar: Dispersing Power: The Contentious, Egalitarian Politics of the Salado Phenomenon in the Hohokam Region of the U.S. Southwest
With Dr. Lewis Borck. “One of the great tragedies of global archaeology is that the discipline was started by Europeans entrenched in the ideological detritus of attempts to author legitimacy for their expanding empires through their assumed cultural connections with the so-called Classical societies in and around the Mediterranean. Because of this, we continue to explain movements away from centralization and aggregation of power as anomalies, or collapses, or peripheries, or natural reactions to environmental change. In this talk, I’ll start to answer one of archaeology’s big what-ifs: What if ‘collapses’ were the result of widespread, intentional actions to create change?” UNLV Anthropology | More Information and Webex Registration >>
REMINDER: March 8 Webinar: The Tribal Archaeologist’s Duties with a Focus on Ancestral Territories and Traditional Cultural Places
Dr. Martina Dawley (Diné/Hualapai) is the Director and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer with the Hualapai Nation’s Department of Cultural Resources in Peach Springs, Arizona. Her responsibilities include preserving and managing the cultural resources of the Hualapai people while adhering to standards established by the THPO, the Hualapai Cultural Resources Ordinance, and the US Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. Indigenous Interests series (Old Pueblo Archaeology Center) | More Information and Zoom Registration >>
March 9 Webinar: The Use of Social Control in the Chaco Phenomenon
Dr. Ryan Harrod will present “The Use of Social Control in the Chaco Phenomenon during a Time of Change: A Bio-Archaeological Perspective.” This talk will be recorded. San Juan Basin Archaeological Society | Learn More >>
March 12 Event: Arizona State Museum Library Benefit Book Sale, Tucson
Shop an all-new selection of used anthropology books with an emphasis on the 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, benefits the ASM library. Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society and Arizona State Museum | Learn More >>
March 17 Webinar: The Sinagua: Fact or Fiction?
With Peter Pilles. Given that Arizona’s Sinagua archaeological area has been characterized by some as a blend of cultures but by others as a separate culture, Pilles will explore whether “Sinagua” refers to a geographic area, a specific kind of pottery, an actual grouping of people, or something else. Third Thursday Food for Thought (Old Pueblo Archaeology Center) | More Information and Zoom Registration >>
March 20 Tour: Spring Equinox Tour to Los Morteros and Picture Rocks Petroglyphs, Marana AZ
With Allen Dart. The tour visits an ancient Hohokam village site with a ballcourt and bedrock mortars, and the Picture Rocks site where ancient petroglyphs include a solstice and equinox calendar marker. Starts near Silverbell Road and Linda Vista Blvd. in Marana, Arizona. Reservations and $35 donation prepayment due by 5:00 p.m. March 17. Old Pueblo Archaeology Center | Learn More >>
Job Opportunity, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Albuquerque
This position is [an] Archeologist, GS-0193-9/11 working in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the Division of Visitor Services. This position will support cultural resource management for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. USAJOBS | 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.