Dear Friends,
Earlier this week we wrapped up the first half of our 2024–2025 Archaeology Café series on the archaeology of dogs with an amazing lecture by Audrey T. Lin of the American Museum of Natural History. Her presentation, “The History of Coast Salish Woolly Dogs,” focused on research using ancient DNA and other analytical techniques to better understand a unique and ancient breed of dogs that effectively went extinct at about the turn of the 20th century.
The video of Dr. Lin’s lecture will be posted on Archaeology Southwest’s YouTube Channel very soon if you would like to watch it. Her lecture followed Laurie Webster’s presentation “Weaving the Hair of the Dog: White Dog Hair Textiles in the Ancient Southwest” in November and RE Burrillo’s “Celebrating the Song Dogs” in October.
I’m a dog lover, but I must admit I know remarkably little about these creatures, much less their long history of relationships, including domestication, with human handlers. Did you know that coyotes (a.k.a. song dogs) can throw their voices like ventriloquists? I certainly didn’t, until I saw Burrillo’s fantastic lecture. That got us all at Archaeology Southwest talking about dogs and wanting to know more. Turns out the internet is a great resource on the subject! For that matter, so is Oscar, cyberSW Manager Josh Watts’s loveable dog, who is our welcome office mate at Archaeology Southwest headquarters!
Everyone knows that dogs have a great sense of smell, right? Did you know that dogs can smell stories? Turns out dogs can “traverse time” with their noses, using their extraordinary sense of smell to reconstruct temporal relationships, as Alexandra Horowitz points out in her excellent TED-ED animation. We all know that dogs have been used by humans in myriad ways, from bed warmers to burglar alarms, from therapy friends to beasts of burden, and from being a source of food to serving as a live garbage disposal. Did you know that dogs have been used to discover human remains in archaeological sites that are more than 2,000 years old? I didn’t until today.
Next spring, we present three more lectures in this wonderful Archaeology Café series:
On February 4, Matthew E. Hill (University of Iowa) presents “Connecting and Dividing: Dogs and European Colonists, Enslaved Africans, and Native Americans in the Chesapeake Bay Region, 1600s–1800s.”
On March 4, Martin H. Welker (Arizona State Museum) presents “Sled Dogs in the Southwest: Fact or Fable?”
On April 1, Brandi Bethke (University of Oklahoma) presents “Old Dogs, New Tricks: An Overview of Canine Zooarchaeology.”
Each presentation occurs at Catalyst Creative Collective in the Tucson Mall. Doors open at 5:30; lectures begin at 6:00 p.m. Food and drink provided; donations welcomed! And well-behaved dogs are welcome! Eight furry friends attended the other night!
Until next week,
Steve Nash
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
P.S. from Kate: Sorry for the delay on this week’s edition—I’ve been felled by a terrible cold. Hope everyone else is staying healthy out there!
New Study Sheds (ha!) Some Light on Canid-Human Relations in the Americas 12,000 Years Ago
When archaeologists discovered the shin bone of a 12,000-year-old creature from Swan Point in the Alaskan interior, they were eager to use ancient DNA analysis to learn what they had discovered. A wolf? Or could this be one of the oldest dogs yet discovered in the Americas? Deeper study raised more questions than it answered. The Swan Point canid—the group that includes wolves, coyotes and dogs—didn’t resemble any known dog genetically. But it ate like a dog. Carolyn Y. Johnson in the Washington Post | Read more »
Read the paper by François Lanoë et al. in Science (open access) »
Early Paleoindians Made Needles out of the Bones of Fur-Bearing Animals
A Wyoming archaeological site where people killed or scavenged a Columbian mammoth nearly 13,000 years ago has produced yet another discovery that sheds light on the life of these early inhabitants of North America. Wyoming State Archaeologist Spencer Pelton and colleagues at the University of Wyoming and other institutions have found that these Paleolithic humans made needles from the bones of fur-bearers—including foxes; hares or rabbits; and cats such as bobcats, mountain lions, lynx and possibly even the now-extinct American cheetah. The needles were likely used to create garments from the animals’ furs to keep the early foragers warm in what was a cool climate. University of Wyoming in Phys.org | Read more »
Read the paper by Spencer R. Pelton et al. in PLoS One (open access) »
What Will Biden’s Conservation Legacy Be?
Biden’s executive powers had their limits, too. While one of his administration’s conservation wins had been blocking the culturally significant lands around New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon from new oil and gas leasing, Trump will have a relatively straightforward path to reopening it to drilling if he so chooses. “I think with the cards that we had in our hands, Deb Haaland and Biden have done everything they could do to protect this area,” Paul F. Reed, a preservation archaeologist with Archaeology Southwest, which campaigned to protect Chaco Canyon, told me. But “short of congressional action, this area will continue to be a political football.” Jeva Lange for Heatmap | Read more »
Hopi Waters for Life Program Restores Sacred Spring
Near Williams, Arizona, on the current-day Kaibab National Forest, there is a tree called the ‘alligator juniper tree,’ where there is a ‘bear paw’ carved into the tree. It is unknown who carved it generations ago, but today, it is used as marker leading to a nearby water source. Members from the Hopi Tribe and Forest Service employees from the Kaibab National Forest came together to protect these cultural and natural resources during a cooperative effort that has been taking place for 30 years called, the ‘Hopi Waters for Life.’ Andrew Avitt for the USDA Forest Service (Kaibab National Forest) | Read more »
Family Returns Chief Spotted Tail’s Belongings
The beaten-up suitcase had been in the Newell family for more than a century, passed from dusty closet to dusty closet and pulled out every now and then for guests. They would unlatch the metal clasps and take out a fringed shirt adorned with careful beadwork, a weathered pair of moccasins and an elaborate headdress that trailed eagle feathers down to the floor. Passed along with the suitcase was the story told by their 19th-century ancestor, Major Cicero Newell, who said he had received the clothing from the well-known Lakota leader, Chief Spotted Tail, during his stint as an agent for the federal government’s Indian affairs office beginning in the late 1870s in what is now South Dakota. … But when it came time for James Newell to think about passing it along again, the sixth generation had a different idea. “‘Well, Dad, why don’t we try giving it back?’” James Newell, 77, recalled his son, Eric, asking when the topic came up several years ago at the dinner table. Julia Jacobs for the New York Times | Read more »
A Very Special Day Trip to Cove AZ
I was thrilled to return to Cove and Red Valley, Arizona, with Ben Pelletier, Caitlynn Mayhew, and Rose Mayhew (Caitlynn’s mother). Rose graciously showed us around some of her family’s important places. The trip, which was full of nostalgia for me, took place on Saturday, October 26. … As we continued west down the N33 road, I was flooded with memories. Working in this area was amazing for me, and even 30 years on, much of what I learned in the area is still with me. Paul Reed, Caitlynn Mayhew, and Ben Pelletier for the Preservation Archaeology blog (Archaeology Southwest) | Read more »
Travelogue: Seven Indigenous-Led Tours in the US
As more and more travelers prioritize local, authentic experiences, Native-owned tour outfitters are rising to meet the demand and share their cultures that have been sustained through generations of genocide and forced assimilation. For Native guides, tourism can be a means of reclaiming narratives that have long been shaped by external and antiquated beliefs about their cultures. According to the latest data from the American Indian and Alaska Native Tourism Association (AINTA), the three years between 2017 and 2020 saw a 230 percent increase in American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian-owned tourism firms, and they estimate those numbers are climbing. For travelers seeking to explore Indigenous cultures with experiences that support Native American communities, here are seven Native-led adventures in the U.S. to add to your bucket list. Elyse Wild for National Geographic | Read more »
Continuing Coverage: Wupatki National Monument at 100 (plus 900-or-so years)
Wupatki endures as a living place. Celebrating its centennial this year, Wupatki National Monument is best known for the remains of pueblos built more than 900 years ago, including the three-story, 100-room structure that gives the monument its name. Less than an hour’s drive, but nearly a millennium away, from downtown Flagstaff, the monument is a place to discover a Southwestern community where, for decades, people dry-farmed corn, beans and squash while trading with distant tribes. … Now the program manager for the Park Service’s Washington Tribal Historic Preservation Office, Lloyd Masayumptewa has worked at national monuments throughout Northern Arizona: Wupatki, Navajo, Walnut Canyon and Sunset Crater Volcano. He’s served as superintendent at Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site and, most recently, at Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot national monuments. But as a member of the Hopi Water-Coyote Clan with a background in archaeology, Masayumptewa has ties to Wupatki that are both personal and professional. … “Being out at these places makes me feel whole. Because the connection to our people is immense, and that connection is alive. We’ve never forgotten.” Matt Jaffe in Arizona Highways | Read more »
Save History Introduces “Ojibwe Word of the Week” on Instagram
Through short reels, Anastasia Walhovd (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) shares an Ojibwe word of the week related to archaeological resource crime. Here’s an example: Giimoodiwin (ni): Stealing, theft; a stolen item, loot. If you suspect someone of giimoodiwin of archaeological sites, report it at SaveHistory.org or call us at 1-833-ENDLOOT. Follow Save History on Instagram for more »
Podcast: Sacred Southwestern Landscapes and “Rock Art”
Justin Bracken (University of Utah Press) and Aaron Wright discuss the latter’s new edited volume and why Wright no longer calls rock imagery “rock art.” Listen now (Spotify) »
Publication Announcement: Archaeology of Loneliness
Santos, J. (2024). Archaeology of loneliness. Journal of Social Archaeology, 24(4). Read more (open access) »
December Live Lectures (Santa Fe NM)
Dec. 9, John Vavruska, Down to Earth and into the Heavens: Five Decades in and out of Nepal; Dec. 16, Kellam Throgmorton, History & Landscape at Two Chacoan Communities in New Mexico. $20 at the door. Southwest Seminars | Learn more »
Dec. 7 & 8 In-Person Event (Tumacacori AZ): La Fiesta de Tumacácori
The fiesta celebrates all the cultures that have lived in and influenced the historical Santa Cruz River valley. This event features Native American, Mexican, and Southwest food, crafts, and performances. Local nonprofit historical, cultural, environmental, and religious organizations will be selling food and hand-crafted items. There will be continuous entertainment on the main stage featuring a variety of dance and music groups representing many cultural traditions, and opportunities to enjoy traditional craft demonstrations throughout the festival. On both days the hands-on “Discovery Corner” features family-friendly activities including piñata breaking and nature-based games, and guided tours of the mission and guided walks to the Santa Cruz River will be available. Sunday morning at 10 am a procession begins in front of the visitor center, leading through the fiesta grounds and ending in front of the mission church, followed by a multicultural Catholic Mass when the procession arrives at approximately 10:30. Free. Tumacácori National Historical Park | Learn more »
REMINDER: Dec. 14 In-Person Event (Topawa AZ): Celebration of the Arts
Join us as we celebrate the arts with an O’odham artist market, presentations, demonstrations, traditional singing & dancing, Waila music, and food for purchase. Himdag Ki: (Tohono O’odham Nation Cultural Center & Museum) | Learn more »
REMINDER: Dec. 14 In-Person Event (Phoenix AZ): Tales from the Land Exhibit Premiere
Celebrate our 30th anniversary at this exhibition opening, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Discover the land’s rich history, from its role as a home for petroglyph makers to its transformation into an archaeological site and preserve. View historic images and learn how the land has evolved over time. Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve (Arizona State University) | Learn more »
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. Thanks!