Dear Friends,
As Bob Dylan sang in 1964, “The times they are a-changing.” It’s a truism, but one that rings truer in that there is more change in some moments than others.
Over the past week, the archaeological and cultural heritage spaces in which Archaeology Southwest operates have witnessed some amazing and hard-won changes.
Perhaps most notable here is President Biden’s December 9, 2024, declaration of the Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School as a new National Monument in Pennsylvania. Carlisle, as it is known, is arguably the most (in)famous physical example of the US government’s horrific Indian Boarding School policy, which sought to sever Indigenous children from their culture, heritage, customs, and families. Some 7,800 children from 140 Tribal Nations spent time at Carlisle between 1879 and 1918; hundreds died and were buried there, in unmarked graves.
This Presidential proclamation follows closely on the heels of Biden’s October 25, 2024, formal apology, on behalf of the US government, for its boarding school policy. Though neither action rights those egregious wrongs, they are nevertheless important components in the long arc of reconciliation if not restitution.
Across the Atlantic Ocean, the British government, on behalf of the British Museum, is apparently in active discussions with the Greek government over the possible return of the Parthenon Marbles, which have been displayed in London since 1816, when the museum acquired them from Lord Elgin (whom many would say had stolen them), ambassador to the Ottoman empire. Just a few short years ago, the British government continued to insist that it would be illegal and unethical for the British Museum to return Phidias’s sculptures to Greece, and that the British Museum was the best place to display them.
Not anymore. Indeed, the British Museum is currently grappling with the implications of its imperial and colonialist origins.
Looking all the way (!) back to January of this year, the US government issued new regulations regarding the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) of 1990, giving Tribal Nations a lot more power in the difficult process of repatriating and reburying their Ancestors and belongings. It has long been known that NAGPRA was an imperfect law born of compromise; it is part human-rights law, part Indian law, and part property-rights law; it doesn’t apply to privately funded institutions; and it was an unfunded mandate.
Nearly 35 years after its passage, fewer than half of the Native American Ancestors held in museums and repositories had been repatriated and returned. It had become clear that the law was not working as intended, so the Feds made some decisive and necessary changes, which we here at Archaeology Southwest applaud.
What a remarkable year.
Until next week,
Steve Nash
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
Christopher W. Schwartz Is the New City of Phoenix Archaeologist
S’edav Va’aki Museum is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Christopher W. Schwartz, Ph.D., RPA as the new City of Phoenix Archaeologist. Dr. Schwartz moved to Phoenix in 2001 from Rancho Palos Verdes, California and has lived in Arizona ever since. He attended Arizona State University, where he earned B.S., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology with a specialization in Archaeology. He has conducted archaeological work in Arizona and New Mexico, as well as in the Mexican States of Sonora, Chihuahua, Zacatecas, and México. City of Phoenix Newsroom | Read more »
Congratulations, Chris!
The 19th Biannual Southwest Symposium Is Fast Approaching
The gathering will be held next month, January 16–18, 2025, in Nuevo Casas Grandes (aka a stone’s throw from Paquimé). This will be the first time the conference has been held in Mexico in over a decade and promises to be an exciting meeting! The theme is “Historical Trajectories in the Archaeology of Northwest Mexico and the U.S. Southwest,” and the preliminary program is now available at https://southwestsymposium.org/. Note that reduced rate registration has been extended. If you are interested but have questions about other event information, including travel options, hotels, and tours, feel free to contact Matt Pailes at mpailes@ou.edu for additional help in finding arrangements. Learn more »
Best of SAPIENS 2024
We are honored to have collaborated with dozens of anthropologists this year who shared compelling essays, opinion pieces, poems, and podcast episodes at SAPIENS. It is no small task for academics to transform their research and experiences into pieces that are evocative, insightful, and persuasive. In 2024, SAPIENS published more than 100 pieces by scholars from around the globe, read more than 3.5 million times. While each of this year’s publications strike a special note for us in their own way, we share 10 of our team’s favorites ordered chronologically. SAPIENS editorial team | Read more »
Disclosure: Editor in Chief Chip Colwell is a member of Archaeology Southwest’s Board of Directors.
In Memoriam: W. James Judge
We have learned that Jim Judge (Professor Emeritus, Fort Lewis College) passed away in Durango CO on Dec. 1. We’ll share more information as it becomes available.
Sen. Heinrich Urges Designation for Caja del Rio
As President Joe Biden wraps up his final weeks in office before a new Republican administration, New Mexico U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich is calling on the Biden administration to designate the Caja del Rio plateau a national monument. Snaking between the Rio Grande and Santa Fe Rivers, the Caja del Rio is a crucial travel corridor for wildlife that boasts millennia-old petroglyphs that are sacred to nearby Indigenous communities. It is at the center of a fiery, years-long fight between the federal government, tribes, land grant communities and conservationists over Los Alamos National Laboratories’ plans to build a controversial transmission line over it in the name of “national security.” Bryce Dix for KUNM (public radio) | Read more or listen now »
Commentary: President’s Designation of Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument Is Commendable
Today, the Conservation Lands Foundation commends President Joe Biden’s historic designation of the Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, alongside the unveiling of an all-of-government strategy to preserve and revitalize Native languages. Announced during the Fourth Annual White House Tribal Nations Summit of the Biden-Harris Administration, today’s announcement represents a significant step toward reckoning with the enduring harm of Indian boarding schools. … Today’s announcement is a continuation of the administration’s broader efforts to uphold Tribal sovereignty and protect landscapes sacred to Indigenous communities. Over the past four years, these efforts have included the designation of Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada, Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona and the expansion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in California to include Molok Luyuk. Conservation Lands Foundation | Read more »
Biden’s National Monuments
President Joe Biden has created six monuments and either restored, enlarged or modified boundaries for a handful of others. Native American tribes and conservation groups are pressing for more designations before he leaves office. … Biden’s administration has made strides in working with some tribes on managing public lands and incorporating more Indigenous knowledge into planning and policymaking. Susan Montoya Bryan for AP | Read more »
Update on the Lands Between Campaign
In early October, Bears Ears Partnership staff members headed to Monticello, Utah, where they were joined by Tribal, nonprofit, and agency partners for the Fourth Annual Tribal Gathering to protect the “Lands Between.” For several years now, BEP and partners have been campaigning to protect The Lands Between, a temporary name for an area that holds immense cultural significance, encompassing the traditional lands of the Hopi, Zuni, Acoma, Ute, Diné (Navajo), Paiute, and other Indigenous peoples. … This area is the most archaeologically rich set of public lands in the United States open for oil and gas leasing and other extractive uses, underscoring the need for continued vigilance. Nada Culver, Principal Deputy Director of the Bureau of Land Management, presented on potential National Monument alternatives to protect The Lands Between, such as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern. Attendees then discussed potential next steps, underscoring the importance of Tribal leadership and input into ongoing research, policy, archeological and other efforts. Bears Ears Partnership | Read more »
Busted! Kane County UT Petroglyph Vandals
Authorities have arrested one of the suspects accused of defacing ancient petroglyphs in Kane County. Deputies with the Kane County Sheriff’s Office said two suspects, who were photographed at the scene, were seen vandalizing the petroglyphs on Saturday, Nov. 23, at a cultural site near the confluence of Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch. Danielle MacKimm for KUTV | Read more »
Meet the Southwest Peach, Ready for Its Comeback
Centuries ago, Southwest tribal nations tended vast orchards of peach trees. Thousands of peaches grew along the part of the Rio Grande [riverine] system, stretching into Hopi Tribe territory and Grand Canyon communities. The peaches are special. They are nutritious and have historically figured heavily into ceremonial practices. “The Hopi nation begins their spring dances when the peaches start blooming. Even for Navajo, there’s sacred prayers given to the peaches during certain times of the year,” says Reagan Wytsalucy, a member of the Navajo Nation and assistant professor of agriculture at Utah State University. Emily Kwong, Jessica Jung, and Rebecca Ramirez for NPR | Read more or listen now »
Maize DNA East of the Rockies
A new study published in Cell uncovers the deep evolutionary roots of flint and dent maize, commonly known as corn, two foundational varieties central to modern maize breeding and cultivation. Eighteen samples came from Ozark rockshelters and provide the first ancient maize DNA from east of the Rocky Mountains. Gayle Fritz, a professor emerita of archaeology in WashU Arts & Sciences, was part of an international team of scientists that conducted this research. Eastern North America represents one of the last stops in maize’s dispersion from its domestication center in southern Mexico. The path maize took to reach eastern North America has long been debated. Talia Oglire for The Source (Washington University) | Read more »
December Live Lecture (Santa Fe NM)
Dec. 16, Kellam Throgmorton, History & Landscape at Two Chacoan Communities in New Mexico. $20 at the door. Southwest Seminars | Learn more »
Dec. 14 In-Person Event (Blanding UT): Moab’s Ancient Astronomers
With Rory Tyler. Tyler’s discussion will focus on rock art imagery that date as far back as the Archaic period (over 2000 years ago!). Particularly, Mr. Tyler will consider this imagery as astronomical markers. The presentation will occur at the museum, and is free and open to the public. 2:00 p.m. MST. The museum is located at 660 West, 400 North. Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum | Learn more about the museum »
REMINDER: Dec. 16 Online Event: Deposits and the Stories They Tell
With E. Charles Adams. Since the 1980s, many archaeologists have thought of objects/artifacts as having social lives meaning they have important roles in human activities that can change through their existence. The same is true for structures. Importantly, these lives do not end when an object is “discarded”, or a room is no longer used. They simply enter a new chapter, what we call the archaeological record. To interpret and understand this new social role, we need to examine the context of the object—with what other objects are they associated, what is the nature of the deposit within which they lie, what lies above and below them, where are they situated in the room or, for that matter, the village, and how was the room used before and during deposition? Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society | Learn more »
REMINDER: Dec. 19 Online Event: Chichilticale in 1539: The Long-Sought Coronado Expedition Site in Arizona
With Deni Seymour. Spanish colonial records say Chichilticale was an important place visited several times during the Coronado Expedition, yet its location eluded rediscovery for 480+ years. This year it finally has been identified in southern Arizona. Third Thursday Food for Thought series (Old Pueblo Archaeology Center) | Learn more and register (free) »
Jan. 22 to April 23 Online Class: Archaeology of the Southwest
With Allen Dart. Weds., 6:30–8:30 p.m. The class covers the region’s history of archaeological research, dating systems, changes in cultures and population shifts through time, subsistence strategies, development of urbanization, and general characteristics of major cultural groups who have lived in the American Southwest up to 23,000 years ago. Reservations and $109 donation prepayment required by 5:00 p.m. January 20: 520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org. Old Pueblo Archaeology Center | Learn more »
Jan. 16 Online Event: If the Shoe Fits
With Kevin Gilmore. Gilmore will present “If the Shoe Fits: Subarctic-style Moccasins and the Apachean Journey from the Northern Dene Homeland to the Precontact Southwest” from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. MST. Moccasins replaced sandals in the Southwest in the 1300s CE. Moccasin-wearing Apache and Navajo ancestors entering the Southwest as early as the 1300s may have influenced this change. Third Thursday Food for Thought series (Old Pueblo Archaeology Center) | Learn more and register (free) »
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!