Dear Friends,
The phrase “you are the company you keep” and its variants are so common that it is difficult to pin down a precise origin. Philosophers, theologians, parents, coaches, and sages have all used the aphorism when teaching others. Why do I bring it up here and now?
Archaeology Southwest has a talented team of staff archaeologists and board members who work hard every day, in the office and the field, on the many research, advocacy, conservation, outreach, and other programs we run every day (and that you’ve come to love and expect from this wonderful organization). But today I’d like to focus on the company we keep—our 13 amazing Research Associates. Simply put, we could not do what we do without them.
What IS a Research Associate? They are essentially high-level volunteers—they collaborate with Archaeology Southwest on a particular research project but are not (usually) paid for their services. This is a common arrangement in universities and research laboratories around the world. ALL of our archaeologists have Research Associate status somewhere.
But Research Associates are uber-volunteers because they bring highly specialized, and in some cases unique, skill sets to the organization. Indeed, many of our Research Associates are recognized and award-winning global leaders in their respective fields of study.
Seven of our Research Associates have been with us for years, and in some cases decades. These include Lewis Borck, a professor in the Department of Native American Studies at the University of Oklahoma; Ralph “R. E.” Burillo, an archaeologist with the Bureau of Land Management here in Tucson; Katherine Dungan, assistant manager in the archaeological repository at the Arizona State Museum; Suzanne Eckert, head of collections at the Arizona State Museum; Brett Hill, professor of anthropology at Hendrix College in Arkansas; Matthew Peeples, professor of anthropology at Arizona State University, and Patrick Lyons, director of the Arizona State Museum. All of them have worked for Archaeology Southwest at one time or another as preservation fellows, preservation archaeologists, or field school directors, and in other capacities. Most can trace their connections back two decades or more.
I am pleased to announce six new Research Associates. Wade Campbell, assistant professor of archaeology and anthropology at Boston University, who, as a Diné scholar, serves on the Tribal Working Group for our cyberSW project. Michael Diehl is a paleoethnobotanist with Desert Archaeology. Samanta Fladd is director of the Museum of Anthropology at Washington State University. Barbara Mills is a professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona. Scott Ortman is a professor of anthropology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Finally, Steven Shackley is a retired professor of geoarchaeology at the University of California at Berkeley. Although these folks are “new” research associates, many have in fact been active collaborators with us for decades.
Simply put, Archaeology Southwest’s research program would not be nearly as successful as it is without these partners. It is time to recognize all of these wonderful scholars for their myriad contributions. Thank you, all!
We’ll be back on January 2. My best to you & yours,
Steve Nash
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
Banner image courtesy of the National Park Service
Airing Online Dec. 20, Noon EST: More-than-a-Conversation with Sec. Haaland
In this powerful episode of Native Bidaské, Levi Rickert, editor of Native News Online, sits down with Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), the first Native American to serve in a secretarial in a U.S. presidential cabinet. Together, they explore her historic journey, transformative leadership, and vision for the future of Indian Country. Secretary Haaland shares heartfelt reflections on what it means to honor her ancestors by breaking barriers in Washington, emphasizing the power of Native representation and the inclusive makeup of President Biden’s administration. She reflects on monumental achievements, including the redesignation of Bears Ears National Monument, groundbreaking federal initiatives addressing Indian boarding schools, and securing $45 billion in funding for tribal nations. Throughout the conversation, she underscores the importance of ensuring tribal nations have a permanent voice at the decision-making table and protecting sacred lands for future generations. … This interview is more than a conversation—it’s a window into the transformative change happening today and the unwavering commitment to a brighter future. Tune in to Native Bidaské LIVE this Friday, December 20th at 12 EST on Native News Online’s Facebook or YouTube channel. Native News Online | Learn more »
Abandoned Oil-Gas Wells Toxify Chaco and Other Cultural Landscapes
Paul Reed spoke to The Art Newspaper. Editors’ note: They have made the story available to our readers as a JPG. You will need to expand the image to read the article. View now (opens as an image file) »
Indigenous Futurism, Place, and Kinship: An Interview with Jordan Poorman Cocker
“Over the last nine years, my curatorial work has been informed by Indigenous research methodologies with a focus on how Indigenous communities perceive art across generations and through time. This exhibition is an extension of those years of research and work toward creating a more holistic and truthful context for Indigenous art within the U.S. “American Sunrise: Indigenous Art at Crystal Bridges” celebrates the historical and ongoing relationships Indigenous peoples carry between the land; intergenerational artistic expressions; and the resilience of kinship between Indigenous artists and place. The title was inspired by the 2019 novel American Sunrise by Joy Harjo, the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States. Harjo’s poetry opens a dialogue with American history through the lens of Indigenous Nations’ relationships to the land through past, present and future timelines.” Dan Duray and Jordan Poorman Cocker for the Observer | Read more »
Extreme Weather and Indigenous Places: A View from Illinois
Rising seas and intense storms dominate the headlines about climate change, but there is a quieter catastrophe already unfolding: the irreversible loss of cultural heritage. Across the state of Illinois, thousands of ancient Indigenous sites, historic buildings, and landmarks are being slowly erased by extreme weather. These sites are more than remnants of the past—history took place here, and they are the physical evidence of generations of people who shaped the landscape we now call home. They are places where we can see, touch, and reimagine traces of the past. Losing them would disconnect communities from their history and threaten our ability to learn from our shared past. Michael J. Aiuvalasit, John M. Lambert, Timothy R. Pauketat, and Andrew A. White for Illinois Insight | Read more »
A Collaborative Model for Repatriation
In October, the nine federally recognized Native nations in Oregon, in collaboration with Oregon State University, announced the opening of what they believe is a first-of-its-kind facility dedicated to the repatriation of ancestral remains. “It was a very emotional day—it was very spiritually heavy—but it was also a really freeing day, because it just felt right,” Dawn Marie Alapisco, director of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Office at OSU, told Underscore Native News + Report for America. “It felt like we were doing the right thing. We were doing what we should be doing to take care of the ancestors until they can go home.” The newly constructed 2,000-square-foot OSU-NAGPRA Facility consists of two off-campus buildings with administrative offices where Native nations and OSU will engage in and carry out consultation, in addition to storing records and housing ancestral remains that are still under the university’s care, in accordance with NAGPRA. Jarrette Werk for Underscore Native News + Report for America, accessed via Indian Country Today | Read more »
Call for Indigenous Artists & Illustrators: New Children’s Activity Book (Pacific NW)
Save History and the Yakama Nation are seeking up to five Indigenous artists with a preference for artists from the Yakama Nation and Pacific Northwest Tribes (must be U.S. citizens) to illustrate a Children’s Activity Book. The book will be shared on SaveHistory.org, in print, and on Save History social media channels. Our team will be recreating our Save Indigenous History Children’s Activity Book to include art, imagery, and values of the Yakama Nation and Pacific Northwest Tribes. The Children’s Activity Book will teach children about respectful visitation of archaeological sites and will include reading and writing activities, word searches, drawing and coloring pages, and other activities. The selected group of artists will be responsible for illustrating a total of ten activities (black and white line drawings) and the book’s cover (full color). Save History | Learn more »
Weaving the Desert: The Art of Tohono O’odham Baskets
The first materials [Kimberly] Mull learned to use were leaves from the soaptree yucca (takwi in O’odham), a tall, drought-tolerant succulent growing on the sandy mesas, washes, and grasslands of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. Like many Tohono O’odham women, Mull learned at a young age how to work with the coarse leaves of the yucca to weave the outer design—or weft—of a basket. “We never pick the yucca when it is raining because it turns black. It has to be a sunny day between May and July for a whiter yucca,” she says, adding that it is not uncommon to get bit by insects while harvesting. Natasha Cortinovis for BorderLore | Read more »
Publication Announcement: Microbotanical Starch Research and Indigenous Foodways
Wade Campbell, Sadie L. Weber, Elizabeth Dresser-Kluchman, Timothy D. Wilcox, Alex Wesson, Microbotanical starch analysis as a tool for Indigenous foodways research: An early Navajo case study from the U.S. Southwest, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Volume 61, 2025, 104896. Read more (open access) »
TODAY! 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. A RECORDING OF THIS PRESENTATION WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE. Third Thursday Food for Thought series (Old Pueblo Archaeology Center) | Learn more and register (free) »
Video Channel Roundup
NEW! Audrey Lin on the History of the Coast Salish Woolly Dogs (45:55). Archaeology Café (Archaeology Southwest) | Watch now »
NEW! Continuity through Creation: A Living Culture through the Art of the Zuni People (25:39). Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | Watch now »
Catch up on some presentations not highlighted above that we might’ve missed, too! A simple click on any of the links to the YouTube channels of our Partners and Friends should catch you up. (And please do let us know if your channel isn’t in this list but should be.)
Albuquerque Archaeological Society
Amerind Foundation
Archaeology Southwest
Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society
Arizona State Museum
Aztlander
Bears Ears Partnership
Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
Grand Canyon Trust
Grand Staircase Escalante Partners
Mesa Prieta Petroglyphs Project
Mission Garden (Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace)
Museum of Indian Arts and Cultures
Museum of Northern Arizona
Old Pueblo Archaeology Center
San Diego Archaeological Center
School for Advanced Research
Southwest Seminars
The Archaeological Conservancy
Verde Valley Archaeology Center
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!