Dear Friends,
I LOVE working at Archaeology Southwest.
It’s an incredible place—physically, metaphysically, metaphorically, metamorphically, and every other way a place and human collective can be, especially in a time of transition and increasing uncertainty.
I’ve been on the job for just about 15 months and every one of them has been a pleasure.
We’ve had some challenges for sure—from the chaotic and capricious behavior of federal leadership in recent months to the occasional plumbing emergency in our beloved Bates Mansion home, it’s been a whirlwind. And it’s been a blast.
This week I want to make a shout-out to the Senior Leadership Team we established last year to help me lead this organization into its future manifestation. Archaeology Southwest is too big and complex for one person to oversee everything anymore. There’s too much going on! And there’s too much talent in the house for me NOT to systematically engage these great thinkers. That would be irresponsible of me. So, I want to take a moment to (re-)introduce you to this stellar team.
Dr. Jeff Clark has been with Archaeology Southwest for more than 25 years and was a natural to become the new Vice President of Research. I learn so much in my weekly meetings with Jeff. After subtle prodding, I finally got him to admit, rather sheepishly, that he IS, in fact, the world’s leading expert on the archaeology of the lower San Pedro Valley. Jeff and I are busy considering possible new paths for the research team, all the while working to help maintain their ability to be entrepreneurial in their research. (In other words, we continue to support academic freedom.)
Kate Sarther has been with Archaeology Southwest for nearly two decades and was the obvious choice to be Vice President of Communications and Outreach. In many ways, she IS the Archaeology Southwest brand, having worked for many, many years with graphic designer Kathleen Bader to develop our beloved magazine, our voice(s), our social media efforts, etc. Kate is a night owl and I am an early bird, so our communications whizz about the universe at odd times. But we’re never at a loss for things to talk about and messages to consider.
The inimitable and seemingly inexhaustible Dr. John Welch has been with the organization for close to seven years; John and I have worked together on a wide range of projects over the years, but never this intensely. Talking with John is like getting a dose of caffeine straight into the veins—I often run up to his office in a remote portion of the Bates Mansion, where we laugh, challenge, and provoke each other into new ways of thinking about the way the world could and should be. John is our Vice President of Preservation and Collaboration and delivers for us in that capacity day-in and day-out. It’s amazing (and sometimes tiring) to watch.
Taken together, Jeff, Kate, and John, have more than 50 years of experience working for Archaeology Southwest and way more than that working in cultural heritage preservation, teaching, and research. Institutional memory that remains dynamic, malleable, and often decisive.
If that’s the old guard (as it were), who is the new guard? Two new, incredibly valuable people joined the team on January 15, 2025.
Dr. Dani Phelps, an Egyptologist and bioarcheologist in her scholarship, is our new Director of Development. You will be hearing a lot more from and about Dani in the coming months, but I want to give a shout-out to her for efforts on Arizona Gives Day (donate now! benefitting our field school students!) and to those of you who made contributions then and on other days. Archaeology Southwest cannot exist without major donors of all kinds—individuals, corporations, and foundations. As a professional archaeologist with an aptitude for fundraising, Dani is leading us into new territory.
Finally, a huge and special shout-out to Whelan, our new Vice President of Finance & Operations. (Whelan, like Sting, Beyonce, and Prince, needs no last name. Some folks just have it!) All while trying to learn a new job and new systems, Whelan has deftly addressed a myriad of federal funding challenges, and they have done so with cheerful aplomb. In addition, Whelan has brought to Archaeology Southwest a conceptual vocabulary and social justice vernacular that is pushing an already values-driven organization into an even more compassionate, considerate, and fun place to work.
The Senior Leadership Team meets every Wednesday for at least two hours; it’s one of the highlights of my week. We don’t hold back; indeed, we have a tendency to hold forth, and that can be a beautiful thing to watch. Sometimes, when the conversation is especially dynamic, I just sit back, relax, absorb, and proudly watch this team do its thing. I hope we will continue to make you proud, as well.
Until next week,
Steve Nash
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
P.S. from Kate: If you enjoyed our “Better for It” Archaeology Café series and Archaeology Southwest Magazine issue of the same name, I urge you to read and reflect on this haunting long-form story by Kori Suzuki in High Country News about what happens in the absence of open collaboration with descendant communities.
Banner image: Caitlynn Mayhew
BREAKING: NEH Grants Terminated
Millions of dollars in previously awarded federal grants intended for arts and cultural groups across the country are being canceled by the Trump administration, according to a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) senior official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak publicly. The funds had been awarded by the agency through a competitive application process and, according to the official, covered grants from fiscal years 2021-2025. The official said that “no upcoming awards” will be made in fiscal year 2025. Elizabeth Blair for NPR | Read more »
Indigenous Curators Are Essential
The Burke [Museum] boasts a collection of more than 16 million artifacts, ranging from the world’s largest collection of spread bird wings to the fifth-largest array of Northwest Coast Native art in the U.S. As a Native Alaskan, [curator Sven] Haakanson not only complies with NAGPRA, he works to educate donors and museums about their responsibilities to tribes. “When we get a collector who wants to give us something, I’ll be honest. I’ll tell them that if there is anything that we have to return to a tribe, we will.” When appropriate, he’ll introduce a prospective donor to a tribal representative, facilitating not only repatriation but a relationship as well. “It’s one of the things that we can do for communities that have been traumatized for centuries,” he said. Kathleen Sharp for High Country News | Read more »
Conservation Lands Foundation Releases 2024 Impacts Report
From landmark national monument designations to transformative conservation policies, you’ll find all of these successes and the powerful partnerships that made them possible. While 2025 brings new challenges, we are facing them boldly and with resolve, knowing that turning community power into political strength is a winning strategy for protecting the public lands that matter. Conservation Lands Foundation | Read more »
Continuing Coverage: Chaco Roads
With LiDAR and on-the-ground observation, researchers with Dartmouth College recently discovered there were two roads, not just one, like they previously thought at the Gasco site south of Chaco Culture National Historical Park. What struck researchers is that the roads are aligned with the winter solstice sunrise over Mount Taylor. The team believes that these roads were not likely used to connect settlements for trade but rather were used for sacred purposes. Marilyn Upchurch for KRQE | Read more »
Smithsonian, Interior “Ordered” to Whitewash History
In an executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” Mr. Trump took aim at what he described as a “revisionist movement” across the country that “seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.” His order claimed that the Smithsonian, in particular, had “come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology” and that it promotes “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.” …
In another passage of the order that could have sweeping implications, Mr. Trump directed the secretary of the Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, to determine whether, since 2020, “public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties within the Department of the Interior’s jurisdiction have been removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history.” Instead, the order directs, all properties should “focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people or, with respect to natural features, the beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape.” Zachary Small and Jennifer Schuessler in the New York Times | Read more »
Continuing Coverage: Ninth Circuit Hears Arguments on SunZia Challenge
A Ninth Circuit panel appeared likely Wednesday to reverse the dismissal of a challenge to construction of a high voltage power line through Indigenous historic and cultural sites. The SunZia transmission line, approved for construction in 2023, would constitute the largest renewable clean energy project in U.S. history, running wind energy 550 miles from central New Mexico to southern Arizona and California. But directly in its path through central Arizona lies the San Pedro Valley—the ancestral home of the Tohono O’odham, Zuni, Hopi and Western Apache tribes. Two of those tribes and others told the Ninth Circuit panel Wednesday morning that the Bureau of Land Management manipulated the statute of limitations to avoid judicial review of the agency’s study of the historic and cultural sites throughout the valley.
“If allowed to stand, BLM’s sleight of hand will effectively render deferred consultation a sham by insulating it from judicial review,” attorney Elizabeth Lewis of Eubanks and Associates told the three-judge panel in a Phoenix courtroom. Joe Duhownik via the Tucson Sentinel | Read more »
Commentary: John R. Welch on the Ninth Circuit Hearing
Friends, you find me cautiously optimistic after my day (as a spectator) in court: The Ninth Circuit panel was skeptical about federal government and industry claims for the legality of the approval process for the SunZia powerline. Yesterday, March 26, in Phoenix’s Sandra Day O’Connor Courthouse, a panel of Ninth Circuit judges heard the appeal of District Court Judge Jennifer Zipps’ April 16, 2024, dismissal of the case brought by Tribes and conservationists. John Welch for the Preservation Archaeology blog (Archaeology Southwest) | Read more »
Another Institution Impacted by US Administration’s Agenda
The Trump administration on Monday placed the staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services on administrative leave, setting the stage for potentially ending the main source of federal support for the country’s museums and libraries. The move came two weeks after President Trump issued an executive order naming the independent agency as one of seven that should be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” Jennifer Schuessler for the New York Times | Read now »
The IMLS is an independent federal agency that provides grants to libraries and museums across the country. According to the American Library Association, the IMLS provides “the majority of federal library funds.” The IMLS says it awarded $266 million in grants and research funding to cultural institutions last year. This money goes to help staff, fund maintenance and create new programs. … For instance, in 2023 the IMLS funded projects such as a workforce training program, including internships, at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Florida, a pilot program in Iowa to help library staff address patrons’ psychological needs and basic library functions (books, computers, internet) for various Native American tribes. Andrew Limbong for NPR | Read more »
Podcast: Return of the Buffalo
Science Moab connected with Charlie Carpenter, an Afro-Indigenous and Latino conservationist and the Braided Science Program Manager with INDIGENOUS LED, an organization that elevates Indigenous-led conservation. The term “braided science” describes ways of knowing that weave Traditional Ecological Knowledges with Western science. Charlie talks about the initiative to reintroduce buffalo—a keystone species—to their native habitats, benefiting Native communities and ecosystems through a holistic, restorative process. Science Moab | Listen now »
Position Announcement: Manager, Arizona Antiquities Act Permits Office
Arizona State Museum (ASM) at the University of Arizona is in search of a Manager, Arizona Antiquities Act Permits Office. The Manager, Arizona Antiquities Act Permits Office advises the ASM Director on policy and procedures relating to compliance with the Arizona Antiquities Act (AAA) (A.R.S. 41-841 et seq.). The incumbent serves as the Director’s designee to clients and agencies working to comply with the AAA and manages the Arizona State Museum’s (ASM) legally-mandated Archaeological Permits Office and staff employed in that office. The incumbent represents the ASM to the archaeological community, state and federal agencies, and UA partners. Arizona State Museum | Learn more »
Internship Opportunities: Traditional Trades Advancement Program
Build your hands-on preservation trades skills at Tumacácori National Historical Park through projects addressing a range of historic preservation needs. Over the course of a 26-week immersive experience, TTAP participants train and work alongside experienced NPS employees to preserve cultural resources and crucial infrastructure. This position is a great way to gain practical, hands-on experience and the foundation for a career in historic preservation. The projects at Tumacácori National Historical Park will focus on assessing, monitoring, documenting, and preserving adobe masonry. The ideal candidate is excited about hands-on trades work and should be able to demonstrate or discuss their interest in the historic preservation field. TTAP Placements must be able to commit to a 26-week term. This position is scheduled for May 12 – November 7, 2024 (with limited flexibility), with weekends and federal holidays off. Tumacácori National Historical Park (National Park Service) | Learn more »
Scholarship Opportunity: Michael Bryk Memorial Grant
Michael was a wonderful person and a passionate archaeologist with Logan Simpson. Michael was enamored with his position as an archaeological laboratory director and loved to express his curiosity, learn new things, and explore the prehistory and history of the Southwestern U.S./Northwestern Mexico. This scholarship aims to honor the memory of Michael Bryk by supporting students who are following in his footsteps. Any undergraduate or graduate student pursuing anthropology, archaeology, or museum studies with at least a 3.5 GPA may apply for this scholarship opportunity if they conduct their research in the Southwestern U.S/Northwestern Mexico. Logan Simpson | Learn more »
April Live Lectures
April 7, Laurie Webster, White Dog Hair Textiles in the Ancient Southwest; April 14, Paul F. Reed and Kevin Whitefeather, Healing the Divide between Indigenous People and Archaeologists; April 21, Jakob Sedig, Key Findings from the Last Decade of Ancient DNA Research in the Americas; April 28, Luis Alberto Borrero, Archaeology of the Pampas and Patagonia. 6:00 p.m., Hotel Santa Fe, except 4/7, which will be at the Santa Fe Woman’s Club, 1616 Old Pecos Trail. $20 at the door or $74 for the series of 4 in April. Southwest Seminars | Learn more »
REMINDER: April 10 Online Event: Grand Meadow Chert Quarry / Wahni Yukan: A Unique Archaeological and Cultural Preserve
With Tom Trow (project director) and Franky Jackson (THPO, Prairie Island Indian Community). For at least 400 years beginning shortly after 1000 CE, the largest procurement site in Minnesota for chert was an area of 200 acres, covered in deep pits dug through prairie soils. Many holes were dug because this stone, now known as Grand Meadow chert (GMC), was in high demand for making hide scrapers and small points during the Middle Mississippian Period in the region. The source of the prominent gray chert was unknown to archaeologists until 1980, as was an extraordinary 8-acre remnant of those pits which lay hidden under dense tree cover. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places and purchased for permanent protection by The Archaeological Conservancy. A trail with bilingual interpretive signage has recently been developed for the public, in collaboration with the descendant tribal communities whose ancestors may have dug those pits and gathered there annually. The Archaeological Conservancy | Learn more and register (free) »
April 12 In-Person Event (Phoenix AZ): Flintknapping Workshop
With John Murray and Nic Hansen. John and Nic will guide you through the art of shaping stone tools using traditional techniques. All materials will be provided, and you will be able to leave with whatever creation you make! Fees apply. 10:00 a.m., 3711 W. Deer Valley Rd. Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve | Learn more »
April 17 Online Event: The Spanish Inquisition and Crypto-Jews in the U.S. Southwest and Mexico
With Blanca Carrasco. Carrasco will present “An Incredible Family History Unearthed: How a Search for the Past Can Redefine the Present and Future.” She will tell how her search for roots changed her life when she discovered that some of her Mexican ancestors were crypto-Jews who had tried to hide their Jewishness from the Spanish Inquisition. Third Thursday Food for Thought series (Old Pueblo Archaeology Center) | Learn more and register (free) »
April 19 In-Person Event (Payson AZ): Peoples of the Tall Pines
With R. E. Burrillo. Burrillo will discuss pre-contact architecture and settlement patterns in the Sierra Ancha. 10:00 a.m., Payson Public Library, 328 N. McLane Rd. Followed by a tour of Goat Camp with Scott Wood. Arizona Archaeological Society, Rim Country Chapter | Learn more »
April 26 In-Person Event (Topowa AZ): 3rd Annual Potters Gathering
Himdag Ki:, the Tohono O’odham Nation Cultural Center & Museum, is hosting an event with presentations, demonstrations, tours of the collections, O’odham artist market, food and more from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Himdag Ki: | Learn more and register »
Remember to send us notice of upcoming events and webinars, tours and workshops, and anything else you’d like to share with the Friends. Thanks!