Origins of Chaco’s Scarlet Macaws

New Paper: Origins of Chaco’s Scarlet Macaws
And for more than a thousand years, these birds were traded north into what is now the southwestern United States in exchange for turquoise. The ancient Pueblo great houses of Chaco Canyon (in what’s now New Mexico) started importing scarlet macaws from farther south around 900 A.D., using the birds as status symbols and markers of political status. But who was supplying Chaco Canyon with macaws, and how? https://on.natgeo.com/2BdP0uQ — National Geographic

New Paper: Evaluating Inland and Coastal Models for Peopling of Americas
A review of the current genetic, archeological, and paleoecological evidence indicates that ancestral Native American population expansion occurred after 16,000 years ago, consistent with the archeological record, particularly with the earliest securely dated sites after ~15,000 years ago. These data are largely consistent with either an inland (ice-free corridor) or Pacific coastal route (or both), but neither can be rejected at present. http://bit.ly/2OEkCf5 — Science Advances

Grant Award Supports Acoma Preservation Study of Greater Chaco
Archaeology Southwest has received a $10,000 grant from the Southwest Intervention Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation to support work on the Pueblo of Acoma Preservation Study of the Greater Chaco Landscape. Goals of the project include: 1) having Pueblo of Acoma representatives visit landscapes of Greater Chaco threatened by development; 2) with proper confidentiality, collecting appropriate ethnographic and cultural data; 3) compiling these data and producing a report for the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Affairs; and 4) producing a confidential report for the Pueblo of Acoma. “We are very grateful for the National Trust’s support and excited to begin the project later this month,” said Paul Reed, who is the project’s lead investigator. http://bit.ly/2vI9SoR — Archaeology Southwest

Prayer Run for Bears Ears
The group—composed of members of the Hopi, Navajo, Ute, and Ute Mountain Ute tribes; a few of the New Mexico pueblos; and a contingent from the Wintun and Maidu tribes in California—had come together to run nearly 800 miles from New Mexico, Arizona, or Colorado to Bears Ears from March 12 to 17. Four separate routes snaked like veins through patches of tribal land, atop mesas, through coniferous forests, past oil pump jacks, and alongside busy highways. http://bit.ly/2OACXt8 — Outside

Judge: Administration Does Not Have to Share Documents about Monument Decisions
In the latest development in the efforts by environmental advocates, tribes, and outdoor retailers to challenge President Donald Trump’s shrinking of two Utah monuments, a district judge on Monday ruled that the Department of Justice (DOJ) doesn’t have to turn over legal documents regarding the president’s decision, the Associated Press reports. http://bit.ly/2OChi44 — Pacific Standard

U.S. District Judge David Nye said the records are protected presidential communications. A firm based in Boise, Idaho called Advocates for the West had sued for 12 documents withheld from a public records request related to Trump’s decision to reduce two large monuments in Utah. http://bit.ly/2OBdUGp — KNPR

Commentary: Willie Grayeyes: Listen to Tribes and Tribal Constituencies
We urge Lee to listen to his Native American constituents in San Juan County, Utah, and drop this bill. Native Americans make up 53 percent of the county population, and we are nearly unanimous in our support for Bears Ears and the Antiquities Act. The PURE Act, on the other hand, completely cuts out tribal involvement and encourages the state of Utah and Congress to continue to block protections for sacred sites and cultural resources in perpetuity, with no consideration for the rights of tribes. http://bit.ly/2OsA8uj — Salt Lake Tribune

Commentary: Phil Lyman: Antiquities Act Needs Reform
I would like to thank Sen. Mike Lee for recently introducing the Protecting Utah’s Rural Economy (PURE) Act. This bill, if passed, would give Utah the same protections against Antiquities Act abuse that Wyoming and Alaska enjoy. The PURE Act would require presidents to get the approval of Congress and the Utah Legislature before designating national monuments. http://bit.ly/2OFclaP — Salt Lake Tribune

Fire at Mesa Verde National Park Now Contained
The incident team worked with advisers to protect the archaeological sites in the park, which is a World Heritage site. It hosts more than 4,300 sites of ancestral Puebloan people and is known internationally for the 600 cliff dwellings within the park’s 52,485-acre boundary. “Cultural resource advisers continue to provide guidance and information to operations,” the incident command team said earlier this week. “This collaboration is instrumental in ensuring the respectful treatment and preservation of irreplaceable objects and sites, which provide context and connection to this area’s rich culture and history.” http://bit.ly/2OEmPan — Cortez Journal

Ancient Copper Band Found in Coastal Georgia Site
A research team including Matthew Sanger, assistant professor of anthropology at Binghamton University, State University at New York, has found a copper band that indicates ancient Native Americans engaged in extensive trade networks spanning far greater distances than what has been previously thought. http://bit.ly/2Oxn2Mi — Phys.org

Commentary: The Pueblo Revolt’s Rightful Place in History
The question remains then, as Pueblo People, how do we develop a common political consciousness around our unique history and present situation? The first step, I believe, is looking at the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and understanding that its significance is not just reserved for the year 1680. http://bit.ly/2OxyxU3 — The Red Nation

Grant Opportunity, Subvention Award for Publication
The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society (AAHS) is pleased to announce the 2018 competitive subvention award program for AAHS members. The purpose of this program is to provide money in support of the publication of digital or print books or Kiva journal articles that further AAHS’s mission. Many sources of grant funding do not support publication costs. Through this program, AAHS can provide occasional funding to prevent this barrier to the sharing of research results. This year, awards up to $5,000 will be considered. Questions? Please email the chair of the Publications Committee for AAHS, Sarah Herr, at sherr@desert.com. http://bit.ly/2BbbRqR — Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society

Tour Opportunity, Excavations at Jemez Historic Site NM
August 16 through October 6, Wednesday–Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. State and Pueblo of Jemez officials are inviting the public to participate in the unearthing of the Gíusewa Pueblo’s story. Starting Aug. 16, tribal members, archaeologists and volunteers will begin excavating an approximate 16-by-16-foot area where the Gíusewa people lived. The museum inside the site’s visitors center is being transformed into an archaeological lab where workers will sift through the sand and restore the item found at the site. Members of the public can watch both the dig and the work being done in the lab. Rangers will lead tours at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily. http://bit.ly/2BbNgSP — Albuquerque Journal

Workshop Opportunity, Tucson AZ
On September 8, 2018, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., experience the ancient art of flintknapping. Join Allen Denoyer for his Hands-On Archaeology class, “How Did People Make and Use Stone Tools?” You will use ancient techniques and replica tools to create a stone projectile point. You will also learn more about how people made and used such points, and that points were just one component of a complete hunting technology. Please note that these classes are for individuals 18 years of age and older. $40 nonmembers. http://bit.ly/2OBh4Kh — Archaeology Southwest

Event Opportunity, Topawa AZ
Celebrate the arts at the Tohono O’odham Cultural Center and Museum on Saturday, September 15, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. O’odham artists will be demonstrating and selling artworks. There will also be music, dance, and presentations. www.himdagki.org

Thank you to Brian Kreimendahl for his contribution to this edition.

Please submit news, book announcements, and events at this link for consideration: https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/submit-to-sat/

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