Dear Friends,
We took a week off. It was a nice break, but the pace of events seems to have accelerated. I’m keeping this note brief, because there is a LOT you will want to read in today’s issue. But first, two personal notes.
My local Cooper’s Hawks, whose two youngsters will soon be fledglings, have once again turned aggressive. A year ago that led to a sneak attack that drew blood from hawk talons to the back of my head. So far this year, I have been vigilant…we’ll see how it goes.
Unrelated to my neighborhood nemeses, this is the week that we posted the job announcement for my replacement at the helm of Archaeology Southwest. Through the end of the year, I’m still here at my desk. I’m healthy, and this job gives me great satisfaction every single day.
This process began a couple years ago. Our staff and Board continue to advance and grow our Preservation Archaeology mission. New leadership will find an organization that is healthy and poised for an even brighter future.
I hope you’re all doing well,
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
WITHDRAWN: Interior Puts Chaco Protection Zone in Effect for the Next 20 Years
[On June 2, 2023] the Department of the Interior issued a historic decision to administratively withdraw public lands from mineral development in Chaco Canyon. This landmark announcement marks a turning point in the protection of the Greater Chaco Region and sets a new precedent in the federal government’s management of sacred landscapes. The Department is administratively withdrawing public lands from new mineral development in an especially critical 10-mile area surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park and including its outliers for a 20-year term. This is an effort prompted by unfettered mineral leasing in the region for decades. The All Pueblo Council of Governors expresses our utmost gratitude for this momentous decision. Secretary Haaland and her leadership and staff within the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted a thorough and careful analysis before completing this withdrawal, listening to and elevating tribal voices throughout the process. Their work will leave an invaluable mark on this sacred landscape. All Pueblo Council of Governors (press release) | Read more »
Today [June 11, 2023], NDN Collective joined Diné and Pueblo community partners at an event hosted by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to celebrate the Biden Administration’s decision to withdraw public lands from new mineral development and establish a 10-mile buffer zone surrounding the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. In support of this historic decision, NDN Collective released the following statements. NDN Collective (press release) | Read more »
The Biden administration took action on Friday to block new oil and gas leasing on federal land around Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, one of the nation’s oldest and most culturally significant Native American sites. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced that her agency would withdraw public lands within a 10-mile radius of Chaco Canyon and the area around it, known as Chaco Culture National Historical Park, from access to new oil and gas leasing for 20 years, following through on a 2021 pledge by President Biden to protect the area from drilling. The move will not affect existing oil and gas leases on the land or drilling on private property within the 10-mile radius. Coral Davenport in the New York Times | Read more »
Protest over Chaco Protection Is Based in Misinterpretation
The All Pueblo Council of Governors (APCG) on Sunday celebrated the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) 10-mile withdrawal of federal lands from future mineral development in Chaco Canyon and wishes to address the unfortunate events that unfolded at the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Unfortunately, the celebratory event was marred by protests, which ultimately led to the relocation of the gathering away from the sacred landscape in Chaco. Sunday was meant to be a day of celebration, acknowledgement, and reflection. Regrettably, protestors impeded entrance to the Park, disrupting the opportunity for Secretary Deb Haaland, other federal officials, Pueblo officials, and other persons to enter the Park. Consequently, planned remarks by officials, including Pueblo Governors, were not able to be delivered as originally intended. Claims made by protesters and others regarding the origins and effects of the withdrawal are not true. The Navajo Nation helped design and advocate for the 10-mile withdrawal at the request of its people, and the withdrawal protects Navajo and allottee development rights. All Pueblo Council of Governors (press release) | Read more »
It was supposed to be a homecoming of sorts for U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland after her agency spent many months hosting public meetings and talking with Native American leaders about curbing the pace of oil and gas development in the San Juan Basin and protecting culturally significant sites. But her return to Chaco Culture National Historical Park on Sunday was derailed when a group of Navajo landowners blocked the road, upset with the Biden administration’s recent decision to enshrine for the next 20 years what previously had been an informal 10-mile buffer around the World Heritage site. Susan Montoya Bryan in the Santa Fe New Mexican (Associated Press) | Read more »
In social media posts, videos showed tense moments between Navajo allotment owners against the buffer zone and Navajo individuals in support of the buffer zone. Signs that read “No Trespassing on Allottee Land,” “Navajo Land,” “Go Home,” “Dept of Interior Haaland Never Met with Navajo Allottees,” “This is God Country,” and anti-Pueblo signs were held up by allottees as they met with anyone trying to get to the park’s visitor’s center. … “I was actually the first car met by the blockade created by allottees,” said Janene Yazzie of NDN Collective and a supporter of the buffer. “…I told them I’m a Diné and I deserve to be here. They started telling me this isn’t my home and I don’t belong there, this is their land, and Pueblos need to stay in their own homes. They were mistaking me as Pueblo. It got really ugly.” Arlyssa D. Becenti in the Arizona Republic | Read more »
Read Paul Reed’s statement on behalf of Archaeology Southwest »
Report: In Support of the Antiquities Act on its 117th Anniversary
The Antiquities Act is a powerful tool for preserving public lands at risk. It authorizes the President of the United States to proclaim national monuments on federal lands that contain historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, or other objects of historic or scientific interest. Use of the Antiquities Act can help to protect irreplaceable resources for future generations. It allows a President to take prompt action to protect landscapes or sites that may be vulnerable. And designating a resource as a national monument not only preserves a landscape or structure, it also can provide recreational and economic benefits to the local community and visitors. As of June 2023, there are 150 national monuments in the United States that are managed by various federal agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The majority of national monuments are managed by the National Park Service (NPS). Currently, there are more than 80 national monuments within the National Park System, although the National Park Service manages over 100 parks that got their start thanks to the Antiquities Act, including well-known national parks. The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks | Read more (opens as a PDF) »
In Memoriam: Charles Wilkinson
Charles Wilkinson was a force in natural resources law, a tribal advocate and an inspiring figure for generations of Colorado law students. “He really was a giant in terms of his standing in the law,” said Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who worked with Wilkinson at the University of Colorado Law School. “He was a role model—for anyone who was a law teacher, or who was protecting our land and water, or honoring our commitments to the tribes—and he was a friend and a mentor who taught so many.” Shannon Mullane in the Colorado Sun | Learn more »
Continuing Coverage and Commentary: Proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument Represents Transformative Opportunity
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is urging President Joe Biden to use the Antiquities Act to designate the tribally proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. In a letter dated Tuesday, Hobbs told Biden that she is committed to preserving cultural and natural treasures throughout Arizona and said the Grand Canyon is a “culturally sacred place stewarded by Indigenous Peoples for centuries.” Hobbs wrote that in addition to tribal voices, her office has “heard from people across the political spectrum including sporting groups, faith leaders, outdoor recreation businesses, conservation groups and others from a broad array of interests that support this monument designation.” Hobbs also said she “can think of no better use of the Antiquities Act than to protect our state’s namesake treasure.” Associated Press | Read more »
The Biden administration is currently considering the creation of a new national monument that would protect over a million acres of the public lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. The proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument represents a transformative opportunity, not only to protect the irreplaceable ecosystems of the Grand Canyon region but to imagine a more just and equitable future for the public lands of the United States. The proposed monument is the culmination of a movement to protect the lands surrounding the Grand Canyon from the toxic effects of uranium mining that has been unfolding for more than a decade. The driving force behind this movement has been a coalition of Arizona tribal nations, many of which continue to suffer the human and environmental consequences of uranium mining undertaken on their lands. This tribal-led struggle has galvanized a remarkable coalition of local residents, environmentalists, and outdoor recreationists who understand the invaluable nature of these landscapes and the waters that move through them. Alex Trimble Young in the Arizona Daily Star (Tucson.com) | Read more »
Analysis: Conservation Is Complicated
Land near the Grand Canyon contains a uranium mine that could prove valuable in the United States’ efforts to push toward nuclear power. However, whether or not to welcome mining in the region has been an ongoing debate as environmentalists and tribes oppose the measure. In contrast, others see it as valuable to the country’s energy future. The region around the canyon is under a 20-year protection soon to expire. This raises questions of how much the U.S. truly conserves protected land and whether there are instances in which protections get lifted. Devika Rao for The Week | Read more »
Commentary: The San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area (SPRNCA) Is at Risk
[The Bureau of Land Management] has done a lot of good work to protect some of SPRNCA’s most significant cultural resources, including the Murray Springs Paleoindian mammoth kill site, ancestral O’odham villages, the Spanish Presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate, and the Fairbank mine and townsite. But BLM has reauthorized grazing in four allotments partially within the SPRNCA without first identifying and assessing the cultural resources that will be damaged by the grazing. … The relevant science regarding conflicts between grazing and cultural resources is at least equally clear and compelling. All available evidence, including multiple BLM-authored reports, indicate that livestock cause damage to most types of cultural resource sites. Harmful effects from grazing include displacement, mixing, and breakage of wooden, ceramic, glass, and metal artifacts and degradation of plant communities valued by local and Indigenous communities. Bill Doelle and John Welch in the Arizona Daily Star | Read more »
2023 Grant Awards Support Protection at 40 African American Heritage Places
Grants from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund advance ongoing preservation activities for historic places such as homes, museums, and landscapes that represent African American cultural heritage. To date, the program has supported 242 historic African American places and invested more than $20 million to help preserve significant sites imbued with Black life, humanity, and cultural heritage. National Trust for Historic Preservation | Learn more about the sites »
The Pueblo Revolt through the Mind of Artist Virgil Ortiz
Virgil Ortiz’s “Revolt” is a history lesson told in the language “Star Wars.” The exhibit at the History Colorado Center is a shape-shifting, time-jumping, sci-fi fantasy that tells the tale of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, when indigenous fighters rose up and drove Spanish conquistadors from land that is now New Mexico. Safe to say, this momentous event, a rare but decisive win for the underdog, is not one many people know, at least not far and wide, and Ortiz has spent his distinguished career as an artist telling it—object by object, exhibit by exhibit—in a way that makes people pay attention. Ray Mark Rinaldi in the Denver Post | Read more »
How to Grow Food in a Waffle Garden
Waffle gardening is a planting technique that uses raised grids in the soil to prevent rainwater from immediately running away. This allows the water more time to seep into the soil, prevents soil erosion, and leads to happy, hydrated crops in even the harshest desert environments. But this waffle gardening idea is no new trend. In fact, it’s arguable that waffle gardens have existed for longer than waffles themselves. Learn more about the fascinating origins of waffle gardening, its importance in desert climates, and how you can create your own thriving waffle garden in your backyard. Brooke Younger in House Digest | Read more »
How to Conduct an Oral History Interview
Oral histories are an ancient way of sharing knowledge from generation to generation and a great resource for learning more about place, whether it is a specific site, the history of a community that is still present, or one that has been lost. According to the Oral History Association, oral history refers to “the interview process and the products that result from a recorded spoken interview (whether audio, video or other formats).” Are you ready to get out there and get some stories? Grab your recording device, because we are sharing 9 tips on how you can get started with conducting your own oral history interview with your family or members of the community. Lawana Holland-Moore for the National Trust for Historic Preservation | Learn more »
Arizona State Museum to Offer Docent Training Next Semester
This course (ANTH 395B) provides fundamental knowledge about theory and method attendant to museum interpretation while providing opportunities to develop skills in public speaking and intercultural communication. Using exhibits at the Arizona State Museum (ASM) and other museums, students will explore the role that educational practices associated with museums play in creating and disseminating anthropological knowledge to diverse publics. Lectures will be given by the instructor, Dr. Ruth Burgett Jolie, and guest speakers, but this is not primarily a lecture course. Participants—community members and university students—will engage with the material through regular seminar discussions and will work individually and in groups to create and execute exhibit tours. No prerequisites. Arizona State Museum | Learn more »
Volunteer Opportunities in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Are you planning a trip to Grand Staircase this summer? If so, we have some volunteer projects coming up and we would love for you to join us! This is a great way to visit the Monument and give a little love back to this incredible landscape. 6/23, Social Trail Remediation Project; 6/24, Trail Ambassador Training; 6/25 Dry Fork Narrows Graffiti Remediation; 7/21–23, Zuni Bowl Installation on Private Lands; 8/8–8/9 and 8/18–8/20, Burr Trail G.O.A.T. and Coming Impacts. Grand Staircase Escalante Partners | Learn more »
Podcast: Why Visiting with Respect Also Means Not Busting the Crust
Drylands encompass over 40% of terrestrial ecosystems and face significant degradation from a warming/drying climate and overuse. To combat this degradation, some restoration efforts have focused on the use of biological soil crusts (biocrusts): complex communities of cyanobacteria, algae, lichens, bryophytes, and other organisms living in association with the top millimeters of soil. We talk with Anita Antoninka, Dept. of Forestry at Northern Arizona University, about the current knowledge in biocrust restoration. Science Moab | Listen now »
Podcast: Stewart Udall and the Politics of Beauty
Kate and Aaron are joined by filmmaker John De Graaf to talk about his new documentary Stewart Udall and the Politics of Beauty. De Graaf has been producing and directing PBS documentaries for 45 years, 32 of which he spent at KCTS, the Seattle PBS affiliate. His new film recounts former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall’s life and illustrates the impact he had on conservation in the West. The Landscape (Center for Western Priorities) | Listen now »
Video: Land Back Movement Gains Momentum
As cities and states across the country consider various forms of reparations, California has led the way in returning land to the descendants of the dispossessed. This includes African Americans and Native Americans. But as Stephanie Sy reports, the wealth, the community and the opportunities lost are not easily recovered. PBS NewsHour | Watch now »
Video: Tucson Origins Tour
A look at Borderlandia’s Tucson Origins Tour featured in the New York Times’ 52 Places to Go in 2023. Borderlandia | Watch now »
Read the NYT article »
Poetry: The Water within Us
This piece was written following my recent visit to the Sinagua Cliff Dwellings, commonly known as Montezuma’s Castle. This site, of significance to many Indigenous peoples, including the Ak-Chin Indian Community, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Gila River Indian Community, The Hopi Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni, Salt River Prima-Maricopa Indian Community, Tohono O’odham Nation, Yavapai-Apache Nation, and Yavapai Prescott Indian Tribe, persists on contemporary Yavapai-Apache territory. This site instilled within me a great sense of awe and appreciation for other Indigenous peoples, and I hope here to convey a ‘look back’ to ancestral knowledges of groundwater and lifeways to inform the future. … With this piece, I wanted to consider the ancestral and ecological presence and indicators of water as well as a call to consider water as relations rather than resource. Gina McGuire (Native Hawaiian) at Native Climate | Read on »
Publication Announcement: Diachronic Analysis of Obsidian Use at Chaco Canyon
Jeremy M. Moss, Thomas C. Windes, Andrew I. Duff, William Doleman & M. Steven Shackley (2023). A Diachronic Analysis of Obsidian Use at Chaco Canyon and the Influence of Social Factors on Obsidian Procurement, KIVA. Read now (open access) »
June Subscription Lectures
6/19, Jason Shapiro, Fascinating and Tragic History of Arroyo Hondo Pueblo; 6/26, James David Kilby, The Secrets of Bonfire Cave in Mile Canyon, Texas. Southwest Seminars | Learn more »
REMINDER: June 15 Online Event: A Photo Essay of the Apache Surrender
With Bill Cavaliere. By comparing old photographs with recent ones of the same places, he will discuss the Chiricahua Apaches, their early frontier photographers, and how Bill found the location of C. S. Fly’s famous “Council Photo” showing Geronimo and other Apaches negotiating peace with General George Crook and his soldiers. Third Thursday Food for Thought series (Old Pueblo Archaeology Center) | Learn more and register (free) »
June 15 Online Event: Archaeological Explorations in the Western Colorado Desert
With Michael Sampson. Retired California State Parks archaeologist Michael Sampson will discuss results of archaeological studies in the western Colorado Desert of southern California over the past 100 years. The region represents the traditional lands of the Cahuilla, Kumeyaay (Ipai and Tipai), and Kwaaymii. Malcolm Rogers worked in the western Colorado Desert during the 1920s and 1930s and made important observations about pictographs, petroglyphs, geoglyphs, cleared circles, trails, house remains, and other cultural remains throughout the region. Sampson will summarize and discuss the major excavation projects in the study area from the 1950s through the 2000s, as well as the results of some site survey projects. The archaeological data from the study area reflect rich, long-held cultural practices that seem consistent with ethnographic accounts and indicate people with strong ties to these lands. Free; donations welcomed. Living Room Lecture series (San Diego Archaeological Center) | More information and link to registration »
June 17 In-Person Event (Tucson AZ): Traditional O’odham Agriculture
With Maegan Lopez and Sterling Johnson. June 17 will be a planting day in this event in which Maegan Lopez and Sterling Johnson give talk about and demonstration O’odham agriculture. They explain traditions associated with Native American crops like corn, beans, and squash, and how crops brought by Europeans were integrated into O’odham agriculture. Mission Garden (Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace) and the Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture) | Learn more »
June 18 In-Person Event (Tempe AZ): Juneteenth Celebration 2023
Visitors are welcome to join in recognizing the impact of Black communities in Arizona with a Juneteenth Celebration. Community members will connect with each other and a variety of organizations representing historical societies, action groups, state resources, and the community at large. Guests are welcome to wander, discuss, and enjoy performances, activities, and food! Arizona Heritage Center (Arizona Historical Society) | Learn more »
June 19 Online Event: Between Casa Grandes and Salado
With Thatcher Seltzer-Rogers. Seltzer-Rogers discusses his investigation into several spatially restricted culture areas along the US–Mexico border, including what archaeologists widely perceive to be a northern extension of the Casas Grandes culture, one of the most sociopolitically complex entities in the ancient American Southwest/Mexican Northwest. In so doing, he challenges prevailing interpretations of southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, northeastern Sonora, and northwestern Chihuahua; advocates the need for a more nuanced understanding of Indigenous power and transformation in a lesser-studied portion of the American Southwest/Mexican Northwest; and provides insight into the potential for collections-based research to greatly improve historically under-evaluated portions of the Southwest/Northwest. Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society | Learn more and register (free) »
June 22 Online Event: What Is Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Why Does It Matter?
With James Rattling Leaf, Sr. What approach should we have when initiating conversations with Indigenous peoples? How can we engage and collaborate with Indigenous peoples in our conservation work? What are effective ways to integrate Indigenous knowledge in our efforts to advance management, adaptation and mitigation of the impacts of climate change? These are some of the hard questions organizations have been asking themselves as they started engaging and collaborating with Indigenous peoples. This webinar will focus on understanding what is Traditional Ecological Knowledge (or TEK), how TEK is gathered, why TEK is important, and how to meaningfully use TEK in programs. It will also discuss some of the best practices to connect and collaborate with Tribal Nations, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and communities to consider how TEK helps assess and address the impacts of climate change. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | Learn more and register (free) »
June 22 Exhibit Opening (Phoenix AZ): Sending Their Ancestors Home
Join S’edav Va’aki for this unique event that explores the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 33 years later and still striving for healing. The exhibit will be on display from June 22, 2023 to May 31, 2024. S’edav Va’aki (formerly Pueblo Grande Museum) | 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!