Dear Friends,
It’s been another busy week. After a lovely weekend in Salt Lake City for my son’s rugby tournament, on Sunday I flew to Washington D.C. for the “Monumental Call to Action” lobbying effort (see second story below). On Wednesday, I flew to New Orleans, Louisiana, where 4,500 archaeologists are gathered for the annual Society for American Archaeology conference. Quite the whirlwind, but thrilling nonetheless.
In Washington, Skylar Begay, Archaeology Southwest’s Director of Tribal Collaboration in Outreach and Advocacy, did a masterful job of summarizing the case for the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument in three contexts—a press conference with members of Congress, a meeting with White House staff in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, and a meeting with leadership of the Bureau of Land Management in the Department of the Interior’s amazingly beautiful, if stark and streamlined, office building west of the White House. I’ve never participated in events like that, which are all heavily orchestrated—it’s the way Washington works, and it’s fascinating. I was certainly glad to follow Sky’s lead and be (mostly) an observer on this trip.
In New Orleans, a number of Archaeology Southwest staff will present results of their research. Among other activities, six of us—Skylar, me, BIA Collaboration Director and Preservation Archaeologist Shannon Cowell, President emeritus and senior advisor Bill Doelle, Director of Site and Landscape Preservation John Welch, and Preservation Archaeologist Aaron Wright, will participate in a symposium on “Collaborative Archaeology: How Native American Knowledge Enhances our Understanding of the Past.” Preservation Archaeologist and New Mexico State Director Paul Reed will also present his work on collaborative archaeology in a different session. Preservation Archaeologist Karen Gust Schollmeyer is serving as a discussant on a symposium on Mogollon Archaeology and presenting results of her zooarchaeological research at Mimbres Sites. Welch will present results of his research on forensic sedimentology, a developing suite of analytical techniques to address heritage crime and vandalism. And Wright will present the results of his on-going rock imagery research. Preservation Archaeologist Jeff Clark and uber-volunteer Jaye Smith are presenting their work analyzing artifacts collected decades ago in the Safford Valley.
And those are just some of the highlights! Beyond presentations, we will all be engaged in the other activities that make these conferences worthwhile—networking, seeing old friends, and making new connections.
Regrettably, I have to note that on Tuesday we received word that a federal judge rejected our motion to get a permanent injunction against construction of the SunZia pipeline. The entire legal fight is not yet over, but this is a significant setback that will take some time to fully digest. To paraphrase John Welch, the facts are on our side, and our lawyers are looking to appeal some key errors in the ruling. We’ll keep you informed.
Until next week,
Steve Nash
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
P.S. from Kate and the Corrections Department: We received this kind note from CyArk about last week’s headline story: “‘Story Map’ is the name of a product created by ESRI. We have developed our platform, Tapestry, in which 3D representations of places can be presented with videos and other multimedia.” Our previous headline has been updated. Check them out!
Banner image: Monumental Call to Action team on the roof of the Interior building, courtesy of Conservation Lands Foundation
Breaking News: Interior Finalizes Public Lands Rule
The Department of the Interior today announced a final rule to help guide the balanced management of America’s public lands. The final Public Lands Rule provides tools for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to help improve the health and resilience of public lands in the face of a changing climate; conserve important wildlife habitat and intact landscapes; facilitate responsible development; and better recognize unique cultural and natural resources on public lands. … Building on decades of land management experience and emphasizing the use of science and data, including Indigenous Knowledge, to guide balanced decision-making, the rule applies the existing fundamentals of land health across BLM programs, establishes restoration and mitigation leases, and clarifies practices to designate and protect Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs). The rule will help to ensure the BLM continues to protect land health while managing other uses of the public lands, such as clean energy development and outdoor recreation. Department of the Interior (press release) | Read more »
For decades, the federal government has prioritized oil and gas drilling, hardrock mining and livestock grazing on public lands across the country. That could soon change under a far-reaching Interior Department rule that puts conservation, recreation and renewable energy development on equal footing with resource extraction. The final rule released Thursday represents a seismic shift in the management of roughly 245 million acres of public property—about one-tenth of the nation’s land mass. It is expected to draw praise from conservationists and legal challenges from fossil fuel industry groups and Republican officials, some of whom have lambasted the move as a “land grab.” Maxine Joselow for the Washington Post | Read more »
More than 800K Ask Biden Admin for National Monument Protections
Today, in a momentous display of unity, Tribal and community leaders joined members of Congress from across the West to present a staggering 800,000+ petition signatures from people urging President Biden to use the Antiquities Act to designate and expand national monuments. This gathering underscores a shared commitment to protecting public lands and is a testament to everyday people’s collective power and support. The Wilderness Society | Read more »
Podcast: Skylar Begay and Indigenous Land Conservation
In this episode co-hosted by Dr. Davina Two Bears, Eva Bighorse, and Dr. Farina King, Skylar (“Sky”) Begay shares insights from his life and work with Conservation, Native representation in new spaces, the Great Bend of the Gila, Save History, Archaeology Southwest, LandBack, and the Conservation Corps (specifically ancestral lands conservation corps). Sky identifies as an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and is also Mandan and Hidatsa. He grew up in the Navajo Nation and in Flagstaff, Arizona. He currently resides in Tucson, Arizona, where he works as the Director of Tribal Collaboration in Outreach in Advocacy for Archaeology Southwest. Native Circles | Listen now »
Davina Two Bears is a member of Archaeology Southwest’s Board of Directors.
Continuing Coverage and Commentary: Indigenous Knowledge Must Inform Bears Ears Plan
The Ute Indian Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the Hopi Tribe, the Navajo Nation and the Zuni Tribe make up the Bears Ears Commission and work in collaboration with our federal partners. Bears Ears is a model for incorporating traditional Indigenous knowledge and our tribal expertise in sustainable resource management. We need these models now more than ever as we face increasing climate change, droughts and wildfires. The March 8 draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) for Bears Ears includes our knowledge and expertise in sustainable resource management. We support Alternative E of the draft plan because it is most consistent with tribal values and recommendations. Christopher Tabee (Ute Indian Tribe) in the Salt Lake Tribune | Read more »
Vandalism at Petroglyph National Monument Leads to Closures
Petroglyph National Monument is closing off a portion of the Mesa Point Trail and the mesa top area within Boca Negra Canyon later this month. According to park rangers, people at Mesa Point Trail have been moving rocks and even scratching at the petroglyphs—damaging the historic monument. Petroglyph National Monument Superintendent Nancy Hendricks says this has been a trend. She said people take some of the smaller rocks and put them in the middle to form letters or symbols. By doing this, they’re disrupting an archaeological resource and it could potentially ruin other archeological discoveries. Visitors are also taking rocks to scratch at the petroglyphs and other rocks along the trail, ruining pieces of history that have been there for hundreds of years. Monica Logroño for KOB4 | Read more or watch now »
Continuing Coverage: Judge Declines Request to Temporarily Stop Work on SunZia in the San Pedro
A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a request by Native American tribes and environmentalists to stop work on a $10 billion transmission line being built through a remote southeastern Arizona valley that will carry wind-generated electricity from New Mexico to customers as far away as California. The project—approved in 2015 following a lengthy review—has been touted as the biggest U.S. electricity infrastructure undertaking since the Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s. Two tribes joined with archaeologists and environmentalists in filing a lawsuit in January, accusing the U.S. Interior Department and Bureau of Land Management of refusing for nearly 15 years to recognize “overwhelming evidence of the cultural significance” of the remote San Pedro Valley to Native American tribes including the Tohono O’odham, Hopi, Zuni, and San Carlos Apache Tribe. Susan Montoya Bryan for AP via AZPM | Read more »
Interview with Kathleen Vance: Traditional Tohono O’odham Paddle-and-Anvil Pottery
Kathleen Vance, of Tohono O’odham and San Carlos Apache descent, specializes in Tohono O’odham utilitarian pottery creating clay cooking vessels, water ollas, seed jars, effigy pots, and whistles. She first learned to gather and process clay 23 years ago with her first mentor, Alicia Bustamonte, an elder from the El Bajio community in northern Mexico, historically O’odham homelands. Later Reuben Naranjo, Jr., helped her refine her pottery techniques. In 2023, Vance was awarded a Master-Apprentice Artist Award from the Southwest Folklife Alliance to work with apprentice Melvina Garcia, an O’odham community member, and pass on the form. Interview by Kimi Eisele. BorderLore | Read more »
Publication Announcement: Improving the Usability of Archaeological Data through Written Guidelines
Austin, Anne, Ixchel M. Faniel, Brittany Brannon, and Sarah Whitcher Kansa. “Improving the Usability of Archaeological Data through Written Guidelines.” Advances in Archaeological Practice, 2024, 1–12. Read now (open access) »
April Subscription Lectures (Santa Fe NM)
April 22, Gregorio Gonzales, Genízaros Valorosos: Indigenous Political Movement in Native New Mexico Borderlands; April 29, Philip J. Deloria, From the Charging Elk Sketchbook, 1940: A Dialogue on Art and Epistemology? Southwest Seminars | Learn more »
REMINDER: April 20 In-Person Event (Tucson AZ): Agave Roast and Learn
Come experience an agave roast and learn about these plants’ many uses! Members of the Hualapai Tribe will demonstrate their methods of roasting agave hearts, then share samples of this sweet, unique food. Talk to environmental and cultural organizations from around the region about agave’s unique uses, including how agave fiber can be used for ropes, shoes, and clothes. Experience a panel discussion about how agaves may make a comeback as a crop of the future. Mission Garden | Learn more »
April 20 In-Person Event (Sierra Vista AZ): History Walk to Murray Springs Clovis Site
Archaeologist Vance Haynes led an expedition here in the 1970s that found bones of megafauna that had been hunted, killed, butchered, and consumed by the Clovis Paleoindians 13,000 years ago. This is an easy walk of less than a half mile, though it does include dirt steps into and out of a dry wash. There is no shade, and it will be hot on sunny days. Please realistically assess your ability to do this walk. Wear a hat, sun protection, appropriate clothing, and sturdy shoes. Bring water and a snack. 9:00 a.m., starting east of Moson Rd., 1.28 miles north of E Highway 90 (AZ-90), Sierra Vista. From AZ-90 in Sierra Vista, drive north on Moson Rd. for 1.28 miles and turn east. Meet the docent at the gate to the site. The entrance to the site is searchable as “Murray Springs Clovis Site” in Google Maps. Friends of the San Pedro River | Contact at 520-508-4445 or fspr@sanpedroriver.org
April 20 In-Person Event (Payson AZ): With Beauty Around: Canyon del Muerto Rock Art Documentation Project
With Evelyn Billo and Robert Mark. Canyon de Chelly National Monument in the heart of Navajo country has beauty in the alcoves, on the cliffs, and with every landscape view. The two main canyons and their tributaries reveal Ancestral Pueblo images, traditional Navajo depictions, and historic scenes and inscriptions. Evelyn Billo and Dr. Robert Mark are retired US Geological Survey physical scientists who use modern technology to document petroglyph and pictograph sites. On April 20 Evelyn will present highlights from the 1999–2002 study in the Canyon del Muerto portion of Canyon de Chelly National Monument. 10:00 a.m., Payson Public Library, 328 N. McLane Rd. Arizona Archaeological Society, Rim Country Chapter | Learn more »
April 27 In-Person Event (Dragoon AZ): Tohono O’odham Himdag in Brush and Lens
With Michael Chiago. The public is invited to join the entire Amerind community as it celebrates the exhibit “Tohono O’odham Himdag in Brush and Lens: Painting by Michael Chiago and Photography of Bernard Siquieros” that will be ongoing through October 31, 2024. Artist Michael Chiago will speak about his work at 11:00 a.m., 2100 N. Amerind Rd. Thanks to Amerind’s generous community partner Desert Diamond Casinos this event is free. Amerind Museum | Learn more »
April 27 In-Person (Bluff UT) and Online Event: Envisioning a Cultural Landscape
With Gregory Munson. Munson (Society for Cultural Astronomy in the American Southwest) will discuss new ways to record, document and visualize the vast cultural landscape that describes the mesas, cliffs and canyons from the Canyons of the Ancients to the Bears Ears, focusing on the SCAAS Cultural Landscapes Survey Program. At the center of the program is expanding the concept of the archaeological site boundary to include resources from the local environment, relationships to nearby villages, how the architecture relates to the more distant landscape, alignment to horizon features such as mountain peaks and its connection to astronomical cycles and features in the day and night sky. The program implements new technologies in the use of photogrammetric 3D and terrain modeling to visualize a cultural landscape as a unified object that is inseparable from its parts. Bears Ears Partnership | Learn more »
May 8 Online Event: Early 20th-Century Urban Apartments—Then and Now
With Roger Roper. Did you know that the “disappearing” Murphy Bed was invented as a response to rapid growth in cities, and the need to house more people in less space, during the early 20th century? Salt Lake City underwent a similar population surge at that time, resulting in an “urban apartment” construction boom. Approximately 200 of these buildings were constructed in similar styles between 1902 and 1930 in SLC, and many remain standing today. Come learn about the architecture and social history behind this new type of housing, which was designed to fill a need in the quickly growing city, and how it compares to today’s current wave of building apartments. Utah SHPO | Learn more and register (free) »
Video Channel Roundup
Time to get caught up with recent videos and webinars (and there have been a lot—check these links out!) at the YouTube channels of our Partners and Friends. (And please do let us know if your channel isn’t in this list but should be.)
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!