Archaeology Cafe in Tucson, Environmental History of the Southwest

Southwestern Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

- Reminder: The Center For Desert Archaeology's "Archaeology Café" series begins Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008. Join us in a discussion of ancient Tucson and new views on the first Southwestern farming villages with City of Tucson Historic Preservation Officer Jonathan Mabry. We will meet at 6:00 p.m., with presentations beginning at 6:15 p.m. The forum will be held at Casa Vicente, a downtown Tucson gem serving an outstanding selection of Spanish tapas and libations, which has graciously offered its vibrant patio for our gatherings: www.casavicente.com, 375 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson 85701.
http://www.cdarc.org/pages/articles.php?req=read&article_id=676

- Presenting the Environmental History of the Southwest as a General Education Course: Environmental History of the Southwest is a general science education course at the University of Arizona with an emphasis on human-environment interaction of the past and an objective of preparing non-science majors to understand and critically evaluate contemporary environmental issues. The American Southwest is well suited for such a course, as it is rich in many data sets of paleoenvironmental reconstruction techniques and has been inhabited by humans for thousands of years.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/8i4f - Sheppard, Hallman, and Towner, via Red Orbit

- Call for Papers (Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites) This is a call for papers for a special issue of the journal Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites. This special issue will focus on North American Indian and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers’ perspectives of Cultural Heritage Management and how this relates to 1) archaeological site management (by whom for whom); 2) the role of conservation and management in contemporary North American Indian communities and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices; 3) approaches to site management and conservation according to tribal traditions and/or protocols; 4) interpretation and display of cultural items; and 5) the impact of cultural tourism and development on North American Indian communities.
http//www.cdarc.org/sat/site_mgmt_cfp.doc - MS Word Document

- Photographic Project Examines Tourism, Ancient Places and Native America: "We peered down through an opening in the rocks at our ruin. Right there before our eyes was an upended slab of stone. On it we read these words: What fools these mortals be. R. Wetherill." Perhaps when Wetherill left this cryptic message, he was anticipating what would follow in the years to come, as more and more tourists would descend on Indian lands, cameras in hand, ready to stake their photographic claims. Perhaps his statement was aimed at himself, critical of his own folly.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/cqmf - Santa Fe New Mexican

- The Death of George Benjamin Wittick: Western pioneer photographer George Benjamin Wittick, casually known as Ben, loved to bring gifts to his Hopi friends. In 1903, having photographed their lives and rituals — as well as those of many other tribes — for decades, the 58-year-old found what he thought to be a perfect present. It was a rattlesnake, the reptile the Hopi honored and released in their annual Snake Dance to pray for rain.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/1pid - Santa Fe New Mexican

- Talking With the Clay: When we first visit the American Southwest, we bring with us lifetimes of expectation. We've heard about the miracle of American Indian people still living close to their homelands. We've seen a thousand photos of the stunning traditional crafts of Pueblo artists displayed on sun-warmed adobe walls. Then we arrive in New Mexico or Arizona. And we indeed find these expectations fulfilled -- along with disconcerting casinos at the edge of every reservation. Along with more young Indian people attending Santa Fe's prestigious Institute of American Indian Arts than working in cornfields or herding sheep. Along with native artists who own high-status galleries, manage sophisticated websites and create designer fashions along with their hand-coiled jars.
http://www.miamiherald.com/701/story/650132.html

- Day Trip to the Past in the Verde Valley: Montezuma Castle isn't a castle and has nothing to do with Montezuma. The five-level cliff dwelling in a limestone alcove above Beaver Creek, near Camp Verde, was home to the Sinagua people more than 600 years ago. It is one of three popular ruins in the Verde Valley, about 90 miles north of Phoenix. Along with Montezuma Well and Tuzigoot National Monument, the dwelling makes a scenic, informative day trip from the Valley.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/d4nl - Arizona Republic

- Lecture Opportunity (Tucson):Thursday, August 28. "Archaeology and Cultures of Arizona" free presentation at Pima County Public Library, 101 N. Stone Ave., Tucson. Cosponsored by the Arizona Humanities Council. Noon to 1 p.m. Free. Old Pueblo Archaeology Center's director, archaeologist Allen Dart, illustrates and discusses Arizona's earliest Paleoindians and Archaic period hunters and foragers, the development of archaeological villages, the Puebloan, Mogollon, Sinagua, Hohokam, Salado, and Patayan archaeological cultures, and the connections between those ancient peoples and Arizona's historical cultures. Funding for program provided by the Arizona Humanities Council. No reservations needed. For meeting details contact Librarian Coni Weatherford at 520-791-4391 or Coni.Weatherford@pima.gov in Tucson; for information about the presentation subject matter contact Allen Dart at Tucson telephone 520-798-1201 or adart@oldpueblo.org.

- Employment Opportunity (Boulder): Anthropology Collection Manager, University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, Boulder, CO. Full-time position responsible for day-to-day operations of Anthropology Section; manages registrarial and curatorial needs of the object and library collections; supervises students, volunteers and contract staff; participates in teaching; works with Anthropology Curator to develop policy, procedures, and grant proposals; responds to collection inquiries and provides access to the collection for researchers and community. Applicant should have extensive registration/collection management experience; experience with database programs, NAGPRA, budget management, and supervising; and knowledge of North American anthropology especially the Plains and Southwest regions. Open until filled, application review begins Sept 30, 2008. For more information: posting # 804491 at http://www.jobsatcu/ or Contact: Lekson@Colorado.edu
http://www.jobsatcu.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=55732