Santo Domingo Pueblo Reestablishes Traditional Pueblo Name

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

Santo Domingo Pueblo Reestablishes Traditional Pueblo Name

The tribal seal now says Kewa (KEE-wah) Pueblo. Tribal councilors for what has been known as Santo Domingo Pueblo late last year unanimously changed the pueblo's name back to what it was traditionally. Former pueblo Gov. Everett Chavez, who proposed the change, says Kewa is how the tribe's people refer to themselves.
http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=12115964


Arizona Blogger Questions True Costs of Closing Arizona State Parks

Well, it's making national news: Arizona is closing many of its state parks because of budget problems. My father called this week from the East Coast asking if it's true. Sadly, I see the reasoning and the why; however, a problem remains in keeping the parks secure. State parks officials are struggling to figure out how they're going to keep closed state parks free of vandals and looters. The first wave of closures began Feb. 22.
http://tinyurl.com/y8b4s7o - Prescott Daily Courier


Resurrected Arizona State Museum Southwest Indian Art Fair Benefit, at Desert Diamond Casino

On March 27 and 28, 2010, Meet 100 Native artists and shop for top-quality handmade artwork including pottery, Hopi kachina dolls, paintings, jewelry, baskets, rugs, blankets, and more. Saturday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Sunday 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., adult admission $6 (members $5). Proceeds go directly to strengthening SWIAF 2011. We are grateful for the expertise of the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance and the generosity of Desert Diamond Casino in helping to make this benefit a reality. Special thanks to Madden Media/Tucson Guide.
http://www.southernazfestivals.org/indianartfair.html


Tour Opportunity (Flagstaff)

Celebrate archaeology month by taking a guided walk with an expert to Keyhole Sink, a petroglyph site in the Kaibab National Forest west of Flagstaff. The free hikes are at 2 p.m. Saturdays in March. Creeks are flowing as a result of the wet winter, and "there's almost guaranteed to be a waterfall" next to the petroglyph site, said Neil Weintraub, archaeologist at the forest's Williams Ranger District.
http://tinyurl.com/ybtrrc8 - Arizona Republic

Exhibit Celebrating the Life and Work of Michael Kabotie Opens at MNA

A monumental and stark-white triptych hangs against lava-blue walls inside what is now called the Walking in Harmony gallery at the Museum of Northern Arizona. The 6-foot by 15-foot panel seems blank, but a closer inspection reveals delicate blue outlines on the left panel, the beginnings of a sketch of images yet to come. The Zen-like work has a name, and an artist: "3 Ladies of the Americas," by Michael Kabotie, a much-respected Hopi painter, printmaker, jeweler, poet and spiritual seeker.
http://tinyurl.com/y8aulb2 - Arizona Daily Sun


Analysis of Alabama Case Pitting Archaeological Preservation Against Urban Sprawl

Overlooking the Interstate and an outdoor shopping mall here stands a sad little hill, bald but for four bare trees and a scattering of stones. That the stones are there is beyond argument. But everything else about them — whether somebody put them there, how long they have been there and what should be done with them — became a matter of fierce debate last summer and has continued to yield surprising twists into recent weeks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/us/14oxford.html

Lecture Opportunity (Tucson)
Steve Lekson will present "Chimney Rock and Chaco Canyon, Pinnacle and Mesa Verde: Ancestral Pueblo Regional Dynamics" at the monthly meeting of the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society. Tonight, Monday, March 15th 7:30 pm DuVal Auditorium, University Medical Center, 1501 N Campbell Ave. The AAHS will have Dr. Lekson's newest book A History of the Ancient Southwest for sale at a discounted price of $32.00 to benefit the archaeology society.


Reminder - Archaeology Cafe (Tucson)
The Center for Desert Archaeology and Casa Vicente invite all to the next meeting of Archaeology Café, a casual, happy hour-style discussion forum dedicated to promoting community engagement with cultural and scientific research. Join us Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 6:00 p.m for Steve Lekson's presentation on "Where Did the Mimbres Go, and Where Did Casas Grandes Come From?" The cafe will be held at Casa Vicente, 375 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ. The event is free and open to the community—all are welcome. Guests are encouraged to support our host, Casa Vicente, by buying their own food and drinks.
http://www.tinyurl.com/yzl3ftc - Center for Desert Archaeology

Native American Grant Opportunity with IMLS

The Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services program promotes enhanced learning and innovation within museums and museum related organizations, such as cultural centers. The program provides opportunities for Native American tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge by strengthened museum services in the following areas:Programming: Services and activities that support the educational mission of museums and museum related organizations. Professional development: Education or training that builds skills, knowledge, or other professional capacity for persons who provide of manage museum service activities. Individuals may be paid or volunteers. Enhancement of museum services: Support for activities that enable and improve museum services. Eligible applicants are: federally recognized Indian tribes, Alaskan Native Villages and corporations, and, organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians. For more information about these IMLS grant programs, contact: Sandra Narva, Senior Program Officer, Phone: (202) 653-4634, E-mail: snarva@imls.gov or Reagan Moore, Program Specialist, Phone: (202) 653-4637, E-mail: rmoore@imls.gov.

Thanks to Gerald Kelso for contributions to today's newsletter.

75th Anniversary of Snaketown Excavations

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

- Southwestern Archaeologists Observe 75th Anniversary of Snaketown Excavations: This year marks the 75th anniversary of the first excavations at Snaketown, the large ancient Hohokam settlement on the present-day Gila River Indian Community, near Chandler, Ariz. For archaeologists, including those at The University of Arizona and the Arizona State Museum, Snaketown represents a significant key to understanding the Hohokam, who lived in the Southwest from as early as A.D 500 until about A.D. 1450. It also began a sea change in how archaeological sites are now excavated and interpreted. That includes illuminating the lives of those who lived in prehistoric communities in much greater detail than ever before.
http://uanews.org/node/26098

- Multimedia Presentations on the 75th Anniversary of Excavations at Snaketown:
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/page/snaketown
http://uanews.org/node/26247

- Chimney Rock, Chaco, & Mesoamerican Connections: Lekson speculates that the Chacoans may have interacted with the Aztec and Toltec civilizations and strived to emulate them. As evidence, he cites design similarities in the architecture at New Mexico's Chaco Culture National Historical Park and the great Meso American cultural sites in Central America. "At Chaco Canyon, we've found cacao, copper, macaw feathers and turquoise, and deer and elk bones," Lekson said. "All of that came from far away."
http://www.cdarc.org/page/ezc4 - Durango Herald
http://www.cdarc.org/page/tg0 - Durango Herald

- New Archaeology Center Celebrates Groundbreaking in Santa Fe: , N.M. (AP) - New Mexico officials held a ceremonial groundbreaking on Tuesday for a new state archaeology center. Fittingly, they used replicas of ancient digging sticks - used to plant seeds or dig holes - rather than shovels.
http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S1028390.shtml?cat=516

- San Diego Archaeology Center is a Doorway to the Past: Truly one of San Diego County’s little known gems, the San Diego Archaeological Center was created in 1993 to provide an archaeological curation facility for the San Diego Region. The center was the first nonprofit organization in the nation dedicated solely to curating and sharing archaeological collections with the public. It curates archaeological collections that document 10,000 years of the region’s rich cultural history and relate to the cultural diversity that still exists in Southern California.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/94h3 - Ramona Sentinel

- Visiting Places of the Past - Montezuma Castle: Beaver Creek is flowing, the sun is shining and a steady stream of visitors moves along the loop trail. The park was created to preserve a small village built about 1,000 years ago by Southern Sinagua, who lived along rivers and creeks in the Verde Valley. The Sinagua hunted, planted corn and cotton, and made baskets and pottery. The Hopi and Zuni claim them as ancestors. Another pueblo culture, the Northern Sinagua, lived near the San Francisco Peaks in villages built away from rivers, which gave rise to the name Sinagua, meaning "without water."
http://www.cdarc.org/page/3gpd

- Man Arrested Saturday for Threatening Confidential Informant in Blanding Raids: Federal prosecutors have charged a southern Utah man with threatening to beat a confidential informant who was pivotal in a widespread investigation into the looting of Native American artifacts, authorities said Monday. Charles Denton Armstrong, 44, was arrested Saturday and charged with one count of retaliation against an informant. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison. His public defender and relatives declined to comment after his court appearance in Salt Lake City on Monday.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/f7eo - Los Angeles Times

- Gila Cliff Dwellings Seek Public Input on Management Plan: The Monument, continuing with its General Management Planning process begun last summer, will be holding public meetings to discuss the range of alternatives outlined in the July, 2009 Newsletter, available on line at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/gicl or directly from the Monument by calling 575-536-9461. Meetings are planned at the following times and locations: July 21 at 6:00 PM the Gila Visitor Center, 43 miles north of Silver City on New Mexico Highway 15. The meeting may be indoors or outdoors depending on number of attendees and weather. A potluck dinner is planned following the meeting. Please call the Monument if you plan to attend so that adequate food can be prepared. July 22 at 7:00 PM at the SILCO Theater, 311 North Bullard, in Silver City. Comments are also being solicited by email: Steve_Riley@nps.gov OR mail: Superintendent, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, HC 68 Box 100, Silver City, NM 88061.

- Lecture Opportunity (Tucson): On Monday July 20th Dr. William Graves (SRI) will present the monthly Arizona Archaeology and Historical Society Lecture. The topic is "History, Households and Power in the Ancient Hohokam World". The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is held at DuVal Auditorium, University Medical Center, 1501 N Campbell Ave, Tucson and starts at 7:30 pm.

- Lecture Opportunity (Tucson): Thursday July 16, 2009, Old Pueblo Archaeology Center's "Third Thursdays" free presentation: "Tree-Rings, Hunting, and Migrants: The Evidence from Whiptail Ruin" with archaeologist Linda Gregonis at Old Pueblo Archaeology Center, 2201 W. 44th Street, Tucson (in Tucson Unified School District's Ajo Service Center, just west of La Cholla Blvd., ½-mile north of John F. Kennedy
Park). 7:30 to 9 p.m. Free.

- Audio Interview with Dr Fred Wendorf is the Latest Feature on the Archaeology Channel: We are pleased to present an audio interview with Dr. Fred Wendorf, a principal figure in the history of American archaeology and for decades the leading researcher in the prehistory of northeastern Africa. This interview, titled Desert Days after the title of his recently published memoir, is the latest feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

Employment Opportunity: Director, Huhugam Heritage Center, Gila River Indian Community, Chandler, Arizona. The Director, Huhugam Heritage Center is responsible for the leadership, long-range planning, implementation, and maintenance of professional standards for the Huhugam Heritage Center (HHC). The incumbent shall be the point of contact with the Bureau of Reclamation and the US Department of the Interior for and on behalf of the Huhugam Heritage Center. Job Number: 2009-232 Recruitment Closes: August 14, 2009.

http://www.gilariver.org/index.php/jobs/17-current-gric-job-openings/722
Employment Opportunity: The Tonto National Forest is looking for a hit-the-ground-running assistant to the Forest Archeologist in the Phoenix Supervisor's Office at the GS-11 grade level. This is a term appointment for a minimum of 13 months up to 4 years. If you know of any appropriate candidates, please encourage them to apply. Questions can be directed to Scott Wood(swood01@fs.fed.us)at 602 225-5231. There are two job announcements at USA Jobs: one open to all qualified candidates - ADS09-R3TNF-4414DP(P-DB)- and one open to USFS- ADS09-R3TNF-4414G(P-DB. The job announcement closes Tuesday, July 28.

Thanks to Gerald Kelso and Michael Mauer for contributions to today's newsletter.

News About Chimney Rock Excavations, Pima County Moves to Protect Hohokam Village Site.

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

- Excavations at Chimney Rock: Take a 1,000-year-old, ancient Puebloan site that links to a major astronomical “capital” 100 miles away, combine it with archaeology connections to the University of Colorado spanning 40 years, and you end up with a masterpiece of excavation and mystery just a half-hour from Pagosa Springs. The Chimney Rock Archaeology Area is best known locally as the towering pillars of stone that rise above the valley floor near the intersection of U.S. 160 and Colo. 151. Visible from areas in Pagosa Springs, the formations are just a small part of the site that has attracted attention from archaeologists both regionally and worldwide. In fact, a film crew from the National Geographic Society was at the site in late June to document the current project, which could provide conclusive evidence that Chimney Rock is not a stand-alone site, but part of a much larger group of ancient pueblos whose function is related to astronomical events.
http://www.pagosasun.com/archives/2009/07july/070209/feature.html

- Colorado Representative John Salazar Visits Chimney Rock Project: Salazar praised the efforts of federal, state and private groups, including University of Colorado at Boulder faculty and student archaeologists, who are working together to investigate and restore the Chimney Rock Archaeological Area near Pagosa Springs, Colo. The site is considered one of the most spectacular Ancestral Pueblo ruins in all of the Southwest. Salazar toured Chimney Rock, believed to be an important religious and ceremonial center for the Pueblo people 1,000 years ago, on June 30. The 4,100-acre Chimney Rock Archaeological Area features two spectacular rock pinnacles, a Pueblo Great House, a ceremonial Great Kiva and a variety of other stone structures. The site is located at an altitude of 7,800 feet, high above the valley floor, and appears to have been sacred to the Pueblo elite who likely watched the moon periodically rise between the rock pinnacles.
http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/662988bb4dc6b81df322f62a1e243433.html

- John Salazar's Bill to Provide Mesa Verde with 22 Million Dollars for New Visitor's Center Passes in US House: The proposed visitor and curatorial center at Mesa Verde National Park stands to receive $22 million under a funding bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. The money was requested by U.S. Rep. John Salazar, who announced the funding Wednesday at Mesa Verde. The bill contains $11.6 million for the curatorial center and $10.5 million for the visitors center. Both centers will be housed in one building near the park's entrance.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/fqb7 - Durango Herald

- Pima County Hopes to Preserve Ancient Hohokam Village: The county hopes to capitalize on the low land values hitting commercial investors now as it tries to secure state funds to buy 67 acres on the Southwest side for preservation. The county wants a state grant to purchase the archeologically-rich Valencia Site, near West Valencia Road and Interstate 19, most of which it will preserve. A small portion will be used for public education. The site includes about 1,800 Hohokam pithouses and represents about 500 years of Hohokam occupation.
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/299626

- Autry National Center Hits Roadblock in Planned Takeover of Southwest Museum: A panel of five City Council members — faced with a polite crowd of more than 200 people divided between those with “Yes!” decals urging approval of the Autry’s plans and others with multicolored paper “S.O.S.” buttons, for “Save Our Southwest” — voted unanimously to delay a decision for four weeks. It urged the Autry to provide legal assurances by then that the Southwest Museum of the American Indian in Mount Washington won't become just an afterthought to a larger, more comprehensive Griffith Park facility.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/fha9 - Los Angeles Times

- The Strange Story of Everett Ruess continues: Any doubt that remains found in the Utah wilderness were those of Everett Ruess, a legendary wanderer of the 1930s, seemed to be erased by a battery of forensic and genetic tests a few months ago. But Utah's state archaeologist, who was not involved in the discovery, is raising a series of questions about whether the remains are actually those of the poet and artist who disappeared in the Escalante canyons.
http://www.startribune.com/nation/49753927.html

Thanks to Michael D Mauer for contributions to today's newsletter.