Southwest Archaeology Making the News—A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology
- UCLA/UVA Team and Google Earth Present Digital Visualization of 4th-Century Rome: Obviously, there were no satellites to snap pictures of Rome two millennia ago. But that hasn't stopped experts from giving Web surfers a bird's eye view of the ancient city.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2008-11-12-rome-googleearth_N.htm?csp=34
- Grant Money Furthers Site Protection, Part I (Goat Camp): The grant would pay for about 1.5 miles of trail leading from the Payson Campus of the Gila Community College to Goat Camp Ruins, the inconspicuous remains of a village that once formed the hub for a network of surrounding settlements.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/ib9c - The Payson Roundup
- Grant Money Furthers Site Protection, Part II (Mesa Grande): After more than 20 years, Mesa finally has enough money to begin work on an architectural park at the Mesa Grande ruins. A $100,000 grant from the Arizona Historic Preservation Heritage Fund, coupled with a previous $150,000 from Indian gaming money, will allow the public to begin touring the ruins as early as next year.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/11/11/20081111mr-mesagrande1114.html
- Renowned Heritage Foods Scholar Returns to Tucson: Calling all locavores: It’s celebration time! Gary Nabhan has come home. This longtime mover and shaker on the American heritage foods scene recently left his post as director of the Center for Sustainable Environments in Flagstaff for a research social scientist position at University of Arizona’s Southwest Center.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/arrq - Northwest Explorer
- Additional Opportunity to Tour Antler House Village: Due to overwhelming response, Arizona Department of Transportation and EcoPlan Associates will offer professional archaeologists a second tour of the "Antler House Village" archaeological site in Cordes Junction. Tours will now be offered at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Tuesday November 18. Advance reservations are required and should be made no later than Friday November 14. For more information and to make reservations contact Allen Dart (EcoPlan) at adart@EcoPlanAZ.com or 480-733-6666, extension 168.
- Native Eyes Film Festival Begins Today: The Hanson Film Institute and the Arizona State Museum, in collaboration with the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institution, began the Native Eyes film showcase five years ago. Included in the film offerings from across the United States are movies with Tucson ties. The murder-mystery "Imprint" was produced by Chris Eyre, a UA media arts alum and the director of the widely successful 1998 independent film "Smoke Signals."
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/fromtopemails/102407.php
http://www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/public/native_eyes/index.shtml
- Fossil Pelvis Provides Evidence for Larger-Brained Newborns: “This is the most complete female Homo erectus pelvis ever found from this time period," said Indiana University Bloomington paleoanthropologist Sileshi Semaw. "This discovery gives us more accurate information about the Homo erectus female pelvic inlet and therefore the size of their newborns.”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081113181152.htm
Friday, November 14, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
UNM Retirements Cause Concern, Important Early Agricultural Site in Tucson
Southwest Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology
- Powerhouse Department Grapples with Impending Retirements: The UNM Department of Anthropology is expected to be in the top 20 anthropology programs in the nation, according to its chairman. "Anthropology is one of the strongest programs at UNM," chairman Michael Graves said in an e-mail to the Daily Lobo. "I am hopeful it will continue as such." However, the department's reputation could be in jeopardy, because four ethnology professors will retire in the next three years, Graves said.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/apfb - New Mexico Daily Lobo
- Early Agricultural Site in Tucson Rich with Evidence: In 2004, voters approved bonds to upgrade and expand the wastewater facility at Ina Road and Interstate 10. But before anything new can be built, the state and county require a dig for any archaeological ruins. Archaeologists from Desert Archaeology say they shouted when they found an ancient village which they estimate is 3,500 years old. Fred Nials says, "On a scale of 1 to 10 this is about a 9.9."
http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=9327157&nav=HMO6HMaY
- Sky Island Alliance Urges Support of Conservation-Based Management Plan: This November the Coronado is resuming public meetings to present draft sections of the revised Forest Management Plan. The new Plan will affect management of the Forest for the next twenty years or more. The Coronado Planning Partnership has released a report entitled “State of the Coronado National Forest: An Assessment and Recommendations for the 21st Century.” The Sky Island Alliance presents more information on meeting locations and dates as well as advocacy for the aforementioned report at the following links.
http://www.skyislandaction.org/schedule_nov08.html
http://www.skyislandaction.org/about.html
- Concerns Escalate over Threats to Parks, Potential Wilderness Areas: A high-level fight has erupted within the Interior Department between the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service over plans to sell leases for oil and gas drilling near Arches, Canyonlands and Dinosaur National Monument. The Park Service wants to delay the Dec. 19 lease sales. The BLM has refused to do so.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10929954?source=rss
- Monsoon Cycles Tied to Rise and Fall of Dynasties: A stalagmite rising from the floor of a cave in China is providing clues to the end of several dynasties in Chinese history. Slowly built from the minerals in dripping water over 1,810 years, chemicals in the stone tell a tale of strong and weak cycles of the monsoon, the life-giving rains that water crops to feed millions of people.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081106/ap_on_sc/sci_monsoon_in_history_2
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-11/uom-uom110708.php
- Exhibition Opening, New Mexico State University Museum, “From Above: Images of a Storied Land.” On Saturday, November 15, the Center for Desert Archaeology and New Mexico State University Museum will host a special reception at the University Museum in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 4:00 p.m. with a presentation by the photographer, Adriel Heisey, followed by a panel discussion with archaeologists William Walker, Karl Laumbach, and Bill Doelle, and a subsequent gallery tour led by Heisey. More information is available at the following link.
http://www.cdarc.org/pages/what/exhibits/from_above.php
- Exhibition, Western New Mexico University Museum, "Our Fathers, Our Grandfathers, Our Heroes." Modern technology has made the United States Armed Forces efficient at keeping secrets. Sixty years ago, Navajo Code Talkers were just as capable. The Western New Mexico University Museum will feature the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II in the exhibition "Our Fathers, Our Grandfathers, Our Heroes."
http://www.scsun-news.com/news/ci_10920887
- Exhibition, James A. Michener Art Museum, "Claus Mroczynski: Sacred Places of the Southwest." The Michener Museum recognizes the important legacy of this late, outstanding German-born New Hope photographer. The 46 featured black and white photos represent 18 years spent, starting in the mid-1980s, constantly traveling back and forth from New Hope to remote sacred grounds of ancient Indians in Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. This show turns against the idea that everything exciting has to be new. Instead, this stunning exhibit is about memory.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/sug - The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Lecture Opportunity, "Prodigy, Rebel, or Stepchild? Salmon, Aztec, and the Middle San Juan Region in the Chacoan and Post-Chacoan Periods." In conjunction with the New Mexico Archaeological Council's 2008 Fall Conference, Paul F. Reed will give a public talk at 7:00 pm on Thursday, November 13. This free lecture will take place at Hibben Center 105, University of New Mexico main campus. A book signing for Paul's recent edited volume, Chaco's Northern Prodigies, will follow. For more information, follow the link below.
http://www.cdarc.org/pages/articles.php?req=read&article_id=706
- Lecture Opportunity, "Santa Catalina Island: Perspectives on Pimu." Pacific Coast Archaeological Society's November 13th meeting will feature archaeologist Ivan Strudwick, who will review the natural and cultural history of the island once known to the Gabrielino as Pimu (Pemuu'nga).The talk will also present the results of a cultural resource survey of a 51-mile electrical distribution system on Santa Catalina Island. The meeting is free and open to the public, and it will take place at 7:30 pm at the Irvine Ranch Water District, Irvine, CA. Additional information may be found at the following link.
http://www.pcas.org/
- Call for Participation, Museum Association of Arizona Annual Meeting, Bisbee: Museum archivists are invited to participate in a proposed affinity session at the MAA conference, May 13-16, 2009. The session will give archivists that work in museums a chance to network and forge relationships that will improve working conditions and customer service. For more information and to support the proposed session, contact Ryan S. Flahive at (928) 445-3122 x.15 or ryan@sharlot.org.
- Powerhouse Department Grapples with Impending Retirements: The UNM Department of Anthropology is expected to be in the top 20 anthropology programs in the nation, according to its chairman. "Anthropology is one of the strongest programs at UNM," chairman Michael Graves said in an e-mail to the Daily Lobo. "I am hopeful it will continue as such." However, the department's reputation could be in jeopardy, because four ethnology professors will retire in the next three years, Graves said.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/apfb - New Mexico Daily Lobo
- Early Agricultural Site in Tucson Rich with Evidence: In 2004, voters approved bonds to upgrade and expand the wastewater facility at Ina Road and Interstate 10. But before anything new can be built, the state and county require a dig for any archaeological ruins. Archaeologists from Desert Archaeology say they shouted when they found an ancient village which they estimate is 3,500 years old. Fred Nials says, "On a scale of 1 to 10 this is about a 9.9."
http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=9327157&nav=HMO6HMaY
- Sky Island Alliance Urges Support of Conservation-Based Management Plan: This November the Coronado is resuming public meetings to present draft sections of the revised Forest Management Plan. The new Plan will affect management of the Forest for the next twenty years or more. The Coronado Planning Partnership has released a report entitled “State of the Coronado National Forest: An Assessment and Recommendations for the 21st Century.” The Sky Island Alliance presents more information on meeting locations and dates as well as advocacy for the aforementioned report at the following links.
http://www.skyislandaction.org/schedule_nov08.html
http://www.skyislandaction.org/about.html
- Concerns Escalate over Threats to Parks, Potential Wilderness Areas: A high-level fight has erupted within the Interior Department between the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service over plans to sell leases for oil and gas drilling near Arches, Canyonlands and Dinosaur National Monument. The Park Service wants to delay the Dec. 19 lease sales. The BLM has refused to do so.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10929954?source=rss
- Monsoon Cycles Tied to Rise and Fall of Dynasties: A stalagmite rising from the floor of a cave in China is providing clues to the end of several dynasties in Chinese history. Slowly built from the minerals in dripping water over 1,810 years, chemicals in the stone tell a tale of strong and weak cycles of the monsoon, the life-giving rains that water crops to feed millions of people.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081106/ap_on_sc/sci_monsoon_in_history_2
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-11/uom-uom110708.php
- Exhibition Opening, New Mexico State University Museum, “From Above: Images of a Storied Land.” On Saturday, November 15, the Center for Desert Archaeology and New Mexico State University Museum will host a special reception at the University Museum in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 4:00 p.m. with a presentation by the photographer, Adriel Heisey, followed by a panel discussion with archaeologists William Walker, Karl Laumbach, and Bill Doelle, and a subsequent gallery tour led by Heisey. More information is available at the following link.
http://www.cdarc.org/pages/what/exhibits/from_above.php
- Exhibition, Western New Mexico University Museum, "Our Fathers, Our Grandfathers, Our Heroes." Modern technology has made the United States Armed Forces efficient at keeping secrets. Sixty years ago, Navajo Code Talkers were just as capable. The Western New Mexico University Museum will feature the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II in the exhibition "Our Fathers, Our Grandfathers, Our Heroes."
http://www.scsun-news.com/news/ci_10920887
- Exhibition, James A. Michener Art Museum, "Claus Mroczynski: Sacred Places of the Southwest." The Michener Museum recognizes the important legacy of this late, outstanding German-born New Hope photographer. The 46 featured black and white photos represent 18 years spent, starting in the mid-1980s, constantly traveling back and forth from New Hope to remote sacred grounds of ancient Indians in Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. This show turns against the idea that everything exciting has to be new. Instead, this stunning exhibit is about memory.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/sug - The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Lecture Opportunity, "Prodigy, Rebel, or Stepchild? Salmon, Aztec, and the Middle San Juan Region in the Chacoan and Post-Chacoan Periods." In conjunction with the New Mexico Archaeological Council's 2008 Fall Conference, Paul F. Reed will give a public talk at 7:00 pm on Thursday, November 13. This free lecture will take place at Hibben Center 105, University of New Mexico main campus. A book signing for Paul's recent edited volume, Chaco's Northern Prodigies, will follow. For more information, follow the link below.
http://www.cdarc.org/pages/articles.php?req=read&article_id=706
- Lecture Opportunity, "Santa Catalina Island: Perspectives on Pimu." Pacific Coast Archaeological Society's November 13th meeting will feature archaeologist Ivan Strudwick, who will review the natural and cultural history of the island once known to the Gabrielino as Pimu (Pemuu'nga).The talk will also present the results of a cultural resource survey of a 51-mile electrical distribution system on Santa Catalina Island. The meeting is free and open to the public, and it will take place at 7:30 pm at the Irvine Ranch Water District, Irvine, CA. Additional information may be found at the following link.
http://www.pcas.org/
- Call for Participation, Museum Association of Arizona Annual Meeting, Bisbee: Museum archivists are invited to participate in a proposed affinity session at the MAA conference, May 13-16, 2009. The session will give archivists that work in museums a chance to network and forge relationships that will improve working conditions and customer service. For more information and to support the proposed session, contact Ryan S. Flahive at (928) 445-3122 x.15 or ryan@sharlot.org.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Upcoming Antler House Village Tour, Navajo Language Textbook Adopted, Life at the Presidio of Tucson
Southwest Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology
- Nation's First Navajo Language Textbook Adopted in New Mexico Schools: People come from all over the world to experience the American Indian culture of the Southwest, so it's disheartening to see the Four Corners lose more of that culture with each generation. The recent celebration of a Navajo language textbook is a reassuring sign that an effort is being made to help bring our American Indian culture back to life.
http://www.daily-times.com/ci_10904119?source=most_emailed
- Site Tour Opportunity, Antler House Village: The Arizona Department of Transportation and EcoPlan Associates, Inc. will offer tours of the Antler House Village archaeological site in Cordes Junction. Advance reservations are required. The first tour, at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, November 18, is for professional archaeologists. Three tours are offered for avocational archaeologists and the general public on Friday, November 28. For further details and to make reservations, contact Allen Dart (EcoPlan) at adart@EcoPlanAZ.com or 480-733-6666 extension 168.
- Lecture Opportunity, "A Day in the Life of the Presidio." Jim Turner, historian at the Arizona Historical Society, will speak as part of the Tucson Presidio Trust's fall lecture series. The talk will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 16, at the presidio, 133 W. Washington, Tucson. For more information, contact Gayle Hartmann, (520) 325-6974.
-Coronado National Forest Encourages Participation in Plan Revision Meetings: The Sky Island Alliance is preparing for public meetings by the Coronado National Forest as it revises its forest-wide management plan. It is important that conservation-minded individuals attend these meetings across Southeast Arizona. For more information, follow the link below.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/coronadonf.doc - MS Word Document.
- Louisiana Officials Offer Legal Guidance on Archaeological Finds: So if you do find something that may have historical significance, what should you do? There are laws governing the acquisition and sale of genuine artifacts - and they vary a little from state to state. Ryan Seideman, a lawyer and archaeologist, is the person in Louisiana whose job it is to determine if private citizens have a right to any artifacts in their possession.
http://theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081102/LIFESTYLE/811020335
- Egypt's Supreme Council Welcomes UCLA Field School, Embraces Blogging: Wendrich also won SCA over by offering to include Egyptian SCA inspectors-in-training in the dig. These future inspectors are all college graduates in archaeology, but few have field experience, Wendrich said. That gives everyone involved not just archaeology experience, but also a deeper exposure to another culture. The new inspectors have blogged enthusiastically about their first field experiences, posting their thoughts in both English and Arabic.
http://www.today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/ucla-opens-egypt-s-first-official-70929.aspx
-Travelogue, Canadian Students Discover the American Southwest: There is no better teaching tool than exposing students to the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touch of a subject. That is the objective behind Okanagan College’s Southwest Studies course, put on by Salmon Arm campus professors Stephen Doyle, Rod Watkins and Tim Walters. “In the text books I use, there are big sections on the Grand Canyon, San Juan River, and it’s one thing to lecture and show pictures but it’s totally another to take students out there... get their hands dirty and hike through there,” said Doyle who teaches geography, earth and environmental science at the college and played an integral part in creating the program.
http://www.bclocalnews.com/lifestyles/33866709.html
- Museum of Indian Arts and Culture Hosts Benefit Book Sale: The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe will be holding its 16th Annual Book Sale to benefit the Laboratory of Anthropology Library on Saturday and Sunday, November 8 & 9, 2008. Doors are open from 10 am – 4 pm. Free admission on both days. More information is available at the link below.
http://www.indianartsandculture.org
- Exhibit Opening, Arizona State Museum, "Beyond the Naked Eye: Science Reveals Nature's Art." Art and science have always been connected - from alchemists' experiments producing art materials to Renaissance explorations of anatomy - and artists still draw on scientific technology in their process and as inspiration. This exhibition aims to reverse traditional roles by presenting science as art and looking beyond what is accessible to the unaided human eye.
http://www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/exhibits/index.shtml
- Position Announcement, University of Arizona: The Department of Anthropology seeks an archaeologist on a part-time, temporary basis to teach Tier I level general education course TRAD 101 – Patterns of Prehistory during the 2009 spring semester; contingent upon available funding. This is a course of explicitly global perspective exploring some important events in the history of humankind. The Patterns in Prehistory course examines global migration, sedentism, origins of agriculture, and the development of complex social systems through different times, places, and cultures. The Ph.D. in Anthropology (prior to January 2009) is required.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/ua-job.doc - MS Word Document
- Employment Opportunity, Rocky Mountain National Park: Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado is currently advertising for a permanent, full-time GS11 Cultural Resources Specialist. The announcement will be open until December 5. The job announcement may be found at the link below.
http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=77096446
- Nation's First Navajo Language Textbook Adopted in New Mexico Schools: People come from all over the world to experience the American Indian culture of the Southwest, so it's disheartening to see the Four Corners lose more of that culture with each generation. The recent celebration of a Navajo language textbook is a reassuring sign that an effort is being made to help bring our American Indian culture back to life.
http://www.daily-times.com/ci_10904119?source=most_emailed
- Site Tour Opportunity, Antler House Village: The Arizona Department of Transportation and EcoPlan Associates, Inc. will offer tours of the Antler House Village archaeological site in Cordes Junction. Advance reservations are required. The first tour, at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, November 18, is for professional archaeologists. Three tours are offered for avocational archaeologists and the general public on Friday, November 28. For further details and to make reservations, contact Allen Dart (EcoPlan) at adart@EcoPlanAZ.com or 480-733-6666 extension 168.
- Lecture Opportunity, "A Day in the Life of the Presidio." Jim Turner, historian at the Arizona Historical Society, will speak as part of the Tucson Presidio Trust's fall lecture series. The talk will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 16, at the presidio, 133 W. Washington, Tucson. For more information, contact Gayle Hartmann, (520) 325-6974.
-Coronado National Forest Encourages Participation in Plan Revision Meetings: The Sky Island Alliance is preparing for public meetings by the Coronado National Forest as it revises its forest-wide management plan. It is important that conservation-minded individuals attend these meetings across Southeast Arizona. For more information, follow the link below.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/coronadonf.doc - MS Word Document.
- Louisiana Officials Offer Legal Guidance on Archaeological Finds: So if you do find something that may have historical significance, what should you do? There are laws governing the acquisition and sale of genuine artifacts - and they vary a little from state to state. Ryan Seideman, a lawyer and archaeologist, is the person in Louisiana whose job it is to determine if private citizens have a right to any artifacts in their possession.
http://theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081102/LIFESTYLE/811020335
- Egypt's Supreme Council Welcomes UCLA Field School, Embraces Blogging: Wendrich also won SCA over by offering to include Egyptian SCA inspectors-in-training in the dig. These future inspectors are all college graduates in archaeology, but few have field experience, Wendrich said. That gives everyone involved not just archaeology experience, but also a deeper exposure to another culture. The new inspectors have blogged enthusiastically about their first field experiences, posting their thoughts in both English and Arabic.
http://www.today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/ucla-opens-egypt-s-first-official-70929.aspx
-Travelogue, Canadian Students Discover the American Southwest: There is no better teaching tool than exposing students to the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touch of a subject. That is the objective behind Okanagan College’s Southwest Studies course, put on by Salmon Arm campus professors Stephen Doyle, Rod Watkins and Tim Walters. “In the text books I use, there are big sections on the Grand Canyon, San Juan River, and it’s one thing to lecture and show pictures but it’s totally another to take students out there... get their hands dirty and hike through there,” said Doyle who teaches geography, earth and environmental science at the college and played an integral part in creating the program.
http://www.bclocalnews.com/lifestyles/33866709.html
- Museum of Indian Arts and Culture Hosts Benefit Book Sale: The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe will be holding its 16th Annual Book Sale to benefit the Laboratory of Anthropology Library on Saturday and Sunday, November 8 & 9, 2008. Doors are open from 10 am – 4 pm. Free admission on both days. More information is available at the link below.
http://www.indianartsandculture.org
- Exhibit Opening, Arizona State Museum, "Beyond the Naked Eye: Science Reveals Nature's Art." Art and science have always been connected - from alchemists' experiments producing art materials to Renaissance explorations of anatomy - and artists still draw on scientific technology in their process and as inspiration. This exhibition aims to reverse traditional roles by presenting science as art and looking beyond what is accessible to the unaided human eye.
http://www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/exhibits/index.shtml
- Position Announcement, University of Arizona: The Department of Anthropology seeks an archaeologist on a part-time, temporary basis to teach Tier I level general education course TRAD 101 – Patterns of Prehistory during the 2009 spring semester; contingent upon available funding. This is a course of explicitly global perspective exploring some important events in the history of humankind. The Patterns in Prehistory course examines global migration, sedentism, origins of agriculture, and the development of complex social systems through different times, places, and cultures. The Ph.D. in Anthropology (prior to January 2009) is required.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/ua-job.doc - MS Word Document
- Employment Opportunity, Rocky Mountain National Park: Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado is currently advertising for a permanent, full-time GS11 Cultural Resources Specialist. The announcement will be open until December 5. The job announcement may be found at the link below.
http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=77096446
Friday, October 31, 2008
Magdalena Pilgrimage Discouraged, Bush Administration Steps Up Threat to Nine Mile Canyon
Southwest Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology
- Increased Violence Impacts Centuries-old Pilgrimage: Officials with the Tohono O’odham Nation are recommending that members of the nation not make the annual pilgrimage to the Church of St. Francis in Magdalena, Mexico, due to the threats of violence in the area. For a number of months the region has been experiencing heightened violence between competing drug cartels.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/zaf - Fox 11 News
- Potential Wilderness Areas Threatened by Proposed Energy Development: And on Election Day, when citizens most likely will be focused elsewhere, the BLM will announce an oil- and gas-lease sale involving large swaths of public land considered worthy of wilderness status - including artifact-rich Nine Mile Canyon, Desolation Canyon and areas around Dinosaur National Monument.
http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_10860511
- Interview with UA Anthropology Department Head: In September, Barbara Mills became the first woman to lead the University of Arizona Department of Anthropology, but that wasn't the first time Mills broke gender records.
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=oid:117780
- Concerns over Allocation of NAGPRA Funds: Each year, the office responsible for administrating the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act offers grant money to tribes to help them work to get back human remains and artifacts, as mandated by the law. Tribes have sometimes complained that there isn’t enough money to do this work, but this year there was actually money left over in the funds allocated by Congress.
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/33635349.html
- Kumeyaay Repatriation Request Denied: In the latest twist in the tug-of-war between Native Americans and anthropologists, officials at the University of California have decided not to repatriate a pair of well-preserved skeletons that are nearly 10,000 years old.
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/081029/full/4551156a.html
- Colonial Hohokam Village Unearthed at Cordes Junction: While performing a planning study for a new traffic interchange at Cordes Junction in 1998, the Arizona Department of Transportation came across a sizable scatter of surface artifacts lying adjacent to the current interchange.
http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=74&subsectionID=696&articleID=28280
- Arizona Historical Society Hires Architect for New Facility: The Arizona Historical Society has selected an architect for its museum at Rio Nuevo. The museum, expected to cost up to $80 million to build and equip, will be designed by the Denver firm of Fentress Architects.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/metro/265028.php
- Museum Expansion Results in Relocation of Graves, New Legislation: The disturbance of graves at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum grounds in Waco will result in an omnibus grave protection bill in the coming state legislative session, the head of a House committee said after a five-hour meeting on the matter Tuesday.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/5gnl - Waco Tribune
- Excavations in Santa Fe Expose Remains of 19th Century Sanitarium: Test pits under way off Palace Avenue will explore the history of Santa Fe's east side, where a national hotel chain hopes to redevelop the site of Santa Fe's first hospital. So far, the excavations, which began Monday, have turned up no surprises—mostly bricks, linoleum and other debris from previous buildings.
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Digging-around
- In Defense of Saltcedar: There is nothing neutral about saltcedar. Imported to America's East Coast from Eurasia as a nursery plant in the early 1800s, the hardy shrub's popularity grew beyond ornamental purposes in the early 1900s, when thousands were planted out West to stabilize irrigation canals and control erosion along elevated Southern Pacific rail lines. Satisfaction turned to alarm when the eight imported species of saltcedar, also called tamarisk, escaped cultivation and spread too fast.
http://uanews.org/node/22298
- Participation Forms for the 2009 Archaeology Expo Now Online: The 2009 Arizona Archaeology Expo will be held on March 14-15, 2009 (Saturday and Sunday) at the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park (PGM) in Phoenix. If you would like to participate in the Expo, please fill out the attached form and return to SHPO by November 28, 2008. The form can also be downloaded at the link below. (Please note that the SHPO has the right to refuse participation. All excavations and research featured at the Expo must meet state and/or Secretary of Interior standards for archaeological investigations.)
http://azstateparks.com/partnerships/shpo/shpo.html
- New Documentary on the Antikythera Mechanism: Improved technology increasingly is revealing unimagined facts about the impressive accomplishments of ancient societies. To see a fascinating account of modern imaging techniques uncovering the complexities of an ancient machine, watch The Antikythera Mechanism: Decoding an Ancient Greek Mystery, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org
- Employment Opportunity, Pima Community College: Laboratory Specialist-Archaeology. $17.66 Per hour. Support field and laboratory classes offered through the Archaeology Centre by helping to plan, organize and coordinate technical work in the preparation and maintenance of set-ups, handouts, forms, supplies and equipment for archaeology field and indoor laboratory; and to assist students in field and laboratory projects. demonstrate correct field/laboratory methods, practices and techniques; provide assistance and instruction to students on matters related to field/laboratory assignments and projects. Requirements: Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology, Archaeology or related field, or Associate's Degree in Anthropology/Archaeology and two years archaeology field and/or archaeology lab experience; knowledge of operational characteristics of archaeological field/laboratory apparatus, equipment and materials as well as the use of high tech equipment associated with archaeology (e.g. computers, GPS, electronic survey equipment, etc). Complete job description available below.
http://www.pima.edu/pimajobs/
Thanks to Adrienne Rankin, Brian Kenny, and Dan Garcia for their contributions to today's newsletter.
- Increased Violence Impacts Centuries-old Pilgrimage: Officials with the Tohono O’odham Nation are recommending that members of the nation not make the annual pilgrimage to the Church of St. Francis in Magdalena, Mexico, due to the threats of violence in the area. For a number of months the region has been experiencing heightened violence between competing drug cartels.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/zaf - Fox 11 News
- Potential Wilderness Areas Threatened by Proposed Energy Development: And on Election Day, when citizens most likely will be focused elsewhere, the BLM will announce an oil- and gas-lease sale involving large swaths of public land considered worthy of wilderness status - including artifact-rich Nine Mile Canyon, Desolation Canyon and areas around Dinosaur National Monument.
http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_10860511
- Interview with UA Anthropology Department Head: In September, Barbara Mills became the first woman to lead the University of Arizona Department of Anthropology, but that wasn't the first time Mills broke gender records.
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=oid:117780
- Concerns over Allocation of NAGPRA Funds: Each year, the office responsible for administrating the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act offers grant money to tribes to help them work to get back human remains and artifacts, as mandated by the law. Tribes have sometimes complained that there isn’t enough money to do this work, but this year there was actually money left over in the funds allocated by Congress.
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/33635349.html
- Kumeyaay Repatriation Request Denied: In the latest twist in the tug-of-war between Native Americans and anthropologists, officials at the University of California have decided not to repatriate a pair of well-preserved skeletons that are nearly 10,000 years old.
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/081029/full/4551156a.html
- Colonial Hohokam Village Unearthed at Cordes Junction: While performing a planning study for a new traffic interchange at Cordes Junction in 1998, the Arizona Department of Transportation came across a sizable scatter of surface artifacts lying adjacent to the current interchange.
http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=74&subsectionID=696&articleID=28280
- Arizona Historical Society Hires Architect for New Facility: The Arizona Historical Society has selected an architect for its museum at Rio Nuevo. The museum, expected to cost up to $80 million to build and equip, will be designed by the Denver firm of Fentress Architects.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/metro/265028.php
- Museum Expansion Results in Relocation of Graves, New Legislation: The disturbance of graves at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum grounds in Waco will result in an omnibus grave protection bill in the coming state legislative session, the head of a House committee said after a five-hour meeting on the matter Tuesday.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/5gnl - Waco Tribune
- Excavations in Santa Fe Expose Remains of 19th Century Sanitarium: Test pits under way off Palace Avenue will explore the history of Santa Fe's east side, where a national hotel chain hopes to redevelop the site of Santa Fe's first hospital. So far, the excavations, which began Monday, have turned up no surprises—mostly bricks, linoleum and other debris from previous buildings.
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Digging-around
- In Defense of Saltcedar: There is nothing neutral about saltcedar. Imported to America's East Coast from Eurasia as a nursery plant in the early 1800s, the hardy shrub's popularity grew beyond ornamental purposes in the early 1900s, when thousands were planted out West to stabilize irrigation canals and control erosion along elevated Southern Pacific rail lines. Satisfaction turned to alarm when the eight imported species of saltcedar, also called tamarisk, escaped cultivation and spread too fast.
http://uanews.org/node/22298
- Participation Forms for the 2009 Archaeology Expo Now Online: The 2009 Arizona Archaeology Expo will be held on March 14-15, 2009 (Saturday and Sunday) at the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park (PGM) in Phoenix. If you would like to participate in the Expo, please fill out the attached form and return to SHPO by November 28, 2008. The form can also be downloaded at the link below. (Please note that the SHPO has the right to refuse participation. All excavations and research featured at the Expo must meet state and/or Secretary of Interior standards for archaeological investigations.)
http://azstateparks.com/partnerships/shpo/shpo.html
- New Documentary on the Antikythera Mechanism: Improved technology increasingly is revealing unimagined facts about the impressive accomplishments of ancient societies. To see a fascinating account of modern imaging techniques uncovering the complexities of an ancient machine, watch The Antikythera Mechanism: Decoding an Ancient Greek Mystery, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org
- Employment Opportunity, Pima Community College: Laboratory Specialist-Archaeology. $17.66 Per hour. Support field and laboratory classes offered through the Archaeology Centre by helping to plan, organize and coordinate technical work in the preparation and maintenance of set-ups, handouts, forms, supplies and equipment for archaeology field and indoor laboratory; and to assist students in field and laboratory projects. demonstrate correct field/laboratory methods, practices and techniques; provide assistance and instruction to students on matters related to field/laboratory assignments and projects. Requirements: Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology, Archaeology or related field, or Associate's Degree in Anthropology/Archaeology and two years archaeology field and/or archaeology lab experience; knowledge of operational characteristics of archaeological field/laboratory apparatus, equipment and materials as well as the use of high tech equipment associated with archaeology (e.g. computers, GPS, electronic survey equipment, etc). Complete job description available below.
http://www.pima.edu/pimajobs/
Thanks to Adrienne Rankin, Brian Kenny, and Dan Garcia for their contributions to today's newsletter.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Breast Cancer Gene Tracks Spanish Crypto-Jews in New World, Rio Nuevo Audit.
Southwestern Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology
- Genetic Mutation Linked to Breast Cancer Also Tracks Spanish Crypto-Jews in the New World: Some people in the valley were reluctant to confront such questions, at least initially, and a handful even rejected the overtures of physicians, scientists and historians who were suddenly interested in their family histories. But rumors of secret Spanish Jewry had floated around northern New Mexico and the San Luis Valley for years, and now the cold hard facts of DNA appeared to support them. As a result, families in this remote high-desert community have had to come to grips with a kind of knowledge that more and more of us are likely to face. For the story of this wayward gene is the story of modern genetics, a science that increasingly has the power both to predict the future and to illuminate the past in unsettling ways.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/san-luis-valley.html
http://www.hcn.org/blogs/goat/crypto-jews-real
- Financial Audit of Tucson's Stalled Rio Nuevo Project: They promised buildings — hotels, an aquarium and museums. Nine years later, Downtown Tucson has two refurbished movie theaters, a re-creation of the Presidio wall and a wider freeway underpass. A comprehensive Star analysis of the $63 million in taxpayer dollars paid to outside vendors since voters approved Rio Nuevo in 1999 shows that much of the money has been spent to plan projects that stalled. It also went to pay for things that while not prohibited, are not what excited voters about Rio Nuevo. That includes paying to sponsor events with loose ties to Downtown development and on public relations to promote Rio Nuevo to an increasingly impatient population.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/metro/264238.php
- Black Mesa and Peabody Coal Proposals Impact Hopi Tribal Politics: A push to approve a Peabody Western Coal Co. project in northern Arizona may be dividing the Hopi Tribal Council and fueling an attempted ouster of the tribal chairman. “They have suspended my authority and one of the principal reasons is they want to ramrod the [Black Mesa project] EIS [environmental impact statement] through,” said Ben Nuvamsa, who asserted Oct. 17 that he plans to file a motion to quash an arrest warrant issued by a tribal judge over his contested chairmanship.
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/33096329.html
- Visiting Palatki: It is Friday afternoon, and a slow, steady stream of visitors makes its way to Palatki Ruin. By the end of the day, 79 people will have visited. Only 10 of them will be Arizonans. That's typical. "Yesterday we only had two visitors from Arizona," said Bud Vancura, a volunteer at the site, about 8 miles southwest of Sedona. Pity. Palatki Red Cliffs Heritage Site is a nice place to explore when the sun is out and the weather is nice. It might be even better on a stormy day.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/e87h - The Arizona Republic
- Reduced Hours, Free Admission at Anasazi Heritage Center: The Bureau of Land Management’s Anasazi Heritage Center will adapt to the changing season with a slight reduction in museum hours, and the suspension of all entry fees through the coming months. Beginning November 1st and continuing through February 2009, the museum
will remain open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. though 4:00 p.m. It will close only on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. The regular $3 adult admission will not be charged until March 1. Minors and nonprofit educational groups are never charged.
- Exhibit Examines Five Generations of Apache Life: An exhibit celebrating the cultural survival of an Apache family will be unveiled today at the Oklahoma History Center, 2401 N Laird Ave. Spanning five generations of the Houser/Haozous family, the exhibit examines war, incarceration and attempted cultural genocide along with family survival, personal expression and the strength of the family.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/fipu - The Oklahoman
http://www.okhistorycenter.org/
- Fort Hood Archaeology Fair Shares Research With Texas Families: The fair offered several opportunities for the community to get involved. Crafts involving beaded jewelry, rock art and the opportunity to grind dried corn for corn meal in traditional Native American fashion brought smiles to visitors' faces, said Heidi Fuller, the Fort Hood archaeologist who organized the event.
http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=28882
- Meadowcroft Rock Shelter Becoming Heritage Tourism Destination: Meadowcroft is a word very familiar to archaeologists and less to tourists. But that could be changing. The world-famous Meadowcroft Rockshelter, a rock overhang southwest of Pittsburgh, has reshaped thought on what prehistoric people first came to North America and when. Now the cave is striving to become a bigger tourist draw. Improvements costing $1.3 million include a wooden roof that better protects the archaeological site and a wooden deck that improves accessibility for visitors.
http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/474669.html
- Call for Abstracts, Society for Applied Anthropology: Program Chair Jeanne Simonelli announced today that the deadline for submitting abstracts for the Program of the 2009 Annual Meeting (Santa Fe, NM) had been extended to November 3rd. Prof. Simonelli has taken this action in response to the many requests that she has received from members who have been until recently in the field. This extension will provide additional time for those members who have not yet submitted an abstract. Prof. Simonelli also announced that there would be an expanded and innovative set of poster sessions at the Santa Fe Meetings. A spacious venue for the poster session has been identified and the Program Committee is giving consideration to holding two sessions (on Thursday and Friday). To register and submit abstracts, use the link below.
http://www.sfaa.net/sfaa2009.html
- Museum Association of Arizona Seeks Help Planning Annual Meeting: The following message sent on behalf of Ryan Flahive at Sharlot Hall Museum. Please contact him directly for more information. - Dear Friends: I am trying to organize an affinity session for archivists that work in museums at the Museum Association of Arizona (MAA) annual meeting in Bisbee. The MAA conference will take place May 13th - May 16th, 2009. The theme of the meeting is Mining for Change: Transforming Our Museums. I am looking for session participants who will help museum archivists explore how museum archives can move confidently into the coming decades through transformation in: new technology, fresh ways of conveying knowledge, increased accessibility to our collections, interdisciplinary collaboration and enhanced methods for connecting to our users. This is part of a new initiative by the Friends of Arizona Archives (FAzA) to more fully involve professional archivists with its statewide organization. The affinity session will give those of us that work in museums a chance to compare notes, get to know each other, and forge relationships that will improve our working conditions and help us assist our customers better. I am looking for three or four folks that would be willing to help me get this process started. If you can help, please contact me Ryan S. Flahive at (928) 445-3122 x.15 or ryan@sharlot.org.
- Lecture Opportunity, Archaeology of Polynesia Presented at Cochise College, Sierra Vista AZ: Over the years, the distant pasts of Polynesia - from the Hawaiian archipelago to the remote outpost of Rapa Nui - have become better understood by scholars as well as better appreciated by society at large. As archaeological research continues across the Pacific today, this talk will discuss how new light is being shed on central themes - and also revealing significant new details - of how humans reached across one of the globe's most wild expanses: Oceania.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/arch_of_polynesia.doc - MS Word Document
- Ability to Use Fire Key to Early Hominid Migrations Out of Africa: The ability to make fire millennia ago was likely a key factor in the migration of prehistoric hominids from Africa into Eurasia, a researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Institute of Archaeology believes on the basis of findings at the Gesher Benot Ya'aqov archaeological site in Israel.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-10/thuo-foo102608.php
Thanks to Brian Kenny for contributions to today's newsletter.
- Genetic Mutation Linked to Breast Cancer Also Tracks Spanish Crypto-Jews in the New World: Some people in the valley were reluctant to confront such questions, at least initially, and a handful even rejected the overtures of physicians, scientists and historians who were suddenly interested in their family histories. But rumors of secret Spanish Jewry had floated around northern New Mexico and the San Luis Valley for years, and now the cold hard facts of DNA appeared to support them. As a result, families in this remote high-desert community have had to come to grips with a kind of knowledge that more and more of us are likely to face. For the story of this wayward gene is the story of modern genetics, a science that increasingly has the power both to predict the future and to illuminate the past in unsettling ways.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/san-luis-valley.html
http://www.hcn.org/blogs/goat/crypto-jews-real
- Financial Audit of Tucson's Stalled Rio Nuevo Project: They promised buildings — hotels, an aquarium and museums. Nine years later, Downtown Tucson has two refurbished movie theaters, a re-creation of the Presidio wall and a wider freeway underpass. A comprehensive Star analysis of the $63 million in taxpayer dollars paid to outside vendors since voters approved Rio Nuevo in 1999 shows that much of the money has been spent to plan projects that stalled. It also went to pay for things that while not prohibited, are not what excited voters about Rio Nuevo. That includes paying to sponsor events with loose ties to Downtown development and on public relations to promote Rio Nuevo to an increasingly impatient population.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/metro/264238.php
- Black Mesa and Peabody Coal Proposals Impact Hopi Tribal Politics: A push to approve a Peabody Western Coal Co. project in northern Arizona may be dividing the Hopi Tribal Council and fueling an attempted ouster of the tribal chairman. “They have suspended my authority and one of the principal reasons is they want to ramrod the [Black Mesa project] EIS [environmental impact statement] through,” said Ben Nuvamsa, who asserted Oct. 17 that he plans to file a motion to quash an arrest warrant issued by a tribal judge over his contested chairmanship.
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/33096329.html
- Visiting Palatki: It is Friday afternoon, and a slow, steady stream of visitors makes its way to Palatki Ruin. By the end of the day, 79 people will have visited. Only 10 of them will be Arizonans. That's typical. "Yesterday we only had two visitors from Arizona," said Bud Vancura, a volunteer at the site, about 8 miles southwest of Sedona. Pity. Palatki Red Cliffs Heritage Site is a nice place to explore when the sun is out and the weather is nice. It might be even better on a stormy day.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/e87h - The Arizona Republic
- Reduced Hours, Free Admission at Anasazi Heritage Center: The Bureau of Land Management’s Anasazi Heritage Center will adapt to the changing season with a slight reduction in museum hours, and the suspension of all entry fees through the coming months. Beginning November 1st and continuing through February 2009, the museum
will remain open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. though 4:00 p.m. It will close only on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. The regular $3 adult admission will not be charged until March 1. Minors and nonprofit educational groups are never charged.
- Exhibit Examines Five Generations of Apache Life: An exhibit celebrating the cultural survival of an Apache family will be unveiled today at the Oklahoma History Center, 2401 N Laird Ave. Spanning five generations of the Houser/Haozous family, the exhibit examines war, incarceration and attempted cultural genocide along with family survival, personal expression and the strength of the family.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/fipu - The Oklahoman
http://www.okhistorycenter.org/
- Fort Hood Archaeology Fair Shares Research With Texas Families: The fair offered several opportunities for the community to get involved. Crafts involving beaded jewelry, rock art and the opportunity to grind dried corn for corn meal in traditional Native American fashion brought smiles to visitors' faces, said Heidi Fuller, the Fort Hood archaeologist who organized the event.
http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=28882
- Meadowcroft Rock Shelter Becoming Heritage Tourism Destination: Meadowcroft is a word very familiar to archaeologists and less to tourists. But that could be changing. The world-famous Meadowcroft Rockshelter, a rock overhang southwest of Pittsburgh, has reshaped thought on what prehistoric people first came to North America and when. Now the cave is striving to become a bigger tourist draw. Improvements costing $1.3 million include a wooden roof that better protects the archaeological site and a wooden deck that improves accessibility for visitors.
http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/474669.html
- Call for Abstracts, Society for Applied Anthropology: Program Chair Jeanne Simonelli announced today that the deadline for submitting abstracts for the Program of the 2009 Annual Meeting (Santa Fe, NM) had been extended to November 3rd. Prof. Simonelli has taken this action in response to the many requests that she has received from members who have been until recently in the field. This extension will provide additional time for those members who have not yet submitted an abstract. Prof. Simonelli also announced that there would be an expanded and innovative set of poster sessions at the Santa Fe Meetings. A spacious venue for the poster session has been identified and the Program Committee is giving consideration to holding two sessions (on Thursday and Friday). To register and submit abstracts, use the link below.
http://www.sfaa.net/sfaa2009.html
- Museum Association of Arizona Seeks Help Planning Annual Meeting: The following message sent on behalf of Ryan Flahive at Sharlot Hall Museum. Please contact him directly for more information. - Dear Friends: I am trying to organize an affinity session for archivists that work in museums at the Museum Association of Arizona (MAA) annual meeting in Bisbee. The MAA conference will take place May 13th - May 16th, 2009. The theme of the meeting is Mining for Change: Transforming Our Museums. I am looking for session participants who will help museum archivists explore how museum archives can move confidently into the coming decades through transformation in: new technology, fresh ways of conveying knowledge, increased accessibility to our collections, interdisciplinary collaboration and enhanced methods for connecting to our users. This is part of a new initiative by the Friends of Arizona Archives (FAzA) to more fully involve professional archivists with its statewide organization. The affinity session will give those of us that work in museums a chance to compare notes, get to know each other, and forge relationships that will improve our working conditions and help us assist our customers better. I am looking for three or four folks that would be willing to help me get this process started. If you can help, please contact me Ryan S. Flahive at (928) 445-3122 x.15 or ryan@sharlot.org.
- Lecture Opportunity, Archaeology of Polynesia Presented at Cochise College, Sierra Vista AZ: Over the years, the distant pasts of Polynesia - from the Hawaiian archipelago to the remote outpost of Rapa Nui - have become better understood by scholars as well as better appreciated by society at large. As archaeological research continues across the Pacific today, this talk will discuss how new light is being shed on central themes - and also revealing significant new details - of how humans reached across one of the globe's most wild expanses: Oceania.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/arch_of_polynesia.doc - MS Word Document
- Ability to Use Fire Key to Early Hominid Migrations Out of Africa: The ability to make fire millennia ago was likely a key factor in the migration of prehistoric hominids from Africa into Eurasia, a researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Institute of Archaeology believes on the basis of findings at the Gesher Benot Ya'aqov archaeological site in Israel.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-10/thuo-foo102608.php
Thanks to Brian Kenny for contributions to today's newsletter.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Danny Lopez Passes, Ugly Account of Historic Tucson
Southwestern Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology
- O'odham Elder and Educator Passes Away Tuesday: Danny Lopez, a widely known Tohono O'odham poet, storyteller and educator who worked to preserve the tribe's culture and language has died. He was 71. Mr. Lopez died Tuesday and will be buried this weekend in the village of Gu Oidak.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/local/100460.php
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/263589
- Historic Era Tucson was a Tough Place to Live: J. Ross Browne wrote in his book “A Tour Through Arizona, 1864 or, Adventures in the Apache Country,” that he was, in a modern term, clueless there was “within the territorial limits of the United States a city more remarkable in many respects than Jericho — the walls of which were blown down by horns; for, in this case, the walls were chiefly built up by horns — a city realizing, to some extent, my impressions of what Sodom and Gomorrah must have been before they were destroyed by the vengeance of the Lord.”
http://www.cdarc.org/page/2zop - Northwest Explorer
- New Article Highlights Human Impacts of Sunset Crater Eruption: The hot off the presses issue of the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (JVGR Volume 176, Issue 3, October 2008) is a special issue on archaeology and volcanology entitled "Volcanoes and Human History." Of interest to Southwest archaeologists is an article by Michael Ort, Mark Elson, Kirk Anderson, Wendell Duffield, and Terry Samples, comparing two, possibly contemporaneous, eruptions that affected groups in the prehistoric southwest: the well-known Sunset Crater Volcano and the less well-known Little Springs Volcano. New interpretations for prehistoric adaptation to the Sunset Crater eruption are discussed. Most significantly, this is the first time that data are presented on Little Springs Volcano that erupted in the Arizona Strip Area (just south of Mt. Trumbull) sometime between A.D. 1050-1200. For those with connections, you can get the entire JVGR volume off of Science Direct. For additional information, contact Dr Elson at melson@desert.com
- Aztec New Mexico Seeks to Highlight Ancient Assets: Aztec City Commissioners created a budget through which they will disburse a $28,000 New Mexico Department of Tourism grant to the city's Chamber of Commerce. "It's an annual grant that we apply for every year," said Becky Christensen, executive director of the Aztec chamber. The organization will use the funds to promote and educate tourists about the "North Road Experience," created about an Anasazi-built road running from Chaco Canyon through Salmon Ruins, Aztec Ruins, passing through some of Aztec's arches to Durango, Colo., then branching to Chimney Rock and Mesa Verde.
http://www.daily-times.com/ci_10790493
-Citizens of Mesa, (AZ) Seek to Renew Park Honoring Ancient Canals: The historic Park of the Canals in Mesa will hold an event Saturday to focus on revitalizing the now failing and unpopular park. Bert Millett, neighbor and member of the Committee for the Restoration of the Park of the Canals, remembers the park at 1710 N. Horne from childhood as "vibrant" and without a bad reputation.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/128766
- Seeing Plant Species As Artifacts of Ancient North Americans: As an archaeologist, Daniel F. McCarthy has uncovered many items from the earth. But it is learning what Native Americans do with things grown from the land that has fascinated him for years. He said he would find artifacts and not understand the archaeological record. "I made an attempt to contact elders and shared my findings with them while they shared their knowledge of how their ancestors lived," he said.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/er2x - The Press-Enterprise, Riverside
- World's First Prepared Cereal Dish Was Much Like Today's Instant Breakfasts: European diners around 8,000 years ago could enjoy a bowl of instant wheat cereal that, aside from uneven cooking and maybe a few extra lumps, wasn't very different from hot wheat cereals served today, suggests a new study that describes the world's oldest known cooked cereal.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/10/24/cereal-neolithic.html
- El Paso Archaeological Society Board Member Passes Away During Cave Tour at Fort Stanton: The man was identified on the Web site of the El Paso Archaeological Society as Thomas Gulczynski, treasurer for the group. Hummel said the stricken man was one of 10 society members who were touring the non-technical portion of Fort Stanton cave with two cavers from El Paso Grotto and a team leader, when he complained of feeling tired. "They entered the cave about 2 p.m., Saturday, and it takes about 45 minutes to an hour (for the tour)," said Hummel, an avid caver. "This was a permitted cave trip to look at historical signatures on a rock about a half mile from the entrance and they were on their way out.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_10779486?source=most_emailed
- Reminder - AAHS Book Sale This Saturday! The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society is please to announce its next used book sale. The large collection available for this sale represents a wide variety of topics and geographicalinterests with a special emphasis on the anthropology, archaeology, and ethnohistory of the Southwest United States and Mexico. Saturday, October 25, 2008, 9-4 PM. AAHS and ASM members, admitted at 8 AM for exclusive shopping. Sale will be held at the Arizona State Museum South Building (southeast corner Park Ave and University Blvd).
- O'odham Elder and Educator Passes Away Tuesday: Danny Lopez, a widely known Tohono O'odham poet, storyteller and educator who worked to preserve the tribe's culture and language has died. He was 71. Mr. Lopez died Tuesday and will be buried this weekend in the village of Gu Oidak.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/local/100460.php
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/263589
- Historic Era Tucson was a Tough Place to Live: J. Ross Browne wrote in his book “A Tour Through Arizona, 1864 or, Adventures in the Apache Country,” that he was, in a modern term, clueless there was “within the territorial limits of the United States a city more remarkable in many respects than Jericho — the walls of which were blown down by horns; for, in this case, the walls were chiefly built up by horns — a city realizing, to some extent, my impressions of what Sodom and Gomorrah must have been before they were destroyed by the vengeance of the Lord.”
http://www.cdarc.org/page/2zop - Northwest Explorer
- New Article Highlights Human Impacts of Sunset Crater Eruption: The hot off the presses issue of the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (JVGR Volume 176, Issue 3, October 2008) is a special issue on archaeology and volcanology entitled "Volcanoes and Human History." Of interest to Southwest archaeologists is an article by Michael Ort, Mark Elson, Kirk Anderson, Wendell Duffield, and Terry Samples, comparing two, possibly contemporaneous, eruptions that affected groups in the prehistoric southwest: the well-known Sunset Crater Volcano and the less well-known Little Springs Volcano. New interpretations for prehistoric adaptation to the Sunset Crater eruption are discussed. Most significantly, this is the first time that data are presented on Little Springs Volcano that erupted in the Arizona Strip Area (just south of Mt. Trumbull) sometime between A.D. 1050-1200. For those with connections, you can get the entire JVGR volume off of Science Direct. For additional information, contact Dr Elson at melson@desert.com
- Aztec New Mexico Seeks to Highlight Ancient Assets: Aztec City Commissioners created a budget through which they will disburse a $28,000 New Mexico Department of Tourism grant to the city's Chamber of Commerce. "It's an annual grant that we apply for every year," said Becky Christensen, executive director of the Aztec chamber. The organization will use the funds to promote and educate tourists about the "North Road Experience," created about an Anasazi-built road running from Chaco Canyon through Salmon Ruins, Aztec Ruins, passing through some of Aztec's arches to Durango, Colo., then branching to Chimney Rock and Mesa Verde.
http://www.daily-times.com/ci_10790493
-Citizens of Mesa, (AZ) Seek to Renew Park Honoring Ancient Canals: The historic Park of the Canals in Mesa will hold an event Saturday to focus on revitalizing the now failing and unpopular park. Bert Millett, neighbor and member of the Committee for the Restoration of the Park of the Canals, remembers the park at 1710 N. Horne from childhood as "vibrant" and without a bad reputation.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/128766
- Seeing Plant Species As Artifacts of Ancient North Americans: As an archaeologist, Daniel F. McCarthy has uncovered many items from the earth. But it is learning what Native Americans do with things grown from the land that has fascinated him for years. He said he would find artifacts and not understand the archaeological record. "I made an attempt to contact elders and shared my findings with them while they shared their knowledge of how their ancestors lived," he said.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/er2x - The Press-Enterprise, Riverside
- World's First Prepared Cereal Dish Was Much Like Today's Instant Breakfasts: European diners around 8,000 years ago could enjoy a bowl of instant wheat cereal that, aside from uneven cooking and maybe a few extra lumps, wasn't very different from hot wheat cereals served today, suggests a new study that describes the world's oldest known cooked cereal.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/10/24/cereal-neolithic.html
- El Paso Archaeological Society Board Member Passes Away During Cave Tour at Fort Stanton: The man was identified on the Web site of the El Paso Archaeological Society as Thomas Gulczynski, treasurer for the group. Hummel said the stricken man was one of 10 society members who were touring the non-technical portion of Fort Stanton cave with two cavers from El Paso Grotto and a team leader, when he complained of feeling tired. "They entered the cave about 2 p.m., Saturday, and it takes about 45 minutes to an hour (for the tour)," said Hummel, an avid caver. "This was a permitted cave trip to look at historical signatures on a rock about a half mile from the entrance and they were on their way out.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_10779486?source=most_emailed
- Reminder - AAHS Book Sale This Saturday! The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society is please to announce its next used book sale. The large collection available for this sale represents a wide variety of topics and geographicalinterests with a special emphasis on the anthropology, archaeology, and ethnohistory of the Southwest United States and Mexico. Saturday, October 25, 2008, 9-4 PM. AAHS and ASM members, admitted at 8 AM for exclusive shopping. Sale will be held at the Arizona State Museum South Building (southeast corner Park Ave and University Blvd).
Monday, October 20, 2008
Havasupai Accuse ASU of Misusing Bio-Anthropological Data, Archaeology and Threats to Archaeology in Utah
Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology
- Members of Havasupai Tribe Accuse ASU Researchers of Serious Misconduct: Aral Putesoy Kaska knows all about the Arizona State University research project on diabetes. She remembers the debate among the tribe, the reluctance, the questions of trust. But in the end, she gave her blood, convinced by her Havasupai Tribal Council that scientists in Tempe could find answers to stop the disease from spreading to her daughters and the grandchildren she hoped one day to have. It never occurred to her – and she wouldn’t know for 13 years – that the blood of an isolated group of Native Americans, among the oldest blood on the continent, would be considered so rare it would be a “gold mine” to scientists – not to study diabetes, but to study mental illness, inbreeding and Indian migration patterns, studies that assaulted both her culture and her religion. On top of that, she and the tribe discovered they were never going to get the precious answers they sought, because in all those years, ASU had not done the genetic diabetic research it promised.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/dp3o - Phoenix Magazine
- Archaeologists Complete Survey of Remote Desolation Canyon: History buffs have wrapped up a three-year project exploring one of Utah's most rugged places, a stretch of the Green River called Desolation Canyon. What they found is evidence of a mysterious people from 1,000 years ago who may have earned a living there but didn't actually live there. Desolation Canyon is so remote and rugged the only practical way to explore the archaeology is by river. Dennis Willis, with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, said, "It was one of those kind of things where everybody knew there was a lot of archaeology there, but nobody knew what or where."
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4552067
- Oil and Gas Industry Ignorant of Impacts to the Archaeology of Nine Mile Canyon: As it is, the ancient rock-art figure and dozens around it in Rasmussen Cave are cordoned off for belated protection behind a log fence built by the new owner, Denver-based Bill Barrett Corp. The whir of the energy company's 10 natural gas compressors pulses like a nearby freeway. A fine cloud of Utah silt stirs in the air as the semis pass, some of it settling on the rock - brushing or rinsing it off is like rubbing sandpaper on the stone.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10759614?source=rss
- Santa Cruz Valley Heriatge Alliance Fall Celebration to be Held at Tucson's Historic Hotel Congress: Join us Thursday October 30th for the Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance's Fall Celebration & Fundraiser at the historic Hotel Congress! Please join us for a fun evening of food and drinks, while we celebrate the rich heritage of the Santa Cruz Valley. Meet our Board of Directors and staff. Network with fellow heritage enthusiast. Learn about the proposed Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area. Become a member. Win a heritage prize in our raffle. Participate in our silent auction for a Kino Heritage Fruit Tree, limited-edition art, or a Tohono O’odham turtle basket.
http://www.santacruzheritage.org/fallevent08
- National Association of Tribal Historic Preseravtion Officers Supprted by Getty Foundation: The Getty Foundation in Los Angeles has announced a grant to the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (“NATHPO”) of $125,000 to support the “National Native Museum Training Program,” which provides training and leadership development opportunities for the directors and staffs of Indian tribes’ museums and cultural centers. Goals of this four-year initiative are to provide a variety of training and leadership opportunities for tribal museum directors, as well as current and future tribal museum personnel, by offering two directors’ seminars, four skills workshops, and up to twenty (20) national fellowships.
http://nathpo.org/mainpage.html
- Blogsphere Takes Verison and McCain Ranch Pithouse Story into Absurdity: So there's is a "prehistoric rock ring and possible pit house" on McCain's property and they built a radioactive cell tower on top of it and now he is cursed for a thousand generations, the end.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/bvhr - Gawker.com
- Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society Used Booksale this Saturday: The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society is please to announce its next used book sale. The large collection available for this sale represents a wide variety of topics and geographical interests with a special emphasis on the anthropology, archaeology, and ethnohistory of the Southwest United States and Mexico. There are many hard-to-find titles in an individually, yet reasonably priced section. General book prices start at $1. Journals start at 50¢. Proceeds from the sale help support the Arizona State Museum Library. When: Saturday, October 25, 2008, 9-4 PM. AAHS and ASM members admitted at 8 AM for exclusive shopping. Where: Arizona State Museum South Building (southeast corner Park Ave and University Blvd). More information: Todd Pitezel at 520-730-8686 or pitezel@email.arizona.edu
- The Fort Lewis College Department of Anthropology is accepting applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Historical Archaeology starting Fall 2009. The Department of Anthropology is located in the Center for Southwest Studies where it shares space and program interests with the Department of Southwest Studies, the Program in Native American and Indigenous Studies, and the Office of Community Services. The student population of about 4,000 is diverse, with 19% Native American and 5% Hispanic students.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/flc.doc - MS Word Document
- Two New Videos on the Archaeology Channel Examine Research on Pre-Clovis Occupations of North America: Recent excavations at a number of sites, including Cactus Hill located along the Nottoway River in southwest Virginia, have provided new evidence and raised new questions about when people ventured into the Americas. For many years, archaeologists thought that people arrived approximately 11,500 years ago. However, stone artifacts, charcoal, and soil, plant and animal remains suggest human habitation at Cactus Hill at least 18,000 years ago, when much of the continent was under ice.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org/
Thanks to Brian Kenny and Gerald Kelso for contributions to today's newsletter.
- Members of Havasupai Tribe Accuse ASU Researchers of Serious Misconduct: Aral Putesoy Kaska knows all about the Arizona State University research project on diabetes. She remembers the debate among the tribe, the reluctance, the questions of trust. But in the end, she gave her blood, convinced by her Havasupai Tribal Council that scientists in Tempe could find answers to stop the disease from spreading to her daughters and the grandchildren she hoped one day to have. It never occurred to her – and she wouldn’t know for 13 years – that the blood of an isolated group of Native Americans, among the oldest blood on the continent, would be considered so rare it would be a “gold mine” to scientists – not to study diabetes, but to study mental illness, inbreeding and Indian migration patterns, studies that assaulted both her culture and her religion. On top of that, she and the tribe discovered they were never going to get the precious answers they sought, because in all those years, ASU had not done the genetic diabetic research it promised.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/dp3o - Phoenix Magazine
- Archaeologists Complete Survey of Remote Desolation Canyon: History buffs have wrapped up a three-year project exploring one of Utah's most rugged places, a stretch of the Green River called Desolation Canyon. What they found is evidence of a mysterious people from 1,000 years ago who may have earned a living there but didn't actually live there. Desolation Canyon is so remote and rugged the only practical way to explore the archaeology is by river. Dennis Willis, with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, said, "It was one of those kind of things where everybody knew there was a lot of archaeology there, but nobody knew what or where."
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4552067
- Oil and Gas Industry Ignorant of Impacts to the Archaeology of Nine Mile Canyon: As it is, the ancient rock-art figure and dozens around it in Rasmussen Cave are cordoned off for belated protection behind a log fence built by the new owner, Denver-based Bill Barrett Corp. The whir of the energy company's 10 natural gas compressors pulses like a nearby freeway. A fine cloud of Utah silt stirs in the air as the semis pass, some of it settling on the rock - brushing or rinsing it off is like rubbing sandpaper on the stone.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10759614?source=rss
- Santa Cruz Valley Heriatge Alliance Fall Celebration to be Held at Tucson's Historic Hotel Congress: Join us Thursday October 30th for the Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance's Fall Celebration & Fundraiser at the historic Hotel Congress! Please join us for a fun evening of food and drinks, while we celebrate the rich heritage of the Santa Cruz Valley. Meet our Board of Directors and staff. Network with fellow heritage enthusiast. Learn about the proposed Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area. Become a member. Win a heritage prize in our raffle. Participate in our silent auction for a Kino Heritage Fruit Tree, limited-edition art, or a Tohono O’odham turtle basket.
http://www.santacruzheritage.org/fallevent08
- National Association of Tribal Historic Preseravtion Officers Supprted by Getty Foundation: The Getty Foundation in Los Angeles has announced a grant to the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (“NATHPO”) of $125,000 to support the “National Native Museum Training Program,” which provides training and leadership development opportunities for the directors and staffs of Indian tribes’ museums and cultural centers. Goals of this four-year initiative are to provide a variety of training and leadership opportunities for tribal museum directors, as well as current and future tribal museum personnel, by offering two directors’ seminars, four skills workshops, and up to twenty (20) national fellowships.
http://nathpo.org/mainpage.html
- Blogsphere Takes Verison and McCain Ranch Pithouse Story into Absurdity: So there's is a "prehistoric rock ring and possible pit house" on McCain's property and they built a radioactive cell tower on top of it and now he is cursed for a thousand generations, the end.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/bvhr - Gawker.com
- Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society Used Booksale this Saturday: The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society is please to announce its next used book sale. The large collection available for this sale represents a wide variety of topics and geographical interests with a special emphasis on the anthropology, archaeology, and ethnohistory of the Southwest United States and Mexico. There are many hard-to-find titles in an individually, yet reasonably priced section. General book prices start at $1. Journals start at 50¢. Proceeds from the sale help support the Arizona State Museum Library. When: Saturday, October 25, 2008, 9-4 PM. AAHS and ASM members admitted at 8 AM for exclusive shopping. Where: Arizona State Museum South Building (southeast corner Park Ave and University Blvd). More information: Todd Pitezel at 520-730-8686 or pitezel@email.arizona.edu
- The Fort Lewis College Department of Anthropology is accepting applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Historical Archaeology starting Fall 2009. The Department of Anthropology is located in the Center for Southwest Studies where it shares space and program interests with the Department of Southwest Studies, the Program in Native American and Indigenous Studies, and the Office of Community Services. The student population of about 4,000 is diverse, with 19% Native American and 5% Hispanic students.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/flc.doc - MS Word Document
- Two New Videos on the Archaeology Channel Examine Research on Pre-Clovis Occupations of North America: Recent excavations at a number of sites, including Cactus Hill located along the Nottoway River in southwest Virginia, have provided new evidence and raised new questions about when people ventured into the Americas. For many years, archaeologists thought that people arrived approximately 11,500 years ago. However, stone artifacts, charcoal, and soil, plant and animal remains suggest human habitation at Cactus Hill at least 18,000 years ago, when much of the continent was under ice.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org/
Thanks to Brian Kenny and Gerald Kelso for contributions to today's newsletter.
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