Southwest Archaeology Today for Nov 21 2006

Archaeology Making the News – A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

– Looting Continues Across the Southwest: The motive is money. Indian artifacts are coveted worldwide by collectors willing to pay for trophy pieces of the past. Fine antiquities are displayed in glass cases at mansions and museums. Lesser objects wind up on fireplace mantels or stored in garages. The result is a scientific and spiritual loss. “They’re changing history,” Vernelda Grant, a tribal archaeologist for the San Carlos Apaches, says as she stands amid 800-year-old ruins that have been transformed into a crater field. “They’re killing us. They’re killing the existence of who we are.”
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/local/33146.php

– The Turkey in the Ancient Southwest: Ancient Turkeys Proven to be Recyclers by Robin Lyle, Volunteer Researcher. In a recent study of gizzard stones from Albert Porter Pueblo, we’ve learned that turkeys collected a variety of artifacts. Along with native rock, these highly adaptive birds recycled cultural materials, including projectile points, chert, and pottery sherds.
http://tinyurl.com/ylon4v – Crow Canyon Archaeological Center

– Nevada Begins to Restore Stewart Indian School and Museum: “This school is an important part of the history of this state but also of New Mexico, California and Arizona because the students brought here were taken from those states,” said Sherry Rupert, Indian Commission executive director.
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20061119/NEWS/111190080/-1/rss02

– Position Announcement: The Center for Desert Archaeology Seeks Preservation Archaeologist: The Center for Desert Archaeology is looking for a creative, high-energy individual with strong research accomplishments in the A.D. 1000 – 1700 time period in the American Southwest/Mexican Northwest. The successful applicant must demonstrate a balanced commitment to research, public outreach, and archaeological preservation. Previous accomplishments in each of these areas should be highlighted in the application. Experience working collaboratively with Native American tribes should also be described. Successful grant writing and other fund raising experience are highly desirable. This position requires a Ph.D. in anthropology, archaeology, or a closely related discipline.
http://www.cdarc.org/pages/articles.php?req=read&article_id=379