Join Us for a Conversation about Preservation Archaeology and the Past, Present, and Future of the Center for Desert Archaeology

This Month’s Archaeology Café  -Tucson – Join Us for a Conversation about Preservation Archaeology and the Past, Present, and Future of the Center for Desert Archaeology
On Tuesday, January 3, 2012, Center for Desert Archaeology founder Bill Doelle will share his vision of what Preservation Archaeology is, how and why it developed, and what the future may hold. Bill will be joined by Bernard Siquieros, Education Curator at the Tohono O’odham Nation Cultural Center & Museum and Secretary of the Center’s Board of Directors. Mr. Siquieros will discuss a collaborative Preservation Archaeology and Ethnohistory project that explored the living cultural landscape of the San Pedro River valley. https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/2011/08/05/preserving-the-places-of-our-shared-past/

CyArk Launches 3D Web Portal Featuring Hopi Petroglyph Sites
CyArk and partners are extremely excited to announce the launch of the Hopi Petroglyph Sites Digital Preservation Project Website. This special Hopi portal on the CyArk website will allow a new generation of Native American youth to learn about and share the legacy of their ancestors. The realization of the Digital Preservation Project includes the documentation of sacred Hopi sites through state-of-the-art 3D capture technology and the use of the data captured to create online interactive and educational multimedia freely available to the public. The 3D models and virtual tours captured at Tutuveni and Dawa Park in Arizona provide the basis for this rich interactive web portal, but they also represent a permanent and highly-accurate 3D digital archive of the sites and the petroglyphs contained within. http://archive.cyark.org/hopi-petroglyph-sites-intro

Navajo Nation Seeks Repatriation of Remains Excavated from Canyon de Chelly
Archaeologists curious about American Indian cultures dug up human remains and associated funerary objects at Canyon de Chelly decades ago, while some remains were taken for protection from erosion in the canyon with towering red, sandstone walls. Whatever the reason, the Navajo Nation wants hundreds of sets of human remains exhumed from the national monument on their reservation to be returned for proper burial, contending the tribe is the rightful owner of them. The Navajo Nation, whose members live on the country’s largest American Indian reservation, contend in a lawsuit filed last week that despite their demands for the remains, the National Park Service has unrightfully held them in a collection in Tucson. http://nativetimes.com/life/culture/6555-navajo-nation-seeks-return-of-exhumed-remains

Should the Consideration of Human Rights Be a Factor in Archaeological Preservation?
In the arid, rural plains of central Turkey sits one of the most important archaeological sites on earth. Sheltered by an expansive glass canopy, dozens of archaeologists and students work year-round to unearth and preserve the treasures of the ancient village of Çatalhöyük. Since 1993 Stanford professor of anthropology, Ian Hodder, has been leading an international team in an ongoing excavation of the 9,000 year-old Neolithic site. Visible from the edges of the site are the low-slung buildings of the villagers who call Çatalhöyük home today. For the surrounding community, the site represents the history of their ancestors. For academics and preservationists the site is a priceless window into the shared history of human civilization. The site is a meaningful symbol of cultural heritage to both groups, but they view it differently, and these views have important implications for basic human rights. http://humanexperience.stanford.edu/humanrightsarcheology

National Park Service Identifies Areas Suitable for New National Parks or Monuments
The cultural and natural resource treasures of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the San Luis Valley are getting some long-overdue love, as the Department of Interior works to identify areas and sites that could some day be made part of the National Park System or protected and highlighted in other ways.  http://summitcountyvoice.com/2011/12/23/national-park-service-studies-cultural-and-natural-resources-in-the-sangre-de-cristo-mountains-and-the-san-luis-valley/

The Ancient Sinagua of Arizona’s Verde Valley
For the amazing wealth of Native American antiquities and cultural relics in the Verde Valley, the average resident tends to be often naïve of many of their locations or existence.  There are clearly dramatic examples close to roadways that attract the most attention, such as Montezuma Castle or Tuzigoot, but other examples of the existence of thousands of earliest Americans settlers go (unnoticed). They are often off the beaten track, behind fences or difficult climbs. http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=74&SubsectionID=114&ArticleID=45462

 Verde Valley Archaeology Conference Announced
The first Biennial Verde Valley Archaeology Conference is being combined with the 2012 Fall AAC Conference. Co-sponsored by the Arizona Archaeological Council and the Verde Valley Archaeology Center, this symposium will be held October 19 and 20, 2012, at the Cliff Castle Casino Hotel Conference Center in Camp Verde, Arizona, owned by the Yavapai-Apache Nation. There will be a opening conference reception on October 18. This conference is entitled “Patterns, Problems, and Possibilities” and will examine a wide range of topics on the archaeology of the Verde Valley region of central Arizona, including whether or not the Southern Sinagua is still a valid cultural construct. The conference will also include papers on the Yavapai-Apache of central Arizona. Special discount hotel rates have been negotiated. Hikes to archaeological sites in the Verde Valley will be included. Abstract submission deadline is August 10, 2012. Please submit your name, address, contact information, institutional affiliation, paper title, author(s), and an abstract not to exceed 100-words to the Symposium Program Chairs via e-mail at symposium@verdevalleyarchaeology.org. More information also can be found on either the AAC or the Verde Valley Archaeology Center websites.

Volunteer to Help Share the Rich Heritage of  Northeastern New Mexico at Salmon Ruins Musuem
San Juan County always needs volunteers to assist with services related to the living, but help also is need to preserve the area’s fascinating past. Salmon Ruins, located two miles west of Bloomfield on the Bloomfield Highway, is a large Chacoan ancestral pueblo living complex. It provides a fascinating example of pre-Columbian Pueblo architecture and stonework. ”We definitely have a need for more volunteers, said Executive Director Larry Baker. “We would love to get more people from the community involved in volunteering here at Salmon Ruins.” http://www.daily-times.com/farmington-news/ci_19606545?source=rss

Agave – A Very Useful Resource for the Ancient People of the Southwest
Aztecs, Anasazi, Hohokam, and the Tohono O’odham, have used the agave for fiber, food, medicine, adult beverages, and building materials for thousands of years. The earliest known use was in the Techuacán Valley of Mexico 10,000 years ago. http://tucsoncitizen.com/wryheat/2011/12/21/agave-a-plant-of-many-uses/

Panel Discussion on a Unique Archaeological Perspective – Tucson
Enjoy wine, hors d’oeuvres, and a special panel discussion by archaeologists Ethne Barnes, Arthur Rohn, Jeff Dean, and William Doelle at the free closing reception for From Above: Images of a Storied Land. Archaeologists will share insights on the content of Adriel Heisey’s breathtaking large-format aerial photographs and answer questions from the audience. The program will be held at the Ventana Gallery beginning at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday, January 4, 2012. The galleries will be open from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on that evening. The exhibition closes on January 7, 2012. https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/2011/12/23/january-4-closing-reception-and-panel-discussion-at-from-above/

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
On January 9, Dr. Carla M. Sinopoli – Curator of Asian Archaeology and Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan will present “Far Horizons: Scale, Society and Complexity in 1st Millennium B.C.  South India”  This Southwest Seminar presentation will be held in the New Mexico Room at La Fonda in downtown Santa Fe.  Admission is 12 dollars for this lecture or 100 for the series of 10 lectures. http://www.southwestseminars.org

Travelogue – Mesa Verde in the Winter
Mesa Verde National Park, the archaeological anchor of the Four Corners area, attracts thousands of visitors throughout the year. But in winter, you’ll find a different kind of paradise — with no fees and no crowds. You can explore the park’s third-largest cliff dwelling, the museum and four cross-country ski trail systems, all in the peaceful splendor of winter. http://www.gazette.com/articles/verde-130952-mesa-national.html#ixzz1iEBB5zRP