Monumental Rumors

Secret Meeting in Southern Utah Creates Expectations of a New Bear Ears National Monument
Several top federal officials from Washington quietly attended a “Gathering of the Tribes” put on last weekend by Native Americans in southeastern Utah, their presence made known only to a chosen few who were “sworn to secrecy.” It’s the clearest signal yet that the Obama administration may be considering the creation of a huge national monument surrounding a place called the Bears Ears. http://bit.ly/1LL9k4u – Deseret News

National Trust Presents a Photo Essay of Ancestral Pueblo Places in Southeastern Utah
Encompassing nearly eight thousand square miles, the Ancestral Places of Southeast Utah are home to a diverse array of sites sacred to the Navajo, Hopi, Pueblo, and Ute tribes. Throughout the area are archaeological sites, cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, and trails that are a visual narrative dedicated to twelve thousand years of human history and traditions.
http://bit.ly/1IpeSPx – National Trust for Historic Preservation

DNA Analysis Points to Possible Evidence for Trans-Pacific Populations in South America
The Americas were the last great frontier to be settled by humans, and their peopling remains one of the great mysteries for researchers. This week, two major studies of the DNA of living and ancient people try to settle the big questions about the early settlers: who they were, when they came, and how many waves arrived. But instead of converging on a single consensus picture, the studies, published online in Scienceand Nature, throw up a new mystery: Both detect in modern Native Americans a trace of DNA related to that of native people from Australia and Melanesia. The competing teams, neither of which knew what the other was up to until the last minute, are still trying to reconcile and make sense of each other’s data. http://bit.ly/1fyaAKt – Science

Archaeology Southwest and Southwest Seminars Offer Mounds and Migrants Tour, Spring 2016
Archaeology Southwest is partnering with Southwest Seminars to present Mounds and Migrants: A Clash of Religions in the Late Hohokam World, a special six-day tour from March 19–25, 2016http://bit.ly/1U1pXdA – Archaeology Southwest

The Demise of the Charismatic Megafauna of the Americas: Back to Climate Change?
New research has revealed abrupt warming, that closely resembles the rapid man-made warming occurring today, has repeatedly played a key role in mass extinction events of large animals, the megafauna, in Earth’s past. Using advances in analysing ancient DNA, radiocarbon dating and other geologic records an international team led by researchers from the University of Adelaide and the University of New South Wales (Australia) have revealed that short, rapid warming events, known as interstadials, recorded during the last ice age or Pleistocene (60,000-12,000 years ago) coincided with major extinction events even before the appearance of man. http://bit.ly/1VHVpzn – University of Adelaide

Citizen Science at the Arizona State Museum
In a small lab, surrounded by the skeletons of thousands of animals, Alex Ruff sifts through bags of teeth that chewed their last meal centuries ago. The Marana High School science teacher is looking for answers about what cows, sheep and goats were eating and drinking in southern Arizona after Spanish missionaries first introduced the animals to the area in the late 1600s. Ruff is a recipient of the Arizona Partners in Science Award from the Tucson-based Research Corporation for Science Advancement. http://bit.ly/1fybk21 – U of A News

Fundraising Raffle to Benefit Old Pueblo Archaeology’s Educational Programming
November 13 Old Pueblo Archaeology Center will raffle a 66X37″ Navajo rug ($800 appraisal), a pottery jar by Kickapoo-Potawatomi artist Pahponee ($600 appr.), a Tohono O’odham (Papago) basket ($200+ appr.), a ca.1900 Tarascan mask ($125 appr.), a kachina doll ($90-$110 appr.), a petrified-wood-and-feathers “Navajo prayer bundle” fetish, 2 places on a tour to Tucson-area archaeological sites, and other prizes in the “Old Pueblo – Young People” raffle. Proceeds help Old Pueblo continue offering simulated archaeological excavation learning programs, in-classroom education programs, and guided archaeological site tours for kids. Tickets are 5 for $20 or $5 each. 520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org

Archaeology Southwest’s Preservation Archaeology Field School Students Share Their Public Outreach Projects
On June 27, 2015, students in the Archaeology Southwest/University of Arizona Preservation Archaeology Field School shared their research with area residents at the Gila Library and Community Center. http://bit.ly/1SJ9lEW – Archaeology Southwest

Lecture Opportunity – Cortez
As part of the Four Corners Lecture Series, the Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeology Society is pleased to present Dr. R. Kyle Bocinsky on August 4^th at 7:00 PM at the Sunflower Theatre, 8 E. Main St., Cortez, CO to discuss Can Pueblo Corn Save Ethiopian Farms? Deploying 1,400 Years of Agricultural Knowledge in Service of the Future. Kyle will discuss how a deep-time approach to crop science is revealing the incredible adaptedness of Pueblo agricultural practice, and why Pueblo corn—along with traditional varieties of many other crops—are likely to be essential in preventing the worst impacts of global climate change. Contact Kari Schleher at 505-269-4475 with questions.

Reminder – Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars presents Voices from the Past, a lecture series honoring and acknowledging the work of Archaeology Southwest. On July 27, 2015, Dr. John Ware will present Rio Grande Migrations: The Debate Continues. Ware’s lecture is the fourth of five examining migration in the past, as revealed by the work of Archaeology Southwest, its partners, and other scholars. http://bit.ly/1MQRZEh – Archaeology Southwest

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars presents Voices from the Past, a lecture series honoring and acknowledging the work of Archaeology Southwest. On August 3, 2015, Dr. Joseph H. Suina (Cochiti) will present Native Perspectives on Migration. Suina’s lecture is the final of five examining migration in the past, as revealed by the work of Archaeology Southwest, its partners, and other scholars. http://bit.ly/1fyd1ga – Archaeology Southwest