Dear Friends,
Fair warning: This note is not about archaeology, at least not per se. It’s about my attempts to make meaning out of the chaos that seems to get even more chaotic by the day.
I try to work out every weekday. The elliptical machine is my tool of choice. With some Air pods cranking out the tunes, I can zone out and hopefully achieve something akin to a runner’s high. Those 30 minutes give me time to reflect, to listen to amazing artists, and to try to figure things out. Some days, it works. Others, not so much.
(One strong recommendation: If you’ve never heard Art Garfunkel singing “Bridge Over Troubled Water” at his 1981 Concert in Central Park with Paul Simon, you’ve been missing out. See and hear it here. If you’re not moved by his crescendo, you may need professional help.)
I’m not musically inclined, but I appreciate the dedication, skill, and vulnerability it takes for artists to perform, at any level and in any venue.
Earlier this week, I went to see SIX, the British musical about the wives of Henry VIII and their (envisioned, posthumous) struggle to define themselves and one another on their own terms and merits, not just by the fact that they were one of six wives who met various unpleasant fates. The version I saw wasn’t performed on Broadway. It was not performed by theatre students on the University of Arizona campus, nor by grown semi-professionals in an independent theatre troupe.
It was performed by a collective of female- and nonbinary-identifying teen actors, driven to push their boundaries, test their limits, and find out more about who they are. It was a beautiful, witty, fierce display of girl power. The audience loved it, and I left feeling deeply moved AND inspired by all the performers. (Here at Archaeology Southwest, we are especially proud of one of the six stars, Eleanor Gann, daughter of this newsletter’s editor and VP of Communications & Outreach, Kate Sarther!)
What does this have to do with archaeology, you ask? Well. In order to make it in this business, we have to eat, sleep, and breathe our subject matter. It’s not just a job. It’s not just a career or even a profession; it’s a lifestyle, and one that requires sacrifices at every stage of the game. Just like artists, teachers, actors, and musicians, society expects us to pay what I call a “passion tax”—to accept lower pay simply because we love what we do, even though our work has undeniable value.
As I watched the raucous finale of SIX, I realized again that we must continuously reflect on and appreciate the places from which the gift of joy emanates in and from our lives. Especially now. Yesterday, I received that gift from a talented cast of young actors doing something they so clearly love to do.
Until next time,
Steve Nash
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
Banner image: Drill pad near a Chacoan site.
Threats to Public Lands Intensify
President Donald Trump is expected to reverse President Joe Biden’s designation of two national monuments in California supported by area tribes. The Department of Justice issued an opinion that it is in the president’s purview to do away with Chuckwalla National Monument and Sáttítla Highlands National Monument. There is additional pressure to at least reduce the side of Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase Escalante as President Trump did during his first term. The changes to national monuments also come as Republicans in Congress propose selling millions of acres of federal land, some of which is important to nearby tribes. We’ll get a rundown of the likely land moves and how it affects people. Host Shawn Spruce with guests Joseph Mirelez, Davina Smith, Matthew Campbell, and Tiana Williams-Claussen. Native America Calling | Listen now »
Mark Squillace, a professor of natural resources law at the University of Colorado Law School, said in an email that the 1938 opinion determined the Antiquities Act “did not specifically authorize future presidents to reverse the decisions of their predecessors.” The power to reverse a monument rests with Congress, he said, but Congress has never used it.
“We should not forget that these are public lands,” he said. “As such, protecting these shared public resources, including the cultural, biological and aesthetic resources, on our public lands should be the government’s management priority. In this sense, doubts about the president’s authority should be resolved in favor of protecting those resources, because once they are gone they are likely lost forever.” Wyatt Myskow for Inside Climate News | Read more »
A legal official at the Department of Justice has concluded that President Donald Trump has the authority to not only shrink but completely abolish areas protected as national monuments. The memo provides the legal framework for a broad reduction of federal land protections that Trump officials have alluded to for months. Chris D’Angelo, Jimmy Tobias, and Roque Planas in High Country News (via Public Domain) | Read more »
Related commentary and analysis on Dep. Asst. AG Lanora C. Pettit’s legal opinion: “But I can say that in spite of its wordiness—Pettit spends 50 pages repeating her thin arguments in an apparent effort to bore the reader into acquiescence—the opinion lacks substance and logic.” Jonathan P. Thompson at The Land Desk | Read more »
Commentary: A Simple Guide to the Great Public Land Heist
[In this post] I’m going to break this out by types of public land, explaining what each is, its importance to the economy (which should give you an idea of why greedy people want to get their hands on these assets), and all the ways in which each type of land is currently under attack. I’m also including links to previous coverage and external learning material, as well as details of what you can do to fight to keep our nation’s natural heritage unimpaired. Wes Siler’s Newsletter | Read more »
Related: Wes Siler’s 6/13/25 interview with Tracy Stone-Manning, President of The Wilderness Society and former Director of the Bureau of Land Management | Watch now »
Commentary: A Thought Exercise on How Senator Mike Lee’s Public Land Sell-Off Could (Theoretically) Impact One Cultural Landscape
I went through this exercise somewhat inadvertently recently as I rode my bike on a trail through a place known as Hidden Valley on National Forest land north of town [Durango CO]. The valley floor is nearly perfectly level, having been carved by a glacier many millennia ago, and bounded on two sides by bone-white sandstone cliffs. Up until the fifth century A.D., Pueblo people inhabited and farmed the valley, and the area continues to hold cultural and archaeological significance. …
That this tract of public land would be sold off for development is almost unthinkable. And yet, it fits all of the criteria: It is just a few miles from town, is sandwiched between existing residential areas, is easily accessible and quite buildable, and infrastructure is already in place. Jonathan P. Thompson at The Land Desk | Read more »
New Mexico Delegation Officially Opposes any Revocation of Chaco Protection Zone
In a new letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, New Mexico’s congressional delegation chastised federal efforts to revoke a 10-mile buffer zone for oil and gas development around Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
“Pursuing increased development on [Bureau of Land Management] lands within the ten-mile area that surrounds Chaco Canyon—so rich in cultural, spiritual, and historical significance—is misguided and risks permanent damage to one of the most sacred landscapes in North America,” the letter stated. “Additionally, it is unacceptable to push forward without full and robust Tribal consultation.” Danielle Prokop at Source New Mexico | Read more »
Analysis of Threat to the Chaco Protection Zone
Interior Secretary Burgum is considering reduction options for the 10-mile protection zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park—either revocation of the entire withdrawal or reduction in size or types of minerals ordered withdrawn, with an exemption for oil and gas. Any reduction or alteration to the withdrawal would be catastrophic for the protection of the Park and the resources that lie within the 10-mile zone. In 2020, Archaeology Southwest completed a reconnaissance project of the 10-mile zone, identifying roughly 4,200 known archaeological, cultural, and historic sites in the 700,000-acre area encompassed by the zone. Paul F. Reed for the Preservation Archaeology blog (Archaeology Southwest) | Read more »
“The Erasers”: Fighting Graffiti in Public Lands (and Elsewhere)
Some of the most damaging graffiti is done on top of ancient rock paintings and petroglyphs. In certain cases, archaeologists may decide to leave it in place rather than risk altering the original image further. “It’s not a victimless crime,” said Anastasia Walhovd, a preservation archaeologist at Archaeology Southwest and an enrolled member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. “It directly impacts Tribal communities, their sense of place and their heritage.” …
The “see something, say something” approach is a major tool for graffiti prevention. Savehistory.org, a collaborative effort between archaeologists, Tribal partners and government agencies, set up a tip line to report vandalism, as well as the looting and trafficking of artifacts, and several states have established steward programs where volunteers visit archaeological sites regularly and notify land managers about graffiti and other violations. Nicholas Brulliard for National Parks Magazine | Read more »
Innovative VR Game Highlights Indigenous Narratives at Iconic U.S. National Parks
Resonant, the first virtual reality (VR) experience created with Hopi tribal members…[offers] an unprecedented Indigenous-led journey through the ancestral sites of Wupatki Pueblo at Wupatki National Monument in Arizona and Balcony House, part of Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Resonant centers and lifts up Hopi voices to foster deeper understanding of Indigenous knowledge and cultural resilience—inviting players to experience ancestral landscapes as living, sacred places through immersive and respectful virtual storytelling. CyArk | Learn more »
Commentary: Learn Whose Land You Are On
I developed a three-layer system to help people connect with the land and the people of the land. One: Learn whose land you are on. Two: Learn how to say their traditional name, and what that name translates to. Three: Learn how to say “thank you” in that language. Lingít, Oyate, Diné—all of our names mean “people.” Indigenous people are older than the terms Native or Indigenous. We are the people; we are human. With this three-layer learning system, the message I am trying to get through asks you to see us as human, and to say, “Thank you.” Picking up those words shows that you respect us and want to learn—that you see us, and you hear us. S’Eiltin Jamaiann Hasselquist (Lingít) in High Country News | Read more »
ASM Curator Diane Dittemore Retires
Since 1979, Diane’s purview has been the ethnological collections—objects dating from 1540 to today. While her focus is Southwest Native cultural arts, “her” collections include thousands of objects from around the globe. Whether it’s a Yavapai basket or a Chinese silk robe, her mission has always been the same—she has wanted you to see it and learn about it. … “It was the Apache fiddles that brought me here and almost 50 years later, I’m still here.” Darlene Lizarraga for the Arizona State Museum | Read more »
June In-Person Lectures (Santa Fe NM)
June 23, John R. Welch, Fortresses of the Upper Salt River, Arizona; June 30, Philippe S. Cohen, Our Global Backyards: Field Stations and Marine Labs. 6:00 p.m., Hotel Santa Fe. $20 at the door. Southwest Seminars | Learn more »
June 24 In-Person Event (Tucson AZ): 27th Annual Día de San Juan Fiesta
Visit Tucson’s Mission Garden to experience a beloved tradition that marks the beginning of the monsoon season. This special event features music, dancing, food, traditional blessings, and activities for all. It will be an evening of community, culture, and the anticipation of summer rains in the beauty of the garden. 6:00 p.m., 946 W. Mission Lane. Donations appreciated. Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace and Menlo Park Neighborhood Association | Learn more »
June 26 Online Event: Lithophones in Colorado
With Marilyn Martorano. A new class of prehistoric artifacts called portable lithophones has been identified from Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve and the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado. “Litho” is Greek for stone and “phone” means sound. A lithophone is a musical instrument consisting of a purposely-selected rock, often formally-shaped, that is tapped or rubbed with friction to produce musical notes. Portable and stationary lithophones have been utilized in ancient and modern cultures around the world for thousands of years. Only a few highly-modified, portable lithophones have been formally recognized in North America, and none have been previously documented in Colorado. The artifacts being studied were originally thought to have functioned as grinding stones, pestles, and/or digging tools; however, testing has verified their acoustical properties. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | Learn more and register (free) »
July 2 Online Event: Who Are the Pueblos? The History and Legacy of the Ancient-to-Contemporary Puebloans
With Jon Ghahate, Pueblos of Laguna and Zuni. Drawing on historical, cultural, and archaeological evidence surrounding US Southwest ancestral sites, this presentation offers an analysis of the Ancestral Puebloan and Native American presence in the West, especially in the Four Corners region. Emphasis is placed on reassessing former historical negative stereotypes of past and present Puebloan communities, highlighting the diversity, sophistication, and complexity of these peoples as exhibited through their culture, language and philosophy. Presented on YouTube. Friends of History | Learn more and register (donations encouraged) »
July 17 Online Event: The Great Rock Art of Chaco Canyon
With Jane Kolber. Kolber will show and discuss some of the nearly 20,000 Ancient Chacoan and Diné (Navajo) rock-art elements that she and her research teams recorded at over 300 archaeological sites during the Chaco Rock Art Reassessment project, Chaco Navajo Rock Art project, and Chaco Archaeological Inventory on Navajolands project. Third Thursday Food for Thought series (Old Pueblo Archaeology Center) | Learn more and register (free) »
Remember to send us notice of upcoming events and webinars, tours and workshops, and anything else you’d like to share with the Friends. Thanks!