Dear Friends,
I’ve just returned from the 10th World Archaeological Congress (WAC) in Darwin, Australia.
Twenty years ago, I had the pleasure of working with the late Dr. Donny George Youkhanna, the director general of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad when it was looted on April 10, 2003. Donny recounted in excruciating detail how he and his staff worked tirelessly and with few resources to protect their world-class collection from looters by hiding (some of) it away in secure storerooms, or by moving things to other locations. It helped, but not by much.
Donny also recounted that there were actually three groups of looters who attacked the Iraq Museum. The first had advance knowledge of the museum’s contents and layout and had standing orders for specific pieces that were well known to art collectors and dealers around the world. The second group went after any archaeological materials they could find—ceramics, stone tools, cylinder seals, and the like. Although these would be worth a fraction of the masterpieces, they could be sold off on eBay and other auction sites for good money. The third group went after whatever they could find of potential value—brass doorknobs, chairs, computers, etc., and spirited it away.
Fast forward to today.
WAC is a triennial gathering of about 1,500 archaeologists from around the world, plus another 500 virtually. We gather to create and enhance community; discuss local, regional, and global problems; and ponder a future in which archaeology, ethics, and social justice are deeply intertwined. A May 2025 statement from WAC bluntly stated their premise: “Cultural heritage is integral to human dignity and community resilience, and its preservation is a basic human right.”
I attended a deeply disturbing session on Archaeology and Conflict, in which archaeologists from Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Yemen, and Ukraine, among others, presented damning evidence that terrorist organizations, national governments, and militias of all kinds are actively engaged in the destruction of cultural heritage sites and museums in and around war zones. Organizations that target cultural heritage know that heritage destruction is strategic violence. It IS cultural genocide.
They know that the loss of cultural heritage and memory, and by extension cultural identity and one’s sense of place, impedes future reconciliation between warring parties. Perpetrators also know that archaeological artifacts can be sold on the international art market for large sums of money that may then be used to fund further violence. The cumulative effect of all this? Intergenerational trauma, loss of tourism dollars, and more.
Donny was always quick to remind the international museum community to never engage the hubris that “it can’t/won’t happen here.” For many decades, he lived a solidly middle-class life in Iraq. Even under Saddam Hussein, the Iraq Museum enjoyed pride of place. Donny never thought his beloved museum would be looted, but it was.
Although we can take solace in the fact that no American museum has ever been systematically looted, we should remember and acknowledge that cultural heritage destruction has occurred for more 150 years and continues to occur across the American Southwest. The Mimbres Valley of southwestern New Mexico was so pock-marked by looter’s pits in the 1970s that it didn’t look much different from rural Lebanon, Syria, or Sudan today. And archaeological looting is still a daily occurrence in the US. Thankfully, preservation archaeologist Shannon Cowell and her Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) -funded team is documenting evidence of looting on Tribal land and helping bring perpetrators to justice. As our BIA team has written,
Looting is not a victimless crime. Theft, vandalism, and grave robbing degrade Tribal sovereignty and senses of place, community, and security. Preventing such crime requires partnerships that supplement and sustain Tribal capacities.
Senator Mike Lee’s withdrawal of the amendment that would have required selling off certain public lands across the West—legislation that would have led to the destruction of cultural landscapes and Ancestral places, because sites located on private land do not enjoy the same level of legal protection as those on public land—is a reprieve. But we’re not out of those woods yet. We must stay vigilant. And although this threat may not be as acute as that suffered in war zones, it is a chronic and long-term threat to cultural heritage nonetheless.
Until next time,
Steve Nash
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
Banner image: Evidence of looting, courtesy of D. J. Whiting
Continuing Coverage: Feds Urged to Keep Chaco Protection Zone
The oldest and largest organization representing tribal governments is urging action to protect Chaco Canyon from oil and gas leasing, amid what its leaders say are growing threats from the Trump administration’s energy policies.
The National Congress of American Indians passed a resolution urging action to restart efforts to protect Chaco Canyon and the public lands surrounding it, and to pass the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, which would create a permanent 10-mile buffer zone around the site restricting oil, gas and mineral extraction. Arlyssa Becenti for the Arizona Republic | Read more »
A coalition of more than two dozen conservation, Indigenous and historical preservation groups and 38 members of local and state government also this week submitted letters to U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, urging him to reverse course on removing the buffer zone.
“Chaco Canyon transcends politics—it is a place of reverence that is beloved throughout our nation,” the letter reads. “The 20-year mineral withdrawal represents years of careful tribal consultation, a tribally led ethnographic study, collaborative design, and thoughtful balancing of multiple uses. It provides essential protection for sacred sites and cultural resources while respecting Tribal sovereignty and development rights.” Danielle Prokop for Source NM | Read more »
Continuing Coverage: Historic Preservation Fund Unfrozen
On July 1, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released the long-stalled Notice of Funding Opportunity for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (SHPO and THPO) to apply for their FY 2025 annual funding, despite being fully funded by Congress in March 2025. This delay threatened the work of SHPOs and THPOs and put historic places at risk. After robust grassroots and targeted advocacy from a dedicated coalition of historic preservation organizations, we are relieved this funding has been released to begin the application process for annual funding.
Unfortunately, the future of federal support for preservation remains uncertain. The Administration’s proposed FY 2026 federal budget would slash the HPF almost entirely—a devastating blow to the people and programs that safeguard our shared heritage. Work is underway now in Congress to determine annual funding levels for federal agencies and programs. National Trust for Historic Preservation | Read more »
Continuing Coverage, Commentary, & Video: Sen. Mike Lee Withdraws Amendment Requiring Sale of Public Lands
Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) yesterday withdrew his amendment to the One Big Beautiful Act that would have mandated the sale of up to 1.2 million acres of Bureau of Land Management public lands across 11 Western states, citing his inability to guarantee the lands wouldn’t be sold to foreign interests like China. The withdrawal came after sustained bipartisan opposition from elected officials and the American public who understood that America’s public lands should remain in public hands. …
“Senator Lee’s public land sell-off amendment was on the wrong side of history and the American people. Polling consistently shows overwhelming bipartisan support for protecting public lands, and millions of Americans expressed fierce opposition to his sell-off scheme through calls, emails, and public comments. … Statement by Chris Hill, CEO, Conservation Lands Foundation | Read more »
Last week a proposal to sell millions of acres of public lands was ruled out by the Senate parliamentarian. Environmental groups heralded the news, but the threat of sell-offs remains. The Trump administration already has rolled back other rules protecting remote areas of the country, including the provision to keep roads out of national forests. Wyatt [Myskow] explains what’s at stake when public lands are sold, how the American public feels about it, and where we’re heading in this fiercely partisan debate. Inside Climate News | Watch now »
Safeguarding the Heart of P’osuwäegeh’ówîngeh
In the heart of the verdant northern Rio Grande Valley lies the Pueblo of Pojoaque, which is known in Tewa as P’osuwäegeh’ówîngeh, meaning “Water Drinking Village.” The Pueblo has a rich living cultural heritage tied to the traditions of their ancestors. On the Pueblo’s lands, large ancestral villages dating back over 1,000 years demonstrate the longevity and continuity of the community. At one of these ancestral villages, the Pueblo recently accomplished an important preservation project with support from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Archaeology Southwest’s Save History & ARPA Assistance Initiative, and MOS Research, LLC. Fermin Lopez, Michael Spears, and Sean O’Meara for Save History | Read more »
Continuing Coverage: Funding Cuts Imperil US Archaeology
Ari Caramanica, an archaeologist at Vanderbilt University, lost a $145,000 NEH grant for research into past human responses to flooding in northern Peru. She says the work, halted just 1 year into its planned 3-year tenure, has relevance today. Although the project focused on historical responses of ancient Peruvians to flooding, she says, it also aimed to contribute “innovative thinking” to problems that will inevitably become more urgent in the U.S. as climate change intensifies flooding.
The cancellation will also dim the future of archaeology in the U.S., she says, as the grant supported a Ph.D. student, one master’s student, and three bachelor’s students. … Caramanica says the cuts represent “an event that will mark ‘before’ and ‘after’ times; it’s existential, and it’s a completely novel disruption to our work with no foreseeable remedy.” Taylor Mitchell Brown in Science | Read more »
Publication Announcements
R.E. Burrillo and Angela Huster (2025). Below and Beyond Perry Mesa: The Archaeology of Greater West Verde, Journal of Arizona Archaeology 11(1). Available to AAC members by subscription or for purchase here.
John R. Welch, Michael C. Spears, Sean M. O’Meara, Katherine A. Portman, and Alexander J. Binford-Walsh (2025). Cultural Landscape Studies Help Match Cultural Resource Identification and Assessment Efforts to Undertaking Size and Complexity in the Section 106 Process.” Advances in Archaeological Practice, 1–24. Read now (open access) »
Aaron M. Wright (2025). Indigenous Archaeology, Collaborative Practice, and Rock Imagery: An Example from the North American Southwest. Arts 14, no. 3: 53. Read now (open access) »
July In-Person Lectures (Santa Fe NM)
July 7, Wade Campbell, Archaeology & Indigenous Food Sovereignty: An Early Diné Case Study from NW New Mexico; July 14, Tom Ribe, Inferno by Committee (history of the Cerro Grande fire); July 21, Thatcher Seltzer-Rogers, Mimbres Classic Pottery in Transition; July 28, John Haworth, Triumphs & Challenges of Contemporary Native Art. 6:00 p.m., Hotel Santa Fe, $20 at the door or $75 for the series of 4 lectures. Southwest Seminars | Learn more »
July 9 In-Person (Durango CO) and Online Event: Geographies of the Sacred—Landscapes and Rock Images that Reflect Movement and Living Histories
With Matthew Martinez (Ohkay Owingeh). Dr. Martinez is Executive Director of the Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project and First Lieutenant Governor of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. His knowledge and insight into the history of the northern Rio Grande’s Mesa Prieta area, as well as his vision, are invaluable for understanding the region’s ancient and modern peoples. 7:00 p.m. MDT, Center for SW Studies, 1000 Rim Dr. San Juan Basin Archaeological Society and Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project | Zoom link for webinar »
July 17 Online Event: Glen Canyon Rising (Short Film Screening)
With Lyle Balenquah and Craig Childs. Join us for a very special webinar presentation as we journey through the dramatically etched and colorful landscape of Glen Canyon, exploring its complex life cycle as a defining geological feature of the Colorado Plateau and its deep history as a homeland of Indigenous people. Through sweeping visuals, thoughtful commentary, and a live discussion with Lyle and Craig, Crow Canyon invites you to consider the enduring resilience of Indigenous people and the heart of a landscape that beats beneath the surface of a reservoir. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | Learn more and register (free) »
REMINDER: 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) »
Aug 17–19 Indigenous Foodways Workshop (San Juan Mountains, CO)
With A-dae Romero-Briones, Mary Motah Weakhee, Reyna Banteah, and Kate Thompson. The public is invited to register for this immersive workshop which includes two nights at the High Camp Hut, hiking in the alpine wilderness, ethnobotanical walks, plant-based food demonstrations, and cooking sessions inspired by traditional Indigenous cuisine. The workshop will be guided by renowned Indigenous educators who will share traditional knowledge of American Southwest cuisine and plant history. Tuition: $1,300; includes meals, lodging, instruction, and transportation to the hut. Registration Deadline: July 17, 2025 (space permitting thereafter). Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | Learn more »
Video Channel Roundup
NEW! On May 29, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center hosted Shannon Cowell and Anastasia Walhovd for a presentation on Archaeology Southwest/BIA’s ARPA Assistance Initiative, the website SaveHistory.org, historical trends and current issues in ARPA investigations and prosecutions, and how members of the public can respond when they encounter looting and vandalism on the ground or online. Watch now »
Catch up on some presentations not highlighted above that we might’ve missed, too! A simple click on any of the links to the YouTube channels of our Partners and Friends should catch you up. (And please do let us know if your channel isn’t in this list but should be.)
Albuquerque Archaeological Society
American Rock Art Research Association
Amerind Foundation
Archaeology Southwest
Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society
Arizona State Museum
Aztlander
Bears Ears Partnership
Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
Grand Canyon Trust
Grand Staircase Escalante Partners
Mesa Prieta Petroglyphs Project
Mission Garden (Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace)
Museum of Indian Arts and Cultures
Museum of Northern Arizona
Old Pueblo Archaeology Center
Pacific Coast Archaeological Society
San Diego Archaeological Center
School for Advanced Research
SHUMLA Archaeological Center
Southwest Seminars
The Archaeological Conservancy
Verde Valley Archaeology Center
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!