Crow Canyon Archaeological Center

Join our next Discover #Archaeology webinar on May 16, What’s Going on at the Edge of the Greater Southwestern World? Current Research on Fremont Farming Communities in Far Northwestern Colorado In this presentation, Dr. Jason LaBelle provides an overview of his lab’s ongoing work on Fremont farming communities located along the base of Blue Mountain, situated between the Yampa and White River valleys of southwestern Moffat County, Colorado. He will discuss results from excavation (5MF379, 5MF607, 5MF835), pedestrian survey, radiocarbon dating, repository collections work, and photogrammetric mapping of over 20 granaries scattered in this rugged canyon country. Rather than being an isolated and ephemeral occupation, he argues that Blue Mountain was (relatively) intensively occupied by small hamlets of farmers approximately 1,000 years ago, and one of a number of contemporaneous Fremont polities in the region, centered in places like Canyon Pintado, Cub Creek, Castle Park, and Browns Park. Learn more & register for this complimentary webinar at https://lnkd.in/gAWSkxvZ

Join our next Discover #Archaeology webinar on May 9, Explaining the Pueblo in Kansas: Ethnogenesis of Apachean and Puebloan Communities on the High Plains Nearly 120 years ago, researchers identified a most unusual find for western Kansas: a seven-room masonry pueblo. This discovery led to repeated archaeological excavations of this site (Scott County Pueblo) and other nearby related sites. The available information suggests these localities were occupied by migrants from the Rio Grande Pueblos who lived alongside Indigenous Apache (Ndee) groups for several generations during the early 1600s to late 1700s. In this presentation, Dr. Matthew Hill describes his and Dr. Margaret Beck’s systematic reanalysis of these sites and highlights their findings about occupation history, the residents’ identities, and regional social connections with other groups in and around the Great Plains. Learn more & register for this complimentary webinar at https://lnkd.in/gCDC8S8t

We look forward to sharing #research findings at the upcoming 2024 Society of #Ethnobiology Annual Conference, April 24–27, 2024. Read about topics to be presented by Crow Canyon staff and research associates on our blog at https://lnkd.in/gGJzNsQv

Join our next Discover #Archaeology webinar on May 2: Matanzas, Meals, and Mourning: Native American life at Mission Santa Clara de Asis Rancheria Recent excavations at the rancheria at Mission Santa Clara in California have produced abundant data on the life of Native Americans in the context of missionization from A.D. 1790 to 1840. This unique dataset provides rare insight into the lifeways of native Californians at the mission not represented in historical documents, particularly the persistence of some traditional practices. In this talk, Dr. Potter will discuss a range of documented activities, including those conducted in private spaces in adobe domestic structures and those performed in more communal spaces, such as feasting and the performance of traditional mourning ceremonies. Learn more & register for this complimentary webinar at https://lnkd.in/gPm4H6wu

The Society for American Archaeology's 89th Annual Meeting is in New Orleans April 17–21, 2024, and Crow Canyon researchers are getting ready to present papers, posters, and lead symposia on a fascinating array of topics! Learn more about what they'll be presenting on our blog at https://lnkd.in/gMfuCbeF #archaeology

Join our next Discover #Archaeology webinar on April 18, Climate History & Indigenous Futures: Climate Adaptation for Contested Landscapes Coming up April 18: This presentation considers how narratives of ecological damage—particularly those associated with climate change—have been used to constrain, contest, and erase Indigenous land relationships and tribal sovereignty. Yet, in the last few decades there has been a surge of interest in Indigenous environmental knowledges, particularly for its relevance in developing climate adaptation strategies. Tribal nations now find themselves being asked to share their traditional knowledge with the same colonial institutions that occupy and manage their homelands. What would it look like to rethink environmental land management through the lens of Indigenous futurisms? Using this framework, Dr. Schneider will discuss examples of the process of building institutional partnerships with tribal communities that center the needs, visions, and agency of tribal nations as a starting point for climate adaptation. Learn more & register for this complimentary webinar at https://lnkd.in/g727spEH #Indigenousknowledge #climatechange #climateadaptation

In our latest report from Crow Canyon's #Research Institute, EVP Susan Ryan, discusses the relationship between humans and canids (wolves, jackals, foxes, coyotes, and dogs). Read more about one of the oldest partnerships ever forged, having begun at least 30,000 years ago when humans formed symbiotic relationships with wolves, on our blog at https://lnkd.in/gt-6Skuq

Join our next Discover #Archaeology webinar on April 11: Recent and Continuing Research on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Resolves Island Mysteries Rapa Nui (#EasterIsland) has long fascinated researchers and visitors alike. Famous for its nearly 1,000 megalithic statues (moai), the island has been portrayed as a case of ecological suicide and cultural collapse. Part of this narrative of failure involves the making and transport of the giant moai. However, detailed field research over the past two decades has changed our understanding dramatically. In this presentation, Dr. Hunt shares his research and reveals how many of the island’s long-standing mysteries have now been resolved. Learn more & register for this complimentary webinar at https://lnkd.in/gMSFrdph

Please join us in welcoming Benjamin Strickland to the Crow Canyon team! He will be supporting the growth and development of Crow Canyon’s wide community of learners in his position as Outreach Associate. Learn more about Benjamin at https://lnkd.in/gzJSW6sx

Join our next Discover #Archaeology webinar on April 4: Leaving Traces: Fairy Houses, Kindness Stones, and Constructed Heritage Anyone who spends a lot of time on public lands in the U.S. is likely to encounter traces intentionally left by modern visitors, such as rock cairns, painted “kindness stones,” or even fairy houses. For some people, including most park managers, these traces are a violation of the Leave No Trace ethic. But, others find them charming and question what real harm they cause. This talk offers an anthropological analysis of what the practice of leaving traces is all about and why people have such different views, drawing on philosophical understandings of wilderness, cultural heritage studies, and archaeology of the contemporary. The presenters focus in particular on two parks known for their Indigenous stories, Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado and Machimoodus State Park in Connecticut. This presentation is part of the Four Corners Lecture Series. To participate via Zoom, register at https://lnkd.in/gEPyM4ud.