SUMMER NEWSLETTER 2024
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Students take away valuable lessons in respect, collaboration, and ethics......page 2 What are Crow Canyon’s interns up to?.....page 3 Field Schools provide crucial training for archaeology careers..... page 4 Hope-based narratives of ethical discourse and accountability in archaeology.....page 5 August is National Make-a-Will month.....page 6
Participants on the Glen Canyon Rising Cultural Explorations travel program learn about rock imagery from storytellers and knowledge keepers in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center is a nonprofit organization located near Mesa Verde National Park in southwest Colorado. Our Mission: To empower present and future generations by making the human past accessible and relevant through archaeological research, experiential education, and American Indian knowledge. Our Vision: To expand the sphere in which we operate, both geographically and intellectually, and show how the knowledge gained through archaeology can help build a healthier society.
Students take away valuable lessons in respect, collaboration, and ethics
(left) Students from Augustus H. Shaw Jr. Montessori School in Phoenix, AZ, work with their teachers to prepare for their Crow Canyon experience. (below) Wheaton Montessori students learn survey techniques from Crow Canyon educator Jon Ghahate.
During the 2024 spring school season, 350 students from 14 elementary, middle, and high schools participated in hands-on, experiential educational programming on the Crow Canyon campus. From long-time visitors like Colorado Academy in Denver to first timers like Wheaton Montessori who traveled all the way from Illinois, students and teachers alike reported positive and deep learning experiences. Survey results confirm that students are gaining a more inclusive, accurate perspective of U.S., Southwest, and global history, learning how to navigate ethical dilemmas, and adopting Visit with Respect principles: 91.9% responded “strongly agree” to the statement “If I come across an artifact on the landscape, I should leave it where it is.” 83.8% responded “strongly agree” to the statement “It is crucial for archaeologists to collaborate with descendant communities before, during, and after any project.” 95.9% responded “strongly agree” to the statement “I understand the importance of visiting cultural sites with respect.” Our single day and overnight programs for school groups are designed for students in grades 4 through 12. Through hands- on activities and group discussion, students "experience" another time and culture in replica dwellings on Crow Canyon's campus. Core activities teach students about archaeology, Ancestral Pueblo histories, the scientific process, and the complex interactions between people and their environments. This spring we introduced simulated archaeological survey to campus, and Wheaton Montessori was the first school to try it out.
“Mr. Tyson, my instructor, showed us old pots and pottery made by real Puebloan people. All of the pottery was real which was one of the most life changing things I have ever seen. This trip will never be forgotten by me. Thank you so much.” — Wally S., St. Catherine’s Montessori, Houston, TX
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What are Crow Canyon’s interns up to? Our first 2024 cohort of interns wrapped up their Crow Canyon experience in mid-July. Internships at Crow Canyon are hands- on, experiential opportunities for students to build their resumes, expand transferable skills, and develop professional connections that advance career pathways. Interns reside in rustic hogans on campus and get to work closely with and learn from a wide variety of people. Here are a few of the projects they worked on during their time with us:
Delancey Griffin, American Indian Initiatives Intern : presented about Indigenous Archaeology, and developed strategies to help more Indigenous people get involved in internships Annie Kane, Education Intern : worked on lesson plans for a model pithouse and pueblo that teachers can deliver in the classroom Carly Rusch, Field Intern : helped develop and deliver a new Intro to Cultural Resource Management (CRM)
evening program for College Field School students and other interns Julia Frost, Field Intern : developed a poster on the East Great House (Haynie site) to present at the Pecos Conference in early August Jonah Bullen, Lab Intern : identified fragments of plants recovered from a 1,200-year-old structure at the Haynie site Ivan Clow, Lab Intern : recovered tiny pressure flakes from projectile point manufacture, tiny beads, and tiny animal bones from the heavy fractions of flotation samples from the Haynie site Chelsea Betts, Zooarchaeology Intern : worked on a project measuring artiodactyl body size in the Mesa Verde region through time
(left to right) Ivan Clow, Delancey Griffin, Chelsea Betts, Julia Frost, Jonah Bullen, Annie Kane, Carly Rusch
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Field Schools provide crucial training for archaeology careers
(above) College Field School students hold samples of ground stone. (below) College Field School students on a field trip to Shields Pueblo, north of Cortez.
At Crow Canyon, the future is just as important as the past, and making sure the next generation of archaeology professionals is gaining well-rounded skills to support their career paths is an important part of our mission. College Field School is one of many programs we offer that support career development. Through Crow Canyon’s College Field School, undergraduate students actively engage in research alongside professional mentors within the framework of a long-term research project, the Northern Chaco Outliers Project. This direct experience with authentic research provides students with the necessary skills to secure future employment within archaeology and to pursue advanced degrees, emerging as the next generation of professionals, Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, educators, and leaders within the sciences. College Field School is funded in part by the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program which supports 10 undergraduate students from underrepresented populations over the course of seven weeks. We also partnered with the PaleoWest Foundation and Chronicle Heritage this summer to host an additional field school for those interested in pursuing careers in Cultural Resource Management (CRM). Read more about this partnership on our blog.
Each of these field schools welcomed 10 students in 2024.
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Hope-based narratives of ethical discourse and accountability in archaeology The 2024 Society for American Archaeology (SAA) in New Orleans held a forum titled Is Anyone Listening?: Ethical Accountability in the SAA , coordinated by the organization’s mandated Task Force on Decolonization. Rebecca Renteria, Crow Canyon American Indian Initiatives Outreach Coordinator, sits on the Task Force and helped coordinate the forum, lending perspectives on ethics informed by Crow Canyon’s values and mission. This year’s forum centered on solutions towards accountability in the archaeology discipline. Here, accountability encompasses ethical movements towards justice and reconciliation, providing both paths for healing and physical spaces that reflect the rich histories of marginalized communities. Rebecca also worked alongside Task Force members to co- author a 2024 report to the SAA Board of Directors that served to create actionable solutions that address justice and reconciliation in the organization as a whole. Transparency, meaningful and sincere updates to diversity statements and land acknowledgements, and fostering inviting and inclusive spaces for a more representative discipline were a few of the points addressed. Though the Task Force retired in 2024, Rebecca will continue to engage in these conversations as a member of the SAA’s Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice.
Much happens behind the scenes of Crow Canyon’s Research Institute. Led by Crow Canyon EVP, Dr. Susan C. Ryan, the Institute community is comprised of Crow Canyon research staff, research volunteers, and external research associates. In her monthly blog posts, Dr. Ryan shares fascinating discoveries and significant projects, while connecting the past to the present. Here are links to her latest posts: Remembrance and Commemoration in the Past and Present The A.D. 1130–1180 Megadrought in the Northern Southwest The Haves and Have Nots of Obsidian Better Together – The Story of Humans and Dogs A Remarkable Recovery: Cotton Pollen Identified from the Haynie Site Posts are announced on social media and posted on our website at CrowCanyon.org/news. Don’t miss the Research Institute blog
“Relevancy to the discipline— actually to humanity—means those of us underrepresented in our discipline have such a transformative and pivotal role in this work. Rather than seeing ourselves as vulnerable people and communities, we actually know what it takes to sustain our peoples and histories because we’re still here to tell our stories—and that is one of the most hopeful perspectives that keeps me doing this work,” says Rebecca.
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Plan Ahead and Create Your Legacy at Crow Canyon August is National Make-a-Will Month, and it’s a good time to be reminded of the importance of drafting or updating your will to make sure your final wishes are implemented as you intended. In fact, it’s important to have your estate plan in order at almost every stage of life! According to the national organization AARP, “Everyone should have the opportunity to understand the benefits of creating a will and the impact it can have on their loved ones. Having a will can ensure that your loved ones are well taken care of and your assets are distributed according to your wishes.”
When you make the decision to include Crow Canyon in your will, you help to ensure the long-term future of this institution you deeply care about. You become a member of the Crow Canyon Legacy Society, a special group of people who have invested in Crow Canyon’s future with a planned gift. You can also make a planned gift to Crow Canyon without visiting an attorney. Learn more about legacy giving and a few of Crow Canyon’s Legacy Society members in this blog post on our website. And, feel free to reach out to Sarah Grace Pretzer, Major and Planned Gifts Officer, at spretzer@crowcanyon.org or 970-560- 7545 to talk about options for including Crow Canyon in your estate plan.
“When you make the decision to include Crow Canyon in your will, you help to ensure the long-term future of this institution you deeply care about.” — Sarah Grace Pretzer, Major and Planned Gifts Officer
Other Crow Canyon news
Welcome Theresa Pasqual, Acoma Pueblo, as Executive Vice President (EVP) of Indigenous Affairs.
Participants on the Glen Canyon Rising Cultural Explorations travel program explore Glen Canyon National Recreation Area by boat.
Our Discover Archaeology Webinar Series has hosted many fantastic speakers and experts over the past few months! Catch the ones you missed on our YouTube channel.
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