Iconic Western author Katie Lee journeys with a tribe’s spiritual talisman.
Archaeology
Posted inAugust 31, 2015: Unlocking the Methane Mystery
Hunting the Arctic’s disappearing treasures
Ancient artifacts in the thawing North vanish before archaeologists can document them.
Posted inArticles
Efforts to save Utah’s Cedar Mesa reach a crescendo
Conflicting county and state proposals would provide various levels of protection.
Posted inMay 25, 2015: Monument Man
Still quiet at Canyons of the Ancients
Modest increases in visitation and infrastructure since this Colorado monument designation in 2000.
Posted inArticles
Drilling Chaco: What’s actually at stake
It’s the archaeological landscape beyond New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon that is most threatened.
Posted inMarch 2, 2015: Unite and Conquer
Chronicling the work of an early Native American artist
Review of ‘In Search of Nampeyo: The Early Years, 1875-1892’ by Steve Elmore.
Posted inArticles
Fracking Georgia O’Keeffe Country
Drill rigs pop up near Navajo communities, Chaco Canyon and the iconic Black Place.
Posted inApril 28, 2014: Two-Wheel Revolution
A long-submerged town becomes visible
Water recedes under drought conditions and reveals a lost California community.
Posted inMarch 4, 2013: Uncertain Landing
Lake Mead’s retreat leaves Nevada ghost town high and dry
Looking down on a Nevada valley from a rocky ledge near the edge of Lake Mead, it was hard to believe that the bustling town of St. Thomas had ever thrived here. A woman shielded her eyes from the October sun and asked our guide, “Is this it?” Eighty years ago, neighbors gossiped under cottonwood […]
Posted inMarch 4, 2013: Uncertain Landing
Technology eases access to ancient ruins, for better or worse
My archaeological quest began in an SUV near Blanding Elementary School, where screaming children played kickball with a potato-shaped P.E. teacher. Winsten Dan, my cattle dog, slept on the backseat as I thumbed my smartphone; I had downloaded an app that saves PDFs from Web pages so they’re accessible outside cell reception. I used it […]
Posted inAugust 6, 2012: Of Birds and Men
In search of camas, a Native American food staple
Skull Island sits in Massacre Bay, in Washington’s San Juan archipelago. Here, in 1858, Haida raiders killed a band of Coast Salish and left the bones behind. I can think of other, perhaps more cheery spots to look for flowers, but Madrona Murphy’s enthusiasm is unstanched. “Look!” she calls as our boat nudges against shore. […]
Posted inAugust 6, 2012: Of Birds and Men
Historic plant cultivation in Northwest native tribes
The idea that the Coast Salish and other Northwest Native Americans cultivated plants was disputed until relatively recently. Famed anthropologist Franz Boas and his disciples argued that Native Americans didn’t need to cultivate plants thanks to abundant salmon runs; they could subsist on wild forage instead. According to Doug Deur, an anthropologist at Portland State […]
Posted inJune 25, 2012: Special travel issue
Three days in the Four Corners
The Four Corners country — the point where sage plains, mesas and desert canyons radiate out from the intersection of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah — is a land of friction. The cultures of the Ute, Apache and Navajo tribes rub up against the Hispanic and Anglo cultures. The ancient rudely bumps into the […]
Posted inJuly 19, 2010: The Ute Paradox
How to return a pot
Imagine discovering a pot tucked inside an ancient ruin on a hike. That’d really look nice on my mantel, you think, and grab it. Later, you learn that collecting artifacts from public lands is not only illegal, it permanently destroys the object’s original context and meaning — the information that helps archaeologists piece together the […]
Posted inWotr
Lessons from the mighty Maya
One theory about the collapse of the Maya civilization in Mexico some 1100 years ago is based on evidence that they had perfected a bureaucracy of corn. Exhaustive rules governed how corn was grown, distributed and consumed. A rigid hierarchy defined every individual’s social position and allotment of corn, and this cultural arrangement lasted 650 […]
Posted inDecember 8, 2008: Out in the cold
The missing puzzle piece
Bringing native perspectives into archaeology for a more complete picture of the past
Posted inOctober 13, 2008: Back to the future
The great giveaway
Utah BLM swings the door wide for ATVs and energy development
Posted inApril 28, 2008: Pillaging the Past
Pillaging the Past
Approximately 90 percent of archaeological sites in the Southwest have been vandalized.
Posted inNovember 27, 2006: The West: A New Center of Power
Destruction and discovery walk hand in hand
Energy boom fuels archaeology
Posted inAugust 21, 2006: The Lure of the Lawn
Nine reasons why a river is good for the soul
SILT. Healthy particles of silt are suspended in the river, buffed off eons of Wingate sandstone and the debris of flash floods fire-hosing through twisted arroyos. These tiny particles of soil, mud, stone, trees and bones scour our skin as we float in the slow, warm current of the river. We drift in silence, particles […]