Archaeological faunal assemblages are time-stamped biological records that allow us to test long-standing assumptions about species’ ecological roles and anchor modern management goals to pre-industrial baselines. By pairing zooarchaeological data with isotopic analyses, we can reconstruct historical diets, trophic positions, and habitat use. In this talk, Emma illustrates this approach with the sea otter (Enhydra lutris), a keystone marine predator nearly driven extinct by the Euro-American maritime fur trade. She presents isotopic data from sea otter bones recovered at archaeological sites in southeast Alaska, northern Oregon, and California; this archaeological record reflects the deep and enduring ecological stewardship by Indigenous communities of the Pacific coast. These localities also span a gradient of modern sea otter population recovery trajectories, including regions (Oregon) where sea otters existed historically but have not yet successfully recolonized. Prior to the fur trade, sea otters occupied broad ecological niches in all regions. In southeast Alaska, isotopic data suggest that recovering sea otter populations may overlap strongly with resources targeted by traditional and subsistence fisheries, foreshadowing potential conflicts. In Oregon, kelp forests stand out as critical habitat for past sea otter populations and should be considered in future reintroduction efforts. In California, modern sea otters display markedly contracted diet breadth relative to their pre-fur-trade predecessors, exposing lost trophic roles invisible to modern monitoring. By supplying ecological insights otherwise unavailable, this study pinpoints key habitats and trophic links essential for recovery of a keystone species, illustrating the value of zooarchaeology and isotopic analysis in linking historical ecology with contemporary conservation efforts.

For more info and to register: https://crowcanyon.org/zooarchaeology-as-a-tool-for-conservation-and-management-a-case-study-on-sea-otters/

-This is not an NMAC event.

The Meaning and Making of Maize Beer in the Andes

DR. FRANCES HAYASHIDA (Professor of Anthropology & Director of the Latin American & Iberian Institute, University of New Mexico)

In the Andes, maize beer was and continues to be both an everyday beverage and a substance essential for social and ritual exchanges. It fueled the empire of the Inkas, who brewed, served, and sacrificed maize beer in vast quantities. In this talk, archaeologist Dr. Hayashida will discuss the uses of maize beer in prehispanic times, and how observations of contemporary brewing help identify and interpret brewing in the past. In-person lecture also offered on Zoom.

For more info and to register: https://maxwellmuseum.unm.edu/news-events/event/archaeology-day-lecture-dr-frances-hayashida-meaning-and-making-maize-beer-andes

-This is not an NMAC event.

Join us on Saturday, October 18th from 10:00am – 12:00pm in the courtyard of the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology for our Fall Family Day! The event is free, and we will have fun and informative activities for all ages. Refreshments available while supplies last.

Humans have long partnered with tiny organisms to create color, flavor, and culture. Learn all about the art and science of fermentation in our exhibit Entangled Cultures: How Humans and Microbes Co-create through Fermentation. Then, continue to explore the chemistry of color and make something beautiful using indigo dye! Just as fermentation transforms foods through the work of microbes, the indigo dyeing process depends on living chemistry to deep blue colors to life.

We’ll provide fabric, or you can bring your own from home. Warning! Splashes can happen, so wear clothes that can handle a few spots.

For more info and to register: https://maxwellmuseum.unm.edu/news-events/event/fall-family-day-exploring-fermentation-indigo-dye

-This is not an NMAC event.

“Always Watching: A Possible Axis Mundi at Three Rivers Petroglyph Site” free in-person presentation Joan E. Price, MFA sponsored by Jornada Research Institute (Tularosa, NM) at Otero Arts Center, 1118 Indiana Ave, Alamogordo, New Mexico.

6 pm. Free.

Joan Price draws on academic, Native American, and ethnographic reports to interpret the cultural identity and significance of a jaguar, the largest feline petroglyph at Three Rivers petroglyphs site – a southern New Mexico precontact gallery of thousands of petroglyphs managed by the US Bureau of Land Management. She will discuss two companion panels, one featuring a richly decorated jaguar and the other an enigmatic single-line design with numerous apparently celestial glyphs unique to Three Rivers, and their context in a sacred solar landscape of Sierra Blanca Mountain and the Tularosa Basin floor.

For more information fill out the contact form at jornadaresearchinstitute.org/membership/.

-This is not an NMAC event.

Dr. Rael-Gálvez will present Native Bound Unbound: Archive of Indigenous Slavery. The objective of Native Bound-Unbound is to create a digital repository centered on the lives of the enslaved Indigenous people across the Americas.

For more info and to register: https://crowcanyon.org/native-bound-unbound-archive-of-indigenous-slavery/

-This is not an NMAC event.

The Journal of Anthropological Research (JAR) is honored to welcome Dr. Severin Fowles, Professor of Anthropology and American Studies, Chair of Anthropology, and Director of the Archaeology Track at Barnard College, Columbia University.

Lecture Abstract:
The history of colonialism in the American West is not just the story of how European people, animals, and technologies invaded Indigenous worlds but also of how these things were engaged, redeployed, countered, rejected, and, in some cases, embraced by native communities. In this paper, I look beyond the horses, guns, germs, and steel that have dominated materialist analyses of the colonial encounter to consider the circulation of images—or more precisely, the circulation of new understandings of what images are and how they function. My focus is on the “Biographic Tradition,” an Indigenous mode of iconographic production that rapidly spread across the Great Plains and parts of New Mexico during the early colonial period. The Biographic Tradition had a strongly archival sensibility, dominated by graphic illustrations of the exploits of specific Plains warriors. In my account of the origins and development of this tradition, two arguments are advanced: first, that the Biographic Tradition was the child of colonialism, directly influenced by European aesthetics and logics of historical depiction, and second, that such images quickly developed into their own theater of war, enacting rather than merely representing violence.

For more info and to register: https://maxwellmuseum.unm.edu/news-events/event/image-capture-war-and-iconology-colonial-new-mexico-lecture-dr-fowles

-This is not an NMAC event.

“War and Iconology in Colonial New Mexico” Journal of Anthropological Research Distinguished Lecture by archaeologist Severin Fowles, PhD in Hibben Center for Archaeology Research Room 105, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.

5:30 pm. Free.

The history of colonialism in the American West is not just the story of how European people, animals, and technologies invaded Indigenous worlds but also of how these things were engaged, redeployed, countered, rejected, and, in some cases, embraced by native communities. In this lecture, archaeologist Dr. Severin Fowles (Columbia University) looks beyond the horses, guns, germs, and steel that have dominated materialist analyses of the colonial encounter to consider the circulation of images – or more precisely, the circulation of new understandings of what images are and how they function. His focus is on the “Biographic Tradition,” an Indigenous mode of iconographic production that rapidly spread across the Great Plains and parts of New Mexico during the early colonial period. The Biographic Tradition had a strongly archival sensibility, dominated by graphic illustrations of the exploits of specific Plains warriors. In his account of the origins and development of this tradition Dr. Fowles advances two arguments: that the Biographic Tradition was the child of colonialism, directly influenced by European aesthetics and logics of historical depiction; and that such images quickly developed into their own theater of war, enacting rather than merely representing violence.

For more information contact Suzanne Oakdale at soakdale@unm.edu.

-This is not an NMAC event.

“A Look at Sandhill Cranes & Native American History” free in-person presentation by Joseph Tackes sponsored by Friends of Coronado and Jemez Historic Sites at the Martha Liebert Public Library, 124 Calle Malinche, Bernalillo (behind the Town Hall at 829 Camino del Pueblo).

2 pm. Free.

Sandhill cranes are a staple sight in New Mexico during the winter months, but is there more to the history of these birds than what meets the eye? This lecture dives into the presence of sandhill cranes withing the Indigenous histories of New Mexico and the Greater Southwest. Joseph Tackes will discuss iconography in the forms of pottery and petroglyphs, excavation data regarding faunal remains, and the general relationship between cranes and humans over time. Joseph is a Historic Site Interpretive Ranger at the Coronado Historic Site where some his responsibilities include researching site history, setting up wildlife cameras, providing guided tours and uploading weekly social media posts.

For more information visit https://www.coronadojemezfriends.org/lectures.

-This is not an NMAC event.

Carrie Heitman and her team, working in collaboration with Octavius Seowtewa and other Zuni leaders, have spent the last three years making two short documentary films about archaeological and ethnographic collections removed from the Pueblo of Zuni and taken to the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The films feature Zuni artists, religious leaders, and knowledge keepers, and follow members of the Zuni Cultural Resource Advisory Team on their travels to Washington, D.C. to reunite with ancestral belongings. The films ask: What was lost in the taking? And what can be regained by sharing A:shiwi (Zuni) histories of connection? During this presentation you will see the 15-minute public film followed by a commentary and Q&A with Octavius and Carrie.

For more info and to register: https://crowcanyon.org/through-a-zuni-lens-museum-collections-and-collaborative-filmmaking/

-This is not an NMAC event.

Nena Lopez, Teacher, Kwiyagat Community Academy. Nena is from the Uintah Band of the Northern Ute Tribe out of Fort Duchesne, Utah and the Weenuche Band of the Ute Mountain Tribe out of Towaoc, Colorado. “My passion is teaching the children here in my homeland with the support of my family and community.” She teaches kindergarten at the Kwiyagat Community Academy in Towaoc, Colorado and has been instrumental in the development and refinement of their school’s Graduate Profile and 5th Grade Graduate Capstone. Her work at the Kwiyagat Community Academy has resulted in valuable contributions to ensuring students within her community experience quality education as promised by the school’s mission that was dreamed by the members of her community.

For more info and to register: https://crowcanyon.org/indigenous-education-elevating-the-genius-of-indigenous-communities/

-This is not an NMAC event.

Members only.

Pat Harris, Coordinator of Special Interests is in the planning stage for this exciting Field Trip. This trip immediately follows Coronado Ranger Joseph Tackes lecture program about Sandhill Cranes on October 26th at the Bernalillo Library.

The cranes arrive at the end of October and the snow geese around the first of November so we should be able to see these special birds. Among the sites to see are the Visitor Center (with interesting videos) and the Desert Arboretum. Scenic drives include the North Loop and South Loop where the birds can be observed. The ideal time to see them is at dawn and dusk, but this is a day trip that has more civilized hours. In addition, there may be Javelinas, mule deer, and wild turkeys roaming the grounds.

For more information:
https://www.coronadojemezfriends.org/friends-activities-events

-This is not an NMAC event.

Music serves as a living archive of culture, weaving stories, traditions, and spiritual wisdom across generations. In this insightful webinar, Tash Terry (Diné) and Elena Higgins of Indigie Femme delve into the profound role of Navajo music in preserving history, identity, and the Diné philosophy of the “Beauty Way” (Hózhó Jígo). Just as archaeology uncovers the physical remnants of the past, traditional songs act as oral artifacts, capturing Indigenous worldviews, relationships with the environment, and the continuity of cultural heritage.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn a traditional Navajo song while exploring how music bridges the past and present. The session will also examine how archaeologists and cultural stewards can integrate Indigenous knowledge systems into their research and interpretations. Through storytelling, discussion, and a shared “Beauty Way” chant around a traditional drum, this webinar offers a rich exploration of music as a vital component of archaeology—one that connects us to ancestral wisdom, the land, and the enduring spirit of resilience.

For more info and to register: https://crowcanyon.org/programs/harmonizing-tradition-navajo-music-and-the-beauty-way-in-archaeology/

-This is not an NMAC event.

In honor of Native American Heritage Month and Veteran’s Day, join veterans Ryan Begay (Diné) and Cassie Velarde Neher (Jicarilla Apache) in a special showing of Begay’s documentary.

The film celebrates the long history and service of Native Americans in the United States military, Veterans of the Southwest share personal stories and perspectives of their military service and their cultural experience. Honor Song, serves to highlight the continuing dedication of service in the military; the particularly high level of representation of Native American females; and how the integration of cultures plays a role for the future.

Questions & Answers session will follow the showing as well as an informal gathering with refreshments and food in the Hibben Center atrium (while supplies last).

For more info and to register: http://maxwellmuseum.unm.edu/news-events/event/film-screening-honor-song-director-ryan-begay

-This is not an NMAC event.