Crow Canyon 40th Anniversary Conference and Celebration
October 12 through 14, 2023 Cortez, Colorado (schedule subject to change)
SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12
Field Trips to Yellow Jacket Pueblo, Mesa Verde National Park, Ute Farm and Ranch, and Hawkins Preserve scheduled for morning and afternoon. Advanced Reservations Required
Sack lunches provided by Browns Country Store in Mancos, served in the Holiday Inn Express breakfast room;
Crow Canyon provides beverages, assortment of fruit, and assortment of chips.
THURSDAY EVENING
5:30 – 8:00 at the Montezuma County Senior Center Annex, 107 N Chestnut, Cortez
Poetry reading, book signing, and reception with Poet Laureate Joy Harjo (Muscogee)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13
9:00 – 10:30 in the Tent: THE FUTURE OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND CHANGING VALUES with Liz Perry. Engage in conversation with a panel of Indigenous scholars and archaeologists about the future direction of the archaeology discipline and changing values.
10:30 - 10:45 BREAK
TRACK 1
10:45 – 12:00 in the Mesa Verde Room: RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND AMERICAN INDIAN PARTNERSHIPS AT THE CROW CANYON ARCHAEOLOGICAL CENTER with Susan Ryan.
Celebrate the 2023 release of Research, Education, and American Indian Partnerships at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, a book edited by Susan C. Ryan and published by the University Press of Colorado. Hear summaries of select chapters, presented by Benjamin Bellorado, Grant Coffey, Susan Ryan, Elaine Franklin, and Joseph Suina (Cochiti Pueblo).
TRACK 2
10:45 – 12:00 in the Hovenweep Room: DEMONSTRATION OF TRADITIONAL SKILLS with Mary Weahkee (Santa Clara Pueblo, Comanche Nation). She will demonstrate yucca sandal weaving, construction of turkey blankets and other Indigenous skills.
12:00 - 1:15 LUNCH
TRACK 1
1:15 – 2:45 in the Mesa Verde Room: NAAG PAST AND PRESENT ROUNDTABLE with Rebecca Hammond (Ute Mountain Ute) and Liz Perry. With past and current NAAG members, learn about the history of Crow Canyon’s Native American Advisory Group and its influence in shaping Crow Canyon’s archaeological and educational practices and policies.
TRACK 2
1:15 – 2:45 in the Hovenweep Room or the Tent (TBD): ZOOARCHAEOLOGY SHOW AND TELL with Jonathan Dombrosky. Did you know that zooarchaeology is the dynamic study of human-animal interaction over time through the analysis of non-human bones, shells, and teeth? Discuss with Jon and colleagues how such material is identified, view fascinating specimens recovered from the Haynie site and discover what they tell us about past Pueblo life.
2:45 - 3:00 BREAK
TRACK 1
3:00 – 4:30 in the Mesa Verde Room: INSIGHTS INTO PUEBLO CULTURE with Jon Ghahate (Laguna Pueblo and Zuni). Discover the essence of a Pueblo community, hear about the origins of the term Pueblo, and delve into the traditions, languages, and customs of Pueblo culture.
TRACK 2
3:00 – 4:30 in the Tent and around Campus: PLANT WALK AND WILD FOOD TASTING with Kate Thompson. Join Ray Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo), Reyna Banteah (Zuni Pueblo) and Katrina Blair of Turtle Lake Farm for cuisine demonstrations and a walk-about on campus to identify valuable plants used for food, medicine, and materials.
FRIDAY EVENING
6:00 – 8:30 at the Montezuma County Senior Center Annex, 107 N Chestnut, Cortez
Dinner and featured speaker Lyla June Johnston (Diné and Cheyenne). Her message focuses on Indigenous rights, supporting youth, traditional land stewardship practices, and healing.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14
TRACK 1
9:00 – 10:15 in the Mesa Verde Room: HISTORY OF CROW CANYON. Join Ricky Lightfoot, Board Chair from 2018–2023 and Crow Canyon visionary since 1984, and Mark Varien as they provide a look-back at the history of the organization and its many accomplishments, challenges and important contributions to the field of archaeology.
TRACK 2
9:00 – 10:15 in the Hovenweep Room: FILM SCREENING. Join us for a film screening of Our Story | The Indigenous Led Fight to Protect Greater Chaco followed by a Q&A with documentarians from the Greater Chaco Coalition. This film highlights how Diné and Pueblo people are directly impacted by oil and gas extraction in the Greater Chaco region and have been organizing for generations to protect the wellbeing of their communities, sacred sites, and the integrity of the landscape.
10:15 – 10:45 VIEW SOLAR ECLIPSE (optional activity, glasses will be provided)
TRACK 1
10:45 – 12.00 in the Mesa Verde Room: CURRENT EVENTS IN BEARS EARS: LANDSCAPES, POLICY, LAWS, AND RESEARCH with Ben Bellorado, Chris Lewis, Jason Chuipka, Karl Kumli, and others. Hear a panel of descendant community members, archaeologists, guides, legal experts, and federal land managers discuss a diversity of views about the challenges facing the Bears Ears National Monument, an important part of southeastern Utah.
TRACK 2
10:45 – 12.00 on the south side of the Gates Building: MOBILE LEARNING LAB MODULES with Jonas Kurronen, Alicia Benally (Cahuilla Tribe), Jon Ghahate, and Jeremy Grundvig. Tour the Mobile Learning Lab, a van that was remodeled with funds provided by our generous donors. Learn about the unique hands-on curricula that we take to schools unable to travel to Crow Canyon. Modules on display include the physics of throwing an atlatl, how to survey and map a site, archaeological ethics, Indigenous perspectives, and more.
12:00 - 1:15 LUNCH
TRACK 1
1:15 – 2:45 in the Mesa Verde Room: PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND 3-D MODELING with Grant Coffey. See “up-close” how digital 3D modeling is done as part of Crow Canyon’s research. Learn about recent LiDAR visualization, photogrammetry, and drone-based digital modeling. Discuss with Grant how non-invasive technology is used by archaeologists to better understand the complexities of a site.
TRACK 2
1:15 – 2:45 in the Lab: MATERIAL CULTURE STATIONS with Jamie Merewether, Kate Hughes, Reuven Sinensky, and Rebecca Renteria. Learn how archaeologists analyze and interpret the uses of artifacts like pottery, chipped-stone, animal bones, and tools recovered from Crow Canyon’s recent excavations at the Haynie site. View a variety of unusual artifacts uncovered from Haynie.
2:45 - 3:00 BREAK
40th Anniversary Featured Speaker and Conference Closing with Liz Perry and Ricky Lightfoot.
3:00 – 4:30 in the Tent: 40th Anniversary Featured Speaker and Conference Closing with Liz Perry and Ricky Lightfoot.
SATURDAY EVENING
5:00 – 8:30 on the Lodge Deck: Celebration on campus with selection of southwestern and Indigenous foods, beer and wine, campfire on Lodge deck, and special dance performance by Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk and the Next Generation.