The Dirt on Archaeology....

I am very excited to be at the Prehistoric Museum! The archaeology of this region is so interesting-- there are amazing Barrier Canyon and Fremont rock art sites, pithouse villages where people farmed corn from AD 400 to 1300, and many areas where people hunted, collected wild plants and camped for thousands of years. My favorite sites are rock art panels with sheep and spirals and shields. So far this summer we have documented eight previously undiscovered archaeological sites in Range Creek, including a Fremont rock art site with four anthropomorphs (trapezoidal people-like figures, several of which are wearing face paint or masks, and one with a bison-horn headdress), a pithouse, a granary, lithic, ceramic and ground stone artifacts, and a probable archaic campsite.

This summer we are continuing fieldwork at Fremont archaeological sites in Range Creek, and starting new archaeological projects on the San Rafael Swell and Price River. As I finish the mounds and mounds of required paperwork to get these started, we will be also be starting additional projects near many of our dinosaur quarries, and in the next few months I will be looking for volunteers to become involved in excavations and surveys. Volunteers are encouraged to join the Castle Valley Archaeological Society. For more information contact Chanel Atwood at 613-5754.

CEU Archaeological Field School

The CEU archaeological field school will run for three weeks from July 14 through August 2 in Range Creek at two Fremont pithouse villages. The course will include training in excavation, site documentation, artifact identification, identifying stratigraphy and cultural features, mapping, site surveys, IMACS forms, reading topographic maps and using gps units. Students will keep a field journal, and will be graded on participation, the journal, and a written summary of the archaeological sites. Most days will be spent excavating, but there will also be 2-3 days of archaeological survey. Plan to have lots of fun working hard and learning about the archaeology of Utah! The cost is tuition for 3-credit hours and a $270 fee to cover gas, food and field supplies. We will be camping out in Range Creek Monday through Friday, and returning to Price Saturday and Sunday. To register for the course, please contact Jan Young at CEU Registration at 435-613-5205. If you think you might be interested but would like more information, please contact Dr. Renee Barlow at renee.barlow@ceu.edu.

Students need to bring:
Tent, sleeping bag and pad, flashlight, water bottles or hydration pack, hat with brim, day pack, leather gloves, hiking boots, lightweight long sleeved pants and shirts, sunscreen, bug repellent, rain jacket, personal items, soda or personal drinks and snacks.

Optional dig kit:
Marshalltown 5" pointing trowel, whisk broom and scoop, 3-5 meter metric tape, line level, Sharpies, assorted paint brushes.

We are also looking for volunteers with experience in archaeology who can help with less experienced volunteers in the field and archaeology lab. If you are interested in volunteering and have training and experience in site documentation or archaeological field or lab techniques, please contact Dr. Renee Barlow at renee.barlow@ceu.edu.

CEU Archaeology Laboratory Class
This fall we will offer an archaeological lab class at CEU, where we will be processing artifacts from the summer field session. The course will include an introduction to ceramic, lithic and ground stone artifacts, plant and animal remains, and human osteology. The course is scheduled to run Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in the Reeves Building and is open to anyone interested in learning more about archaeological artifacts. Students will keep a journal, process artifacts, and write a paper. For more information contact Dr. Renee Barlow at renee.barlow @ceu.edu, or contact Jan Young at CEU Registration at 435-613-5205 to enroll in the course.

We also have cool new archaeology books, activities and toys at the Prehistoric Museum, gift shop-- come visit us and check out the Hall of Archaeology!

Renee Barlow, Curator of Archaeology

Ancient Native Americans

This week we documented a burial found by Lannie and Glenys Sitterud. It was originally found two years ago, and Mr. Sitterud reported it to the appropriate agencies, in compliance with state and federal laws, and in accordance with NAGPRA-- the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. First, local law enforcement officers visited the site and determined the remains are not of interest to law enforcement, i.e., not a missing person or a victim of foul play-- but probably an archaeological find. Next the appropriate archaeologists and land managers visited the site and began the consultation process, contacting several tribes that have an interest in remains from this region, and may claim affiliation. The burial was eroding out of a natural cutbank. Several tribes indicated they would like the remains to be removed and reburied, several others preferred that the burial be left to erode naturally. To date none of the contacted tribes have visited the site, so the remains are still in consultation.

Human remains can provide a great deal of information about prehistoric people and past lifeways. For archaeologists, these are a very important part of the past. For some people, however, these remains are viewed as sacred. NAGPRA requires a series of consultations and decisions by the appropriate agency consultants and Native American Tribes when certain types of remains are found. Sometimes the issues are very complex, and sometimes there are many different opinions about the best approach. There is no one solution, and each situation is unique.

Questions to think about: Are human remains sacred? Whose remains are sacred to you? Should osteological analyses, metric analyses, dna studies, and chemical analyses be conducted on Native American remains prior to repatriation? Should they be radiocarbon dated? If so, who should fund those analyses? Who should fund repatriation? Who should determine the affiliation of prehistoric human remains, and the relationship between past cultures and living peoples?

Terms to know: Paleodemography, Biological affinity, NAGPRA, Paleopathology, Secondary interment, Repatriate, Paleodietary analysis, Funerary objects

For more info about human remains or the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, visit the following websites from my online archaeology course:

Human Skeletal Remains

NAGPRA