Arizona Site Steward Program -- Region Six

FREE PRESENTATION THIS MONTH

Thursday June 18, 2009
Old Pueblo Archaeology Center's "Third Thursdays" free presentation:
"Silverbell Coachline, an Early Hohokam Archaeological Site of the
Northern Tucson Basin," with archaeologist Eric Eugene Klucas (Tierra
Right of Way Ltd.), at Old Pueblo Archaeology Center, 2201 W. 44th
Street, Tucson (in Tucson Unified School District's Ajo Service Center,
just west of La Cholla Blvd., ½-mile north of John F. Kennedy Park).
7:30 to 9 p.m. Free.
Forty architectural features and 175 human burials dating between A.D.
700 and 950 were identified and excavated west of the Santa Cruz River
near Silverbell Road and Coachline Blvd. in Marana, Arizona. The
Silverbell Coachline site's dwellings and associated outdoor features
were concentrated in a 1.8-acre area and were arranged around a large,
central cemetery. The archaeological information gathered from this
unusual site provides an excellent opportunity to address questions
pertaining to living-area arrangements, mortuary practices, and social
organization during a period of important cultural change in the Tucson
Basin.
No reservations needed. 520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE US TO EMAIL YOU A FLYER WITH COLOR PHOTOS ABOUT THIS
ACTIVITY PLEASE REPLY WITH "SEND JUNE 18 FLYER" IN SUBJECT LINE.

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OTHER UPCOMING ACTIVITIES:
CONTACT OLD PUEBLO FOR DETAILS

June 27, 2009 Arrowhead-Making and Flintknapping Workshop with Allen
Denoyer at Old Pueblo Archaeology Center

July 16, 2009 "Third Thursdays" free presentation at Old Pueblo:
"Tree-Rings, Hunting, and Migrants: The Evidence from Whiptail Ruin"with
archaeologist Linda Gregonis

August 20, 2009 "Third Thursdays" free presentation at Old Pueblo:
"Archaeological Evidence of Warfare in Arizona's Tsegi Phase Pueblos" with
University of Arizona Professor Jeffrey S. Dean

September 8, 2009 "Set in Stone but Not in Meaning: Southwestern Indian
Rock Art" free presentation by Allen Dart at Glendale Public Library,
Glendale, Arizona*

September 17, 2009 "Third Thursdays" free presentation at Old Pueblo:
"Mesoamerica and Hohokam Symbolism, Public Architecture and Ideology" with
Arizona State Museum archaeologist Dr. Paul R. Fish

October 15, 2009 "Third Thursdays" free presentation at Old Pueblo:
"Anarchy in Ancient Arizona: Breakdown of Hohokam Society after A.D. 1000"
with archaeologist William L. Deaver

October 25 through December 13, 2009 (Sundays) Traditional Pottery Making
Level 1 Workshop with John Guerin at Old Pueblo

November 6, 2009 "Tucson-Marana Rock Art and Archaeology" (ST149) Pima
Community College study tour with Allen Dart departing from Pima Community
College, Tucson*

November 14, 2009 "Deer Valley & Spur Cross Ranch Petroglyphs" guided tour
with Shelley Rasmussen and Allen Dart starting at Deer Valley Rock Art
Center, Phoenix

November 19, 2009 "Third Thursdays" free presentation at Old Pueblo: Topic
and speaker to be announced

November 20, 2009 "Ventana Cave and Tohono O'odham Nation Archaeology and
Culture" (ST146) Pima Community College study tour with Allen Dart
departing from Pima Community College, Tucson*

December 5, 2009 "White Tank Mountains Petroglyphs of Waterfall Canyon &
Mesquite Canyon" guided tour with Shelley Rasmussen and Allen Dart
starting at White Tank Mountain Regional Park in Waddell, Arizona

December 11, 2009 "Casa Grande Ruins and Middle Gila Valley Archaeology
and History" (ST147) Pima Community College study tour with Allen Dart
departing from Pima Community College, Tucson*

December 17, 2009 "Third Thursdays" free presentation at Old Pueblo:
Topic and speaker to be announced

January 8, 2010 "Tucson-Marana Rock Art and Archaeology" (ST149) Pima
Community College tour with Allen Dart departing from Pima Community
College, Tucson [or possibly different tour - call for update]*

January 29, 2010 "Ventana Cave and Tohono O'odham Nation Archaeology and
Culture" (ST146) Pima Community College study tour with Allen Dart
departing from Pima Community College, Tucson.*

February 19, 2010 "Casa Grande Ruins and Middle Gila Archaeology" (ST147)
Pima Community College tour with Allen Dart departing from Pima Community
College, Tucson [or possibly different tour - call for update]*

March 13, 2010 "Vista del Rio Archaeology Celebration" at City of Tucson's
Vista del Rio Cultural Resource Park

June 11-15, 2010 "Mimbres Ruins, Rock Art, and Museums of Southern New
Mexico" (ST585) study tour with Allen Dart departing from Pima Community
College, Tucson*

Two-Year Undercover Operation in Four Corners Region Leads to Nation's
Largest Investigation of Artifacts

Taken From Public, Native American Lands

SALT LAKE CITY - FBI and BLM agents, joined by the U.S. Marshals
and local and state law enforcement partners, were simultaneously
arresting defendants and executing search warrants in Utah Wednesday
morning following a more than two-year undercover operation targeting a
network of individuals allegedly involved in the sale, purchase, and
exchange of artifacts illegally taken from public or Indian lands in the
Four Corners region of the country. The investigation represents the
nation's largest investigation of archaeological and cultural artifact
thefts.

Twelve indictments charging 24 defendants with violations of the
Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) and the Native American
Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) were unsealed this
morning in Salt Lake City. Arrest warrants were issued for 23 of the 24
individuals charged as a part of the investigation. Twelve search
warrants also are being executed. The case involves 256 artifacts
totaling $335,685.

The indictments were announced this morning in Salt Lake City by the
Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden of the U.S. Department of
Justice; Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior; Brett L. Tolman, U.S
Attorney in Utah; Timothy J. Fuhrman, Special Agent in Charge of the
FBI's Salt Lake City Field Office; and Larry Echo Hawk, Assistant
Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs.

In addition to ARPA and NAGPRA violations, the indictments
allege theft of government property, depredation of government property,
and theft of Indian tribal property. The indictments unsealed today
were returned by a grand jury in Utah and charge defendants in Utah, New
Mexico, and Colorado. A list of defendants and the charges they face
is included as an attachment to this press release. Defendants charged
in federal indictments are presumed innocent unless or until proven
guilty in court.

"These archaeological treasures are precious and protecting them
preserves a rich history and heritage. That is why the Justice
Department will use all of its tools to vigorously enforce the laws
designed to safeguard the cultural heritage of Native Americans," said
Deputy Attorney General Ogden. "Recommitting resources and focus to
criminal justice in Indian Country is of paramount importance to the
Justice Department. We are currently conducting a training initiative
with the Interior Department for federal prosecutors and law enforcement
personnel on looting, vandalism, and illegal trafficking of cultural
heritage, and are planning to reach out to with Indian Country leaders
in the near future to engage in an ongoing consultation on these
issues."


"Let this case serve notice to anyone who is considering
breaking these laws and trampling our nation's cultural heritage that
the BLM, the Department of Justice, and the federal government will
track you down and bring you to justice," said Secretary Salazar. "As
these alleged criminals are prosecuted and as federal agents continue to
hunt down wrong doers, BLM cultural resources staff will work to ensure
the proper recovery, identification, repatriation, and storage of the
artifacts that have been confiscated.

"The indictments unsealed today charge a group of defendants,
largely excavators, dealers, and collectors, with serious violations of
federal law," U.S. Attorney Tolman said today. "Those who remove or
damage artifacts on public or tribal lands take something from all of
us. These treasures are the heritage of all Americans, and in many
cases, the objects are sacred to Native Americans. The notion that you
can take whatever you want from public lands is wrong. Individuals
engaged in this kind of conduct will be investigated and prosecuted."

"The FBI has taken this matter seriously and spent a significant amount
of personnel and financial resources in exposing this network of
individuals illegally trafficking in these items," said FBI Special
Agent in Charge Fuhrman. "The FBI remains committed to devoting all
necessary resources to address this problem."

"The problem American Indian and Alaska Native tribes face of looters
robbing them of their cultural patrimony is a major law enforcement
issue for federal agencies responsible for enforcing historic
preservation laws in Indian Country," said Assistant Secretary of the
Interior for Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk. "Today's action should
give tribes reassurance that the Obama Administration is serious in
preserving and protecting their cultural property."

The Four Corners region, rich in archaeological resources, contains
artifacts that are vitally important to the scientific, academic, and
Native American communities. The illegally obtained relics include
decorated Anasazi pottery, an assortment of burial and ceremonial masks,
a buffalo headdress, and ancient sandals known to be associated with
Native American burials. Additionally, improperly excavated
archeological sites mean a significant amount of historical information
is lost because the artifacts are not identified in the context of where
they were located.

Defendants will have initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge
Samuel Alba at the Grand County Courthouse in Moab Wednesday. The U.S.
Attorney's Office is seeking to detain one of the defendants. Others
will be ordered to maintain and store in current condition all artifacts
in their possession and engage in reasonable efforts to protect them
from damage, destruction, loss or theft. One defendant is not being
arrested and will be issued a summons to appear in federal court.

ARPA prohibits the unauthorized excavation and removal of
archaeological resources on federal lands as well as the unlawful sale,
purchase, or exchange of such resources. Under NAGPRA, any Native
American human remains, funerary objects, objects of cultural patrimony
and sacred objects must be repatriated to Indian tribes. The BLM will
consult with tribes to determine cultural affiliation and to facilitate
repatriation. For artifacts not subject to NAGPRA, the BLM will work
with museums to stabilize, identify, and preserve them under the
provisions of ARPA, and make them available for scientific research and
public education.