Archeology E-gram January 2022

Passing of Ed Jelks

Ed Jelks passed on December 22, 2021, in Denver, Colorado. He was born on September 10, 1922, in Macon, Georgia. As a Navy hospital corpsman in World War II, Jelks was stationed at Acorn Navy Field Hospital on Guadalcanal, and at Mobile Hospital No. 6 at Auckland, New Zealand. Jelks held a B.A. in English, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology, all from The University of Texas at Austin.

Jelks began his archeological career in Texas, directing River Basin Surveys, in 1951. Between 1954 and 1956, Jelks worked at Jamestown, Virginia as John L. Cotter's assistant. During the summer of 1955, Jelks conducted excavations at the Yorktown Battlefield.

Jelks spent more than 50 years as an archeologist for the Smithsonian Institution, NPS, The University of Texas at Austin, Southern Methodist University, and Illinois State University. He was Professor of Anthropology at Illinois State University from 1968 until his retirement in 1983, where he established and directed the Midwest Archaeological Center.

Jelks was a founder and a president of both the Society of Professional Archeologists and the Society for Historical Archaeology. He served as president of the Texas Archeological Society and the Illinois Archaeological Survey. He was the U. S. representative for anthropology to the Pan-American Institute of Geography and History, an agency of the Organization of American States, from 1977 to 1993.
He authored or co-authored numerous articles, monographs, and books. Among his awards are the J. C. Harrington Medal for Contributions to Historical Archaeology, Clarence Webb Award for Contributions to Caddoan Archaeology, and Distinguished Service Award of the Society of Professional Archeologists. He was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an Honorary Research Associate of the Smithsonian Institution.

A group of Ed's former students and colleagues created the Edward and Juliet Jelks Scholarship at Illinois State University. Those wishing to donate in memory of Ed can do so at: https://scholarshipfinder.illinoisstate.edu/scholarships/edward-and-juliet-jelks-scholarship/.

National Park Service Hires Climate Change Archeologist

Jeneva Wright has been selected as the archeologist in the NPS Climate, Science, and Disaster Response Program. Prior to this, Wright supported the Partnerships and Innovations Directorate at the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency by serving as Lead Archeologist for underwater partner development and field projects from 2018 to 2021. Prior to this, she served as an archeologist with the NPS Submerged Resources Center from 2014 to 2017. Her research on climate change impacts to archeological resources began when she was an intern at Biscayne NP as a graduate student.

Wright is currently an executive board member of the Advisory Council for Underwater Archaeology and is chair of the Climate Change and Submerged Cultural Heritage Working Group. She is working on a Ph.D. at the University of Miami Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy, in collaboration with the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

Wright began her duties on January 3, 2022. She is duty stationed with the Climate Change Response Program (CCRP) in Fort Collins, Colorado to support CCRP’s research and efforts to address the impacts of climate change and sea level rise across the breadth of the NPS system.

Ira Matt Director of Office of Native American Affairs, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (Advisory Council) has named Ira Matt as director of the Office of Native American Affairs (ONAA). Matt previously served as Senior Program Analyst in ONAA. Matt is Salish and an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of Western Montana. He received his BA and MA in Anthropology from the University of Montana and a Master of Jurisprudence in Indian Law from the University of Tulsa College of Law.

Matt first began working at the Advisory Council Office of Federal Agency Programs in 2015 as a Program Analyst. In 2018, he moved to the Office of Native American Affairs as a Senior Program Analyst, where he led ONAA’s traditional knowledge initiative and co-authored the Advisory Council’s Early Coordination with Indian Tribes handbook. He also served on several committees of the White House Council on Native American Affairs. Ira’s prior federal experience includes serving as the Federal Preservation Officer/National Archeologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and as a Tribal Affairs Specialist for the Department of Energy.

Before joining the Advisory Council, Matt worked for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes for 16 years in varying capacities, including as THPO, Resource Advisor, Tribal Archeologist, and as a wildland firefighter. During this time, he regularly worked with the Cultural Committees and Elder Advisory Boards, Tribal Council, and Salish Kootenai College to implement historic preservation as a tool to effectuate cultural perpetuation.

Matt succeeds Valerie Hauser, who established the Office of Native American Affairs in 1998. Hauser retired from federal service December 31, 2021.

Read more on the ACHP’s website.

Bureau of Land Management Takes Steps to Protect Chaco Canyon

The BLM has formally proposed to withdraw from public leasing approximately 351,000 acres of public lands surrounding Chaco Culture NHP. The proposed withdrawal of federal lands within a 10-mile radius around the park would bar new federal oil and gas leasing on those lands. The action builds on years of efforts by Pueblos and Tribes, local communities, advocates, and elected officials to protect the greater Chaco Canyon area. Most recently, Congress instituted a one-year pause on new federal oil and gas leasing within a 10-mile radius of the park, as well as appropriated funding for ethnographic studies in the surrounding region. The withdrawal process under consideration will be informed by the ongoing ethnographic studies. The two-year segregation and potential withdrawal would not affect existing valid leases or rights and would not apply to minerals owned by private, state, or Tribal entities.

In early 2022 the BLM and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) will initiate a broader assessment of the Greater Chaco cultural landscape to explore ways DOI can manage existing energy development, honor sensitive areas important to Tribes and communities, and build collaborative management frameworks toward a sustainable economic future for the region.

The BLM is initiating a 90-day public comment period and will be hosting public meetings and formal Tribal consultation. The public may submit comments on the proposed withdrawal until April 6, 2022. Comments may be submitted through ePlanning at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2016892/510 or sent through the mail to: Bureau of Land Management, Farmington Field Office, Attn: Sarah Scott, 6251 College Blvd., Suite A, Farmington, NM 87402.

Native American Rock Art at Big Bend National Park Vandalized

On December 26, 2021, Adrian, Ariel, Isaac, and Norma scratched their names and the date across a panel of ancient petroglyphs at Big Bend NP. The crude incisions obscure a series of swirling, abstract designs believed to have been created by Native peoples between 4,000 and 8,500 years ago. Even though staff members have already treated the vandalized rock, much of the damage is, unfortunately, permanent. Since 2015, park archeologists have documented over fifty instances of vandalism to these priceless sites.

Anyone with information about this incident, or Adrian, Ariel, Isaac, and Norma, should contact the Big Bend National Park Communication Center at 432-477-1187.

Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names Seeks Members

NPS is seeking nominations for members of the new Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names. The committee will identify geographic names and federal land unit names that are considered derogatory and solicit proposals on replacement names. On November 19, 2021, Secretary Deb Haaland directed the NPS to form the committee as part of a broad effort to review and replace derogatory names of the nation’s geographic features.

The Committee will consist of 17 discretionary members to be appointed by the Secretary, including:

1. At least four members of an Indian Tribe;
2. At least one representative of a Tribal organization;
3. At least one representative of a Native Hawaiian organization;
4. At least four people with backgrounds in civil rights or race relations;
5. At least four people with expertise in anthropology, cultural studies, geography, or history; and
6. At least three members of the general public.

Nominations must include a resume providing a description of the nominee’s qualifications, including information that would enable NPS to make an informed decision regarding meeting the membership requirements of the committee. More details are available in the Federal Register.

Secretary Haaland also declared “squaw” to be a derogatory term and instructed the Board on Geographic Names – the federal body tasked with naming geographic places – to implement procedures to remove the term from federal usage.

Contact: Joshua Winchell, Office of Policy, NPS, at e-mail us.

The Federal Archeologist’s Bookshelf: Will be back soon.

GRANTS AND TRAINING

National Park Service Albright-Wirth Grant Program Soliciting Applications
2022 applications are now being accepted to the Albright-Wirth Grant Program through February 11, 2022. The Horace M. Albright-Conrad L. Wirth Grant Program (AWGP) annually awards funding for personal and career development projects to National Park Service employees.

Go to 2022 Albright-Wirth Grant Announcement the on the Common Learning Portal for additional information.

National Park Service Offers ARPA for Cultural Resources Professionals
The National Park Service will host in-person ARPA for Cultural Resources Professionals training at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in Shepherdstown, WV, March 7-11, 2022. This class is taught by Caven Clark (retired NPS Archeologist), Robert Still (NPS Special Agent), and Randy Ream (retired Assistant US Attorney).

For more information, NPS employees should go to - ARPA for Cultural Resources Professionals - NPS: Common Learning Portal. Non-NPS employees should contact Cari Kreshak, Cultural & Natural Resources Training Manager, National Park Service Learning & Development e-mail us

NAGPRA Grants Now Available for FY2022
The National NAGPRA Program is currently accepting applications from museums, Native American Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations to support consultation, documentation, and repatriation efforts on their non-Federal NAGPRA collections.

More information is available on the NAGPRA Grants website: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nagpra/grants.htm. Deadlines to apply are March 11, 2022, for Consultation/Documentation grants, and May 13, 2022, for Repatriation grants.

Contact: Sarah Glass, Notice and Grant Coordinator, National NAGPRA Program, 202-354-2201 or [e-mail] (email preferred due to telework).

Gloria S. King Research Fellowship
The Maryland Archaeological Conservation (MAC) Laboratory is accepting applications for the Gloria S. King Research Fellowship in Archaeology. The MAC Lab is an archeological research, conservation, and curation facility at Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum, the State Museum of Archaeology, in southern Maryland. It currently holds 10 million artifacts from archeology projects in Maryland representing over 12,000 years of human occupation. All of these collections are available for research.

Eligibility: Students, academics, and professionals (employees of the Maryland Historical Trust and St. Mary’s College of Maryland are not eligible); any subject in Maryland archaeology; must use collections at the MAC Lab; must be in residence full time in the MAC Lab; must provide a presentation of research to museum staff members at the end of the fellowship.

Application process: A 1,000-word proposal (no more than 4 typed pages, double-spaced) outlining the problem and the MAC Lab collections to be used; a CV; and a letter of recommendation. Applicants are encouraged to contact the lab before proposal preparation to ensure that appropriate collections are available. The Maryland Unearthed website provides information about collections in the MAC lab.

Stipend: Stipend is $800 a week, with a minimum two-week stay and maximum five-week stay. Stipend to be paid upon completion of fellowship for stay of two weeks; a fellowship of greater length will be paid in two installments: 50% at the midway point of the fellowship and 50% upon completion of fellowship. On-site housing may be available for fellows, dependent on scheduling of fellowship.

Applications must be received at the address below by March 1, 2022. Projects awarded a fellowship can begin as early as April 1st.

Contact: Patricia Samford, e-mail us
Send application materials this same email address, or to: Patricia Samford, Director
Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory
Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum
10515 Mackall Road
St. Leonard, Maryland 20685

National Park Service Plans International Cultural Resources Conference
Terra 2022 13th World Congress on Earthen Architectural Heritage will take place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, June 7 – 10, 2022. The program will include presentations, posters and videos/digital media about latest research and best practices in the study and conservation of earthen heritage.
Conference Registration: Terra 2022

In conjunction with the conference, there will be offered TICRAT | New Mexico 2022, which is a binational workshop on earthen architectural conservation coordinated with partners with the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH), Mexico, University of Arizona, University of New Mexico and Cornerstones Community Partnerships. The TICRAT International Workshop on the Conservation and Restoration of Earthen Architecture will be held in Abiquiu, NM June 3-6, 2022.
Information and registration for the workshop: TICRAT | New Mexico 2022

Scholarship opportunities for the conference and the workshop are available; one focused specifically on supporting attendance for Native American participants and speakers from the U.S. and Northern Mexico.
Scholarship opportunity: Terra 2022 — Cornerstones (cstones.org)

SLIGHTLY OFF TOPIC: Will be back soon

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