Common Ground

612 Pages·83.2 MB·English

by  National Park Service

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Common Ground
Francis P. McManamon
The world is more complicated than it was in 1906. The
COMMorO psNych olo GgRiOcUalN,D " a b oruetf e rwsh i tcoh s paa c vea,r i eetiyt he orf pihndyisviicda-l advocates of the Antiquity Act could not have foreseen the
uals with diverse backgrounds hold similar feelings multitude of perspectives that now must be considered in
or views. It is a place where people making preservation truly a common endeavor.
who might otherwise not have much to agree Increasingly, consulting with Native Americans
about can find reasons to work together and, In using these and other ethnic groups with special relation-
perhaps, even come to appreciate the perspec- ships to archeological sites requires knowledge
tives of o thers. words as this pub- of ethnographic approaches sensitive to the
Common ground encompasses places in concerns of traditional cultures. Often these
which many of us have a stake. Ninety years lication's title, w e approaches are the key to forging consensus on
ago, the people of the United States, acting aim to underscore how to solve otherwise intractable problems —
through their elected representatives, resolved in short, finding common ground.
to set aside archeological sites on public lands that while each In using these words as this publication's title,
as common ground. It was decided that indi- we aim to underscore that while each segment
viduals ought not to dig about haphazardly in in our audience has its own perspective, there is
segment in our
ancient sites, removing whatever caught their much in common. Our readers work in federal,
fancy to keep or sell. To that end, the audience has its state, tribal, and local governments, colleges
Antiquities Act, signed into law on June 8, and universities, and private firms; some work
1906, by President Theodore Roosevelt, regu- own perspective, abroad. They are land managers, curators,
lated excavating sites and collecting artifacts. Native Americans, historians, archeologists,
Such activity was to be limited to those with there is much in and others. Yet the issues they face cut across
the expertise to carry out careful, well-record- the barriers. Determining the most appropriate
ed investigations. Furthermore, in order to way to preserve a site. Ascertaining the best
receive permission to do so, investigators had public interpretation for it — or deciding that no
to commit to use what they found for public interpretation is best. Making these decisions
benefit. Investigations were to be conducted with
frequently calls for more than one discipline's expertise. All
perspectives can contribute to the dialogue.
view to increase the knowledge of such objects," which were
to be set aside "for permanent preservation in public muse-
uTmsh.r"o ugh the Antiquities Act, Americans accepted the BY theS mH A RcIlNeaGr e rO UtRo oEtXhPeErsR.T I SCEla r iatnyd dvoieesw s ,n o tw e e nmsaukree
notion that archeological resources are valuable mainly for the agreement among a diverse group, but it can show
information they represent. A few sites may contain commer- where our interests intersect. Common Ground, like
cially valuable artifacts, but this is not the primary benefit its predecessor Federal Archeology, intends to foster this
derived from investigating them.
prWoece s sw.e lcome our long-time colleagues in ethnography as for-
IN THE YEARS SINCE the act was passed, public support mal partners in this endeavor. We renew our commitment to
and statutory protection have expanded for all kinds of our other colleagues, our clients, and all our partners in the
historic properties, often translating to preservation on work of protecting, preserving, and interpreting our common
private lands. Success in preserving these sites requires
working closely with landowners as well as employing regula- ground.
tools. This is particularly the case for the Delta earth- Francis F. McManamon is Chief, Archeology and Ethnography
ks, most of which are privately held, discussed in this issue Program, and Departmental Consulting Archeologist, National
ind. Park Service, Department of t he Interior.
Common Ground/ Spring 1996
in the Public Interest, formerly Federal Archeology. The name change arises from
the formal merger of archeology and ethnography here at the National Park
Service. For this new publication, the merger means even broader coverage of the cross-disci-
plinary partnership projects that for years have been a staple within our pages.
And starting with this issue, we'll be going beyond the confines of the printed page. Our cov-
erage of t he Delta's Native heritage extends to a World Wide Web site created to take the ic.
preservation message to the public. Visit the site at http://www.cr.nps.gov. Look for more
such links in the future, both for the general web audience and for the professional readers
D
of this publication. CO i
o>
We plan to serve our new audiences just as well as our loyal readers of old. Stay tuned for
o
further developments in coming issues. — David Andrews and Joseph Flanagan, Editors I
ABOVE: Reconstruction of Mound B at Bynum Mounds,
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Contents
Common Ground: Archeology and Columns
Ethnography in the Public Interest is
In C ontext 2
published by the National Park
Service Departmental Consulting Francis R McManamon
Archeologist and Archeology
and Ethnography Program.
Departments
Secretary of the Interior Diggings 6
Bruce Babbitt
News, Views, and Recently Noted
Director, National Park Service
Roger Kennedy SlTEWATCH 8
Heritage
Associate Director, Cultural Resources
Protecting the Nation's Archeological
Katherine H. Stevenson
Departmental Consulting Archeologist Nagpra News 47
Chief, Archeology and Ethnography
Francis R McManamon Implementing the Native American
Graves Protection and
Deputy Chief
Gardener Mound, AR, in detail of 19th century sketch by C yrus Thomas
Veletta Canouts Repatriation Act
Guest Editors
J%*xa.d.Gxm.-t, Architects of *fcZa.«
Francis P McManamon
Veletta Canouts
Managing Editor
Designer Monumental Endeavor BY GUY prentice
David Andrews
Information is scattered, sometimes incomplete, and the plow threatens. In an attempt to preserve
Associate Editor
Joseph Flanagan the Delta's heritage for future generations, a first-of- its-kind study has been launched, page 16
Contributing Editors llluQen lllieS by Roger G. Kennedy
S. Terry Childs
Dan Haas In the lower Mississippi valley, writes Roger Kennedy, "antiquity slumbered while commerce fretted
Ruthann Knudson and scratched overhead." And so it has been for years. In an excerpt from his book Hidden Cities,
the director of the National Park Service says that today we have a new opportunity to appreciate
C. Timothy McKeown
David Tarler the accomplishments of ancient Americans, page 22
Richard C. Waldbauer
lldllVe VOlteS BY PENNY JESSEL
Printing Coordinator
Who are the descendants of the people that built the mounds on the rich, alluvial soil that lines
Jerry Buckbinder
the lower Mississippi? Native voices speak, page 26
Statements of fact and views are the
responsibility of the authors and do Mother Mound BY ken canton
not necessarily reflect an opinion or
an endorsement by the editors or the Nanih Waiya is the center of the Choctaw's creation tales, the "Mother Mound." page 32
National Park Service.
From Ancient Site t o T ourist Attraction BY mary kwAS and ROBert mai^rt
Send comments, articles, address
A third-grade teacher tells a jaded group of eight- and nine -year-olds that they are going on a f ield trip
changes, and information on confer-
ences, training, and publications to to an archeological park. Can the event capture the attention of the video-enraptured? page 34
Editor, NPS Archeology and
Ethnography Program, RO. Box Itlylll 1 I dle, nly III 1 U Ill By Sam Brookes, Edwin Jackson, and Pat Gal.l.o\\ ay
37127, Washington, DC 20013- Rising out of the cotton fields, Little Spanish Fort measures over a thousand yards in diameter. It has
7127, (202) 3434101, fax (202)
the awe-inspiring quality of many of the Delta's mound sites — and more, the authors say. page 39
523-1547, e-mail
[email protected] or upeeuiny Aneao 01 m e now by joe sawders and thurman allen
[email protected]. While the loss of the earthworks proceeds apace, an archeologist and a geologist work on non-
destructive ways to learn without excavating them, page 40
Logotype modeling, cover imaging: Randy Mays.
Cover: Emerald Mound, MS; opposite: excavat- Peril o r P otential BY ****** daviS
ing Emerald.
-VATCIIE'/. TIJACIv I'lliKWAV/ XPS
The people who built the ancient mounds belong to the ages now. What's left of their legacy rapid-
ly approaches extinction. Archeology raised its voice in the mid-'60s, but it has taken decades to
be heard. Is it too late? page 46
Common Ground / S pring 1996
1
Digital Eye on Mesa Verde the first in its borders in 90
years. Last October, nearly
With help from the Getty
200 "excess" bison were
Grant Program, the
rounded up from the
University of Pennsylvania
and the National Park Badlands' 63,000-acre Sage
Creek Wilderness. The
Service are developing one
roundup has contributed to
of the first computer-aided
the gradual rebirth of Native
strategies to evaluate prehis-
toric architectural surfaces. Americans' traditional rela-
tionship with the animal.
The first subject: Mug
The bison were turned
House at Colorado's Mesa
over to tribes with the help
Verde National Park.
of the Oglala Sioux and the
The U-Penn/NPS team,
InterTribal Bison
thanks to a $42,350 match-
ing grant, are developing a Cooperative, formed four
I XlVlh'^l IV (II I'K.WSVIAAMA \K( 1 1 1 1 K( I 1 l.\ VI LABORATORY
conservation plan for Student documents mud plaster of measurement based on actu- years ago. The purpose of
the cooperative, says
Wetherill Mesa's stone ruin, kiva at Mesa Verde's Mug House. al responses from field tests Executive Director Mark
known for its painted plaster on 162 collections at 17
walls and floors — some of a site where preservationists curation facilities. Hecker, is "to share the
the most intact in the have learned for four The database employs dream of buffalo restoration.
Southwest. The decoratively dFoercta d Uensi —on N eNwa ti Moenxailc o's easy-to-use D/base IV soft- ToB i sshoanr e a r et h et h ec u ldtoumrien."a nt
painted plaster of a kiva ware. Users can be as specif-
there is exceptional. Monument, the largest ic as they wish, assessing large herbivore of the
In addition to formulating adobe ruin in the country. parts of collections or entire Badland's grassy areas.
Because carnivores like the
a plan for the plaster, the groups of repositories.
State of t he Artifacts
project is b ringing together For more information, con- grizzly are no longer there to
land managers, conservators, Faced with the daunting tact Frederick L. Briuer, keep the population down,
archeologists, and architects task of caring for millions of Director, Center for Cultural the bison must be managed
Site Preservation
to preserve ruins throughout artifacts, the Corps of
according to the land's capac-
the region. Engineers is getting some Technology, U.S. Army ity to sustain them. Typically,
The work is phase two of a help from computer technol- Corps of Engineers, roundups take place when
project that started in the Waterways Experiment the herd tops 500.
summer of 1994. Phase one Waterogwy.a Tyhes C O EE'xsp e rViimceknstb urg Station, 3909 Halls Ferry The tribes use the buffalo
had the U-Penn conserva- Station has developed a way Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180- not only for subsistence, but
tion lab a nd the Park Service 6199, (601) 634-4204, fax for religious ceremonies as
to assess the Corps' curation well. Some use the animals
researching past preservation picture online. (601) 634-2835, e-mail
briuerf@ex 1 . wes.army.mil. to increase the herds they
and analyzing samples of wall A database was developed
surfaces. A third phase will in the wake of Corps already have. The Taos
Badlands Bison Spawn Pueblo will breed the new
see the start of a pilot con- requirements that its dis- Tribal Rebirth
buffalo into their herd to
servation program that will tricts report on how their
include stabilization. collections are being curat- In 1963, to help restore its enhance its genetic pool.
NPS and the university grasslands ecosystem, South From this roundup, a hun-
ed. The system's creators
will also join forces for adobe developed standardized data Dakota's Badlands National dred bison went to the
and masonry preservation at categories and scales for Park brought in 3 1 b ison, Oglala Sioux, whose Pine
Common Ground / S pring 1996