Doing what is right (vice wrong): otherwise, what will be left?



Eating mensaf at wedding reception in Wadi Mousa



Yesterday morning (27AUG11), as I was driving to meet some Santa Fe National Forest Site Stewards and archaeologists from the State of New Mexico’s Office of Archaeological Studies (http://www.nmarchaeology.org/cnma.html) for field work at the Pueblo of Ku-ouinge (LA 253, aka: Ku), I was thinking about a couple of new flashes: $100 million shortfall in State funds caused by accounting oversight/error several years ago (beyond the 2-year appeal-to-Feds for bailout timeframe); Gov. Rick Perry (Texas), a Republican candidate for President in next year’s election pledges to back a Constitutional Amendment banning gay-marriage.

Paternal grandfather with uncles

           As many of you know I’m from a family with deep-roots with the GOP (going back to abolitionist days on the Dutch, Irish & Scot maternal side) and I meet the generalizations of “Republicans are this” and “Democrats are that” with rolling eyes and thoughts of: “you wouldn’t say that about black Americans, Hispanics, Catholics or Jews… why is it OK to unleash your venom against someone with a different political point-of-view?” Being 1^st generation (paternal side) not reared on a farm/ranch (you might recall, I was literally raised in kennels: Burbank & Malibu) my family tradition is not overly known for its embrace of inclusiveness. My high School (Burbank) voted for Goldwater (Au.H2O.64) 4:1 in a mock election (not exactly a cross-section of Americana). But, we try to chart our course based on the basic principles of that we were taught as youngsters. One of course is accountability, the other fair-play (civil rights, with a level playing field).

I’ll get back to those in un momentito, but lets 1^st consider the field work at Ku yesterday. Nine of us met at 9AM out by Ku to identify and quantify ceramics found at the site. The area has been heavily disturbed by unauthorized excavations (“looters”) in the past, so the stratigraphy for scientific analysis in much of the area is lost. After pin-flagging some concentrations, we looked at a 1 meter x 1 meter sample area to see what was there. Bottom line for our sample was Biscuitware B (Bandelier) outnumbered Biscuitware A (Abiquiu) about 2:1. In an unscientific look at a nearby midden (trash mound) it was the opposite. Hmmm… imagine folks occupying a site and throwing older materials away. Sounds like a practice still employed, though we now have way more junk to toss. Trade wares? Yes, some were present- ceramics that probably came from Tsankawi, The Galisteo Basin (my home of 22+ years), and elsewhere (I noticed St. Johns polychrome in the literature). Just as the Site Stewards and other volunteers (none of us were being paid for this activity) came from various locales in the region, so too did the ceramics.

Having long realized that societies dictate the rights that they extend, or don’t (I’m unable to identify any that have just evolved without human effort, loss & sacrifice), I have reservations when I hear that such-and-such is a “civil right” (I heard that semi-recently regarding health). Society will decide what is and isn’t a right that they grant. Most have been battled for, with many efforts taking decades-to-centuries. One of the tenants of our culture that I recall was the right-to-fail, but that seems to be supplanted by “Big Government” and the idea that some things are “too big to fail.” Oh really? Was the Roman Empire too big? How about dynastic China? Without a doubt, the USA is too. The above examples show a state and federal government level of involvement: I’d rather not go there. I’m hoping that New Mexico is not rescued by Federal taxpayers, as it once again sends the wrong message (plus the State’s revenues are projected to be able to cover that amount). I do think someone should lose their job. Of course, this might already be the case as it happened under the previous Governor that had more political appointees. Quien sabe. I also think Gov. Perry should remember his core belief that “the government that governs least, governs best…” and stay away from selective “Big-government” intrusions on local (in this case states) societies in their granting of rights. Just some of my thoughts while driving to Ku yesterday…

Petra: Next Steps towards…

Site Steward Foundation trip, SE Utah

Today we’re scheduled for our next conference call re: our return trip to Petra Archaeological Park (PAP). We’ll discuss our initiatives to help PAP: goals, objectives and the ever-present challenge of logistics. Finances? For peace of mind, and the Federal debt ceiling, let’s not go there. Fortunately, there is a very professional staff at the other end of the call that does the heavy lifting (and the bureaucracy can be a load).

Next week we are to have another call regarding a study tour for two of their mid-level managers (Tahani & Talal): they’ll be around the US Southwest in September visiting Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Canyon de Chelly, Santa Fe & Tucson. They’ll be looking at historic preservation, museum management & National Park Service management plus other topics (sound like a worthwhile excursion?). During there time in-around Santa Fe I hope to take them to some of our finer institutions: Museum of International Folk Art? Well yes, that too… I was thinking of La Choza, Harry’s Roadhouse, & Maria’s (New Mexican Kitchen).

Site Stewards

Today (post-call) I’m going to think about the many financially uncompensated hours (and miles) selflessly contributed to heritage and natural resource protection by volunteers. Many are professionals, like members of the New Mexico Archeological Council (NMAC), who go way “beyond the call” of duty to our vocation. Some organizations, like the Archaeological Society of New Mexico (ASNM), have professional and non-professional archaeological talent helping to shoulder-the-load. Of course another group of volunteers I’ve been intertwined with for some years now are the many stewards of the State SiteWatch and Santa Fe National Forest Site Steward Programs. They are quite a group of impressive individuals, and I don’t think we’ll ever be able to thank them enough (I sure won’t). In some regions of this state their combined efforts contribute over a work-year (2,080 hours) of volunteer time each year + the thousands of miles they drive in their own vehicles each year in helping us be better stewards of the non-renewable heritage sites we are entrusted to care for, for future generations. In addition to resource monitoring, they also help with site survey and public education & outreach projects. I’ll be traveling with colleagues in September to orient a new group of resource guardians in Hobbs, NM. That’ll be new territory for me and SiteWatch.

SiteWatch at Petroglyph Hill

I salute the myriad of volunteers out there that help us get-the-job-done. This double-Leo (that was born at sunrise on a Sunday) thinks the month of August is an appropriate one to convey our THANKS to those that “do it”/make-it-happen. Gracias a todos…

NMAC:  http://www.nmacweb.org/ 

ASNM:  http://www.newmexico-archaeology.org/

Some very worthy Site Steward organizations in New Mexico:

http://sitestewardfoundation.org/

http://www.nmhistoricpreservation.org/PROGRAMS/sitewatch.html

http://sfnfsitestewards.org/

Petra: trade & slavery (Part II)

Slavery brings certain images to the mind: be it the field or house hands of the Ante-Bellum South, the Hebrew slaves of Goshen, or modern applications: forced labor and prostitution. It has been with us since the development of complex culture and civilization. It remains today. One of the dictionary definitions for slavery states: “a condition of submission to or domination by bondage; servitude.” Certainly sounds as if it survives. In reading its history the 1962 Encyclopedia Britannica states that: “nowhere has productive industry developed itself in the form of voluntary effort; in every country of which we have any knowledge it was imposed by the strong upon the weak, and wrought into the habits of the people only by the stern discipline of constraint.” I bet that wouldn’t be a popular view today, but it “might be” a historically accurate one. EB also goes onto state that slavery wasn’t practiced in hunter-gather times as the males of vanquished foes were slain and the females sometimes were carried off as “wives or as servants.” Gee, sounds like slavery to me. With the founding of agriculture came sedentary lifestyle, the city state, civilization and the desire for relatively inexpensive labor. To institution of slavery evolved as the strong and wealthy defeat or buy those of lesser means.

How did this involve Petra? Petra owed much of its development and existence to being on a caravan route. Trade goods were brought to/from distant lands through this city of the red rocks. As one reads the histories and influences of Persians, Greeks, Nabataeans, Romans and Byzantines at Petra it is interesting to note that all, except the Nabataeans, appeared to have slave populations. The Nabataeans didn’t, and this was the period (60 BCE to 200 CE) credited with the largest populations and active sculpting programs creating much of the monumental architecture of the city we see today.

During my time in Jordan earlier this year I noted that CNN International has as a theme this year: stop international slavery. As a middle class American, that seems like…well, “a no brainer.” Wasn’t that a historic issue resolved by international fiat and law some time ago? Of course, we know it wasn’t. Are the young girls of Juarez (or Germany for that matter) voluntarily plying the world’s 2^nd oldest profession (hunter-gatherer was 1^st)? How about the young boys of Thailand or the Chinese massage girls of Aqaba? For those thinking it is now in faraway isolated pockets it is time to take a look around and see what less-than-voluntary endeavors are being pushed in our own backyards. Considering the scope of the issue it seems that we have a big carcass to chew on, one bite at a time. (another case for “Think globally, Act locally.”)

http://www.newint.org/features/2001/08/05/history/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery

http://nabataea.net/petra.html

http://ancienthistory.about.com/b/2007/03/15/ancient-persian-slaves.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_ancient_Greece

http://www.grandview.com.jo/nabataeans.html

http://www.unrv.com/culture/roman-slavery.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_medieval_Europe