Between
2006 and 2009, the National Park Service (NPS) and the Museum of Northern
Arizona (MNA) completed the largest excavation and research project in Grand
Canyon National Park in nearly 40 years. Nine sites along the Colorado River at
the Canyon bottom were investigated, revealing important stories about the lives
of prehistoric peoples who made the Grand Canyon their home. Grand
Archaeology: Excavation and Discovery along the Colorado River tells these
stories and how the exploration team discovered them.
The exhibit includes 24 large prehistoric artifacts, including pots, metates,
bowls, jars, and stone tools, plus numerous small projectile points, beads,
pendants, gaming pieces, and other artifacts from the excavation sites. Also
included are excavation equipment, a 16-minute video by Tom Bartels, 23 text
panels, and 20 fine art photographic prints by Flagstaff adventure photographer
Dawn Kish, who traveled with the archaeologists to the Canyon floor and along
the Colorado River corridor. There is also a hands-on, science-based excavation
experience for kids.
Of the thousands of archaeological sites known at Grand Canyon National Park,
few have been excavated and many are at risk from the elements, visitor impact,
and sediment depletion caused by the operation of Glen Canyon Dam.
“That makes these nine sites very important,” said Dr. Ted Neff, the Museum of
Northern Arizona’s archaeological projects principal investigator. “This
research project has greatly enhanced our understanding of past life in the
Canyon. Working side by side, the National Park Service and the Museum were able
to gain important knowledge.” The excavations were led by Neff and NPS
Archaeologist Lisa Leap.
Grand Canyon National Park’s Deputy Chief of Science and Resource Management Jan
Balsom adds, “Each site is unique and irreplaceable, and each site is a window
into the past. These places are our heritage and it is up to us to preserve them
for future generations. The NPS manages archaeological sites within the park. In
the mid-1980s, our monitoring program documented that some sites were
experiencing severe erosion. NPS excavates archaeological sites only when they
cannot be preserved in place. These nine sites were excavated in order to learn
what we could before they disappeared forever to further erosion.”
At seven sites, archaeologists found evidence of Ancestral Puebloans. They lived
along the Colorado River between 800 and 1300 CE (Common Era). More people lived
in the Grand Canyon during this time period than at any time before or since.
They were farmers who grew corn, beans, squash, and cotton, and they hunted wild
game and gathered native plants, using pottery vessels to store and cook their
food. They built homes from local stone and mortar made from river clay.
The ancient sites that were excavated hold deep significance for present-day
indigenous people as evidence of their ancestral past. The manner in which these
sites are treated and interpreted is extremely important to today’s Native
people and accordingly, this exhibit has numerous interpretations by descendant
peoples.
One of the most exciting finds of this project was a kiva. Present-day Pueblo
tribes use kivas as ceremonial rooms. This kiva and the tribal places of origin
within the Canyon remain sacred to present–day native peoples, especially among
Southwestern tribes. Both the Hopi and Zuni places of emergence lie within the
Grand Canyon. Although we cannot know completely what meanings these sacred
places held for people 1,000 years ago, we can deduce their importance by
talking to present-day descendants.
The sites that were excavated by this project were reburied to protect them from
further erosion. Using shovels, buckets, and wheelbarrows, archaeologists
backfilled the sites with the dirt they had removed. They then shaped the area
to its natural contours and planted native vegetation to aid in the
stabilization of the site.
Between
2006 and 2009, the National Park Service (NPS) and the Museum of Northern
Arizona (MNA) completed the largest excavation and research project in Grand
Canyon National Park in nearly 40 years. Nine sites along the Colorado River at
the Canyon bottom were investigated, revealing important stories about the lives
of prehistoric peoples who made the Grand Canyon their home. Grand
Archaeology: Excavation and Discovery along the Colorado River tells these
stories and how the exploration team discovered them.