The 'Chip-A-Canoe' project with Larry Kinsella, Michelle Berg, and the McCully Heritage Project will be coming up this summer. Here is the original announcement.

'We are officially announcing our CHIP-A-CANOE project. The object of this project is to complete and document the construction of a dugout canoe using only stone-age tools. CHIP-A-CANOE is Larry Kinsella's dream project and the culmination of years of practice in experimental archeology of ground stone technology. The tree used for the canoe will be cut down using stone axes, adzes and celts only. And once the log is cut, the canoe will be built, again using only stone tools. The entire project will be documented through video and photographs. Each stone tool used will be cataloged and photographed, with a record of the maker of the tool.

McCully Heritage Project is providing the space, campsites, and lodging for the Chip-A-Canoe project, along with project support in any way we can. Funds from this campaign will be used for transporting the log to the McCully Heritage Project, funding the necessary insurance, and digital and photographic documentation of the project. Leftover funds once the project is complete will go toward completing an exhibit for the museum in Kampsville.

More information about Mccully Heritage Project: The mission of the McCully Heritage Project is to provide facilities and programs for high quality environmental education and research for youth and adults and to provide the opportunity for the public to appreciate the cultural, historical and natural resources of the lower Illinois River valley.' 

Attached is a pdf from Larry about the project that includes a tentative schedule, T-shirts orders, a map, and picture of the tree they will be using. Please contact Larry Kinsella for more information at megalithics@hotmail.com.

Look forward to future updates!

Chip A Canoe Project information.pdf

We are mourning the loss of our incredible colleague and Wisconsin’s State Archaeologist, Dr. James Skibo, or as we knew him, Jim.

Jim passed away on April 14, 2023, after being recovered from Lake Mendota while on a routine work-up dive preparing for the maritime archaeology season. Jim was a certified diver and qualified for the depth of the dive as well as the equipment being used.

Jim is highly regarded for his archaeological work in the Great Lakes region and beyond, and we were honored to have him join the Wisconsin Historical Society in July of 2021. In this role, he oversaw the state’s 36,000 archaeological sites and made great contributions to our mission, to our team and to advancing archaeological research in our state. Notably, his department worked in coordination with Wisconsin’s Native Nations on the historic recovery of two canoes – one 1,200 years old (800 A.D.) and the second 3,000 years old (1,000 B.C) – recovered in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Jim was a champion, leader and mentor for his team, yet always eager to learn from those around him. He was looking forward to getting back in the water with his colleagues this spring to further explore the site of the historic canoe recoveries, as he knew there are many stories yet to be shared.

Jim’s passion and enthusiasm reverberated through the halls of our organization and throughout the state. An explorer at heart, Jim traveled Wisconsin on a mission to democratize archaeology, and he loved to tell the stories of the past through the lens of the archaeological record left behind. He truly was the “People’s Archaeologist,” as he often referred to himself. His passion for the field and for the importance of uncovering, preserving and sharing history was inspirational to us all and he will be deeply missed by so many.

Prior to joining the Society, Jim was named emeritus distinguished professor of anthropology and served as department chair at Illinois State University, where he worked for 27 years. He authored and edited 11 books and reviewed dozens of peer articles on pottery, archaeological theory, and the archaeology of the Great Lakes. He also co-edited the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory for 17 years.

Jim valued his time spent working alongside William A. Longacre on the Kalinga Ethnoarchaeological Project, one of the longest-running ethnoarchaeological projects ever undertaken with research focused on pottery producers in the northern Luzon region of the Philippines. He also directed the Grand Island Archaeological Research Program since 2000 and in 2012 was presented with the Excellence in Archaeological Analysis award by the Society for American Archaeology.

We are keeping Jim’s wife, Becky, and their children, Matt and Sadie, in our hearts during this incredibly difficult time. For those looking for a way to honor Jim, his family suggests giving back to the earth that he loved and learned from.

Please join us in celebrating the life and lasting legacy of Dr. James Skibo, the People’s Archaeologist.

The National Council for Preservation Education internships are now open for applications for Summer 2023. The internships are for students and recent graduates and are hosted by Department of the Interior agencies including the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and others. There are some internships that include NAGPRA and collections work. Deadlines Feb 22, 2023

National Council for Preservation Education Internships 2023

The Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) invites applications from undergraduate and graduate students for its summer 2023 internship program. ADAH internships are paid, and students may be able to obtain academic credit depending on the policies of their educational institutions.

Students studying anthropology, archaeology, archival studies, education, history, library science, museum studies, political science, public history, and related fields are encouraged to apply. DEADLINE MARCH 1, 2023

Summer internships 2023 Alabama Dept of Archives and History

The Field Museum is now accepting applications for 2023 Internships. For more information: 

Field Museum 2023 Internships

The SAA is hosting a free webinar on Feb 8, 2023 at 2pm (not sure of time zone). Registration closes on Feb 6.

For more information, see link below:

We have just been notified that Mary McCorvie (retired Heritage Program Manager of the Shawnee National Forest) and Illinois Archaeological Survey (IAS) member has won this year's "Mack" award from the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) for her decades worth of work with thousands of underprivileged youth, family descendants, historic black college (HBC) students at the Miller Grove site, a pre-Civil War freed slave community in Pope County, Illinois. The Mack award is awarded each year to archaeologists who exhibit "outstanding best practices in community collaboration, engagement, and outreach in their historical archaeology and heritage preservation work". The SHA is going to present her with the award next month at the 2023 SHA annual meetings in Lisbon, Portugal. Below is a photo of Abby Miller, a daughter of one of the founders, and her daughters ca. 1910. Following are photos of African American kids and their mom who helped in the investigations; the SIUC field school at Miller Grove; and some of the artifacts of daily life recovered from Miller Grove.

Information about the new proposed regulations for NAGPRA from Melanie O'Brien at NPS. The proposed regs are open for comments until Jan 17, 2023.

The National NAGPRA Program is reaching out to you concerning the recently published proposed rule to amend the NAGPRA implementing regulations at 43 CFR Part 10 (87 FR 63202, Oct. 18, 2022). The Department is committed to proactively working with stakeholders, including museum and scientific organizations, to obtain feedback on topics in the revised regulations.

Could you please share this message with your membership and encourage them to provide written comment on the proposed rule, generally, and on the following specific topics (taken from Section VI. Public Engagement and Request for Comments, 87 FR 63232-63233):

1. One of the goals of the proposed regulatory revisions is to improve efficiency by streamlining requirements, clarify timelines and terms, reducing ambiguity, and improving efficiency in the systematic process for disposition and repatriation. Has this goal been achieved?

2. Under the proposed regulatory revisions, within two years of the effective date of the rule, museums would be required to update inventories for any human remains and associated funerary objects previously included in an inventory but not published in a notice of inventory completion. Based on information available to it, a museum would be required to initiate consultation, consult with requesting parties, determine if any known lineal descendant, or culturally or geographically affiliated Indian Tribe can be ascertained, and if so, publish notices of inventory completion within six months of updating the inventory.
   
   The Department anticipates that the human remains of 117,000 Native American individuals currently unable to be repatriated would become available for repatriation within two and a half years of the effective date of a final rule, a substantial increase from the 84,000 individuals repatriated in the almost 32 years since the passage of NAGPRA. At this time, the Department is not aware of any capacity and resource limitations that would prevent museums from completing the new requirement to update inventories, engage in consultation, and publish notices following the effective date of a final rule. The Department requests feedback from museums on how, if at all, the proposed regulatory revision could impact its capacity and resources to accomplish this goal.

Written comments on the proposed regulations must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET, January 17, 2023. Comments must be identified by the Regulation Identified Number (RIN) 1024-AE19 and must be submitted by one -- and only one -- of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Direct link to make comments is: https://www.regulations.gov/document/NPS-2022-0004-0001

• Mail to: National NAGPRA Program, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Mail Stop 7360, Washington, DC 20240. Attn: Melanie O’Brien, Manager, NAGPRA Rule Comments.

Should you have questions about the proposed regulations, you may contact Melanie O’Brien, National NAGPRA Program, at (202) 354-2201, nagpra_info@nps.gov. The Department looks forward to hearing comments on the proposed NAGPRA regulations.

NAGPRA proposed regulations 2022

Join the Field Museum on Friday, April 1st from 5 - 8 pm in an SAA member event celebrating the upcoming opening of Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories with curatorial staff and Native co-curators. All exhibits will be open and curators and staff from across the Anthropology collections will be present. Pre-registration and a small contribution is required to be added to your SAA registration.

To add this event to your existing meeting registration before March 1, please login at this URL

https://ecommerce.saa.org/SAA/SAAMember/Events/meeting.aspx.

If you are having any trouble, please contact membership@saa.org or phone 202-789-8200 during Eastern Time business hours so we can help you add this event to your registration.

Review the two agreements at the top of the screen and respond to these questions. Click "save responses".

Scroll down to Friday April 1 and use the carrot to open this day's events.

Select Field Museum Evening Reception and let us know if you will require bus transport (if you cannot join the walking tour).

Click blue button "Add".

Click orange button "Save Response".

Click orange button "Proceed to checkout".

Enter payment information for $5 or $2 event registration, proceeds of which will provide honoraria to Native co-curators and Indigenous hosts of the event.

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Former Illinois State University archaeologist and IAS President Ed Jelks passed away on December 22 at the age of 99. His obituary appears in The Pantagraph.