Items Needed for Project Archaeology

Every year, the OAS education programs reach thousands of New Mexicans, spread over every county. Support for the various components of this program comes from state and federal grants as well as private donations. But the OAS educators need more than just financial donations to keep the education programs alive, so we have developed a scavenger hunt. Grab your plastic bags and don your adventuring (or housecleaning) hat to join us in sourcing some much desired educational supplies:

• Rabbits (full skeletons and pelts)

• Rodent skulls: squirrels, gophers, prairie dogs, etc.

• Road kill, larger animals: coyotes, badgers, porcupines, bird of prey, etc.

• Leg bones of elk or deer—for making tools

• Turkey pelts

• Geologic minerals (please not gem quality or polished): calcite, hematite, quartz, malachite/azurite, yellow ochre

• Local piñon seeds

• Yucca: narrow- and wide-leaf (fully rooted plants ready to transplant or just the leaves)

Many of these items will be cleaned and added to our traveling kits for our Project Archaeology Quemado Pithouse Modules, which are loaned out across the region to teachers and facilitators. Some will be used to develop new educational programs. All will be excitedly received.

 

This article is from the Friends of Archaeology Newsletter November 2022.