Gallup Archaeology talk by Prof. Wade Campbell on Fortresses and Foodways in Navajo lands - i.e. Dinétah

On August 25, 2024, in Gallup, New Mexico, Professor Wade Campbell (Boston University) talked about “Fortresses and Foodways: Research in Dinétah”

The Indigenous food sovereignty movement advocates for the reclamation of ancestral foods in Native communities like the Navajo Nation. What can archaeological research offer to these discussions? This talk shares the results of a recent project that analyzed ceramic sherds from a ~300+ year old Diné habitation site near Navajo Reservoir, NM. The results of this work provide evidence for a variety of early Navajo food preparation techniques, which are both similar to and different from what is done today in Diné communities. How then can we link this historical look at Diné diet with the ongoing food sovereignty movement in Indigenous communities? Dr. Campbell will also share a quick update on the ongoing early Navajo fortress project he discussed last summer.

Dr. Wade Campbell is a Diné (Navajo) historical archaeologist who grew up in Gallup. His research examines the relationships between Diné communities and other local groups in the U.S. Southwest from the 17th century to the present day, including the Pueblos, Spanish, and Americans. He is engaged with a range of questions related to longer-term patterns of Navajo settlement and economic activity across the greater Four Corners region, with a particular focus on incipient Indigenous pastoralism and related shifts in land-use, social organization, and diet/subsistence practices. At present Wade is an Assistant Professor in Boston University's Department of Anthropology & Archaeology Program.

The lecture is sponsored by the Plateau Sciences Society a group dedicated to the study and appreciation of the social and natural sciences relating to the Colorado Plateau and its people. The community is cordially invited to this free event and encouraged to stay afterwards for a reception and to learn more about the PSS and its activities. The Plateau Science Society programs are varied and deal with the Pre-history, History, Geology, Geography, and Cultures of our area.