FEATURED: “In His Footsteps: Tom Connolly’s Legacy in Oregon Archaeology”

GBAC 2023 Beyond Boundaries Logo by Megan McGuinness

Today’s featured GBAC symposium is “In His Footsteps: Tom Connolly’s Legacy in Oregon Archaeology,” organized by Jaime Kennedy and Andrew Boehm. After 40+ years, Tom Connolly recently retired as the Director of Archaeological Research at the University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History. In addition to extensive work on the Pacific Coast and western inland valleys, his contributions to Great Basin archaeology span several decades. Tom’s research on perishable artifacts, lithics, and his decades-long collaborations to refine regional cultural chronologies spurred significant developments in our understanding of the Great Basin in deep history and will undoubtedly influence the trajectory of the discipline for years to come. He’s literally written the book on Oregon Archaeology and inspired generations of academic, agency, and CRM archaeologists. This symposium honors Tom’s legacy through a series of papers presented by friends, colleagues, and others influenced by his impressive career. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge three Mojave-level sponsors: the Far Western Foundation, Paleoscapes Archaeobotanical Services Team, and Thunderstones Lithic Consulting. The Far Western Foundation was established to advance the study and appreciation of western North American archaeology, ethnography and history, and provide avenues for individuals and organizations representing diverse cultural…

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FEATURED: Multi-Disciplinary Investigations of Cultural and Ecological Assemblages at the Paisley Caves in the Chewaucan Basin, South-Central Oregon

GBAC 2023 Beyond Boundaries Logo by Megan McGuinness

Today’s featured symposium is “Multi-Disciplinary Investigations of Cultural and Ecological Assemblages at the Paisley Caves in the Chewaucan Basin, South-Central Oregon.” The symposium features nine presentations highlighting ongoing work with the Paisley Caves assemblage. The Paisley Caves are unusually rich repositories of cultural and natural materials accumulated in deposits spanning 16,000 years in age. Located on the high shoreline of pluvial Lake Chewaucan in the Summer Lake sub-basin of the Chewaucan basin, these caves and rockshelters have been professionally investigated twice. First, by Luther Cressman in the period 1937-1940 and later by Dennis Jenkins and the University of Oregon field school between 2002 and 2011. Analyses of fish bone, isotopes, megafauna, small mammals, pollen, macrobotanical remains, birds, and insects assist in reconstructing the local ecology over a period of 16,000 years. A total of 353 radiocarbon dates has been obtained on artifacts, bones, cultural features, coprolites (human and non-human), and naturally accumulated plant and animal remains. Obsidian sourcing and hydration performed on >500 specimens provide new insight into the demography and mobility of local populations spanning >14,000 years. The analysis of human coprolites, perishable and non-perishable artifacts, and cultural features provides clarity into the lifeways and challenges of some of…

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GBAC 2023 Preliminary Program

GBAC 2023 Beyond Boundaries Logo by Megan McGuinness

It is with excitement that we share the Preliminary Program for the 38th Biennial Great Basin Conference (GBAC) to be held in Bend, OR October 18-21st. With just under one month to go, things are coming together and we look forward to catching up with everyone soon. In the meantime, please review the Preliminary Program and the 160 paper and poster abstracts that will make this year’s conference a great one. To date, 17 vendors have reserved tables in the Book Room, ensuring that it will be a vibrant gathering place featuring a range of goods and services. We wish to share a couple of important announcements along with the Preliminary Program: Individuals wishing to donate to the GBAA may do so by visiting this page: https://greatbasinanthropologicalassociation.org/gbac/donate/ Thank you everyone for your continued support of the GBAC and GBAA. This year’s conference is going to be great one. Watch for more updates and news in the coming weeks! Preliminary Program for the 38th Biennial Great Basin Conference

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Featured: Tradition, Teaching, and Technology: Papers in Honor of Dan Stueber

GBAC 2023 Beyond Boundaries Logo by Megan McGuinness

Today’s featured symposium is “Tradition, Teaching, and Technology: Papers in Honor of Dan Stueber.” Dan’s career as an archaeologist spans four decades and has been marked by a devotion to understanding flintknapping and lithic technology. During that time, Dan has freely shared his extensive knowledge with both the professional and avocational communities, students, and Tribal members. Today, he is a leading researcher of the Western Stemmed Tradition (WST) in the American West and is working concurrently on several significant late Pleistocene and early Holocene sites in Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. He is also firmly committed to collaboration with Tribal nations and works to share his knowledge with Indigenous communities. Finally, Dan has played an important role in the lives of countless students and professional researchers who share his passion for lithic technology. Papers in this symposium honor Dan by focusing on projects in which he has played an integral role or helped shape through his mentorship of researchers who will continue his legacy for decades to come. We would also like to recognize two organizations who have sponsored the GBAC at the Mojave Level, Great Basin Consulting Group and HRA, Inc. Great Basin Consulting Group, LLC, is a cultural…

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Featured: “Exploring the Intersections of Human Ecology and Culture History in the Great Basin.”

GBAC 2023 Beyond Boundaries Logo by Megan McGuinness

Today’s featured symposium is “Exploring the Intersections of Human Ecology and Culture History in the Great Basin.” Evolution and ecology-minded Great Basin archeologists are often frustrated when their research ultimately falls back on historical explanation. Culture historians increasingly incorporate paleoecological information in their analyses, albeit often in the absence of models that might elucidate causal links between environmental and behavioral variability. This symposium presents the latest in research from these competing but also clearly interrelated (and arguably complementary) perspectives with an eye towards exploring how they might better inform one another to provide comprehensive explanation for the diversity of human behavior across the Great Basin. Today, we recognize two corporate sponsors: Chronicle Heritage at the Bonneville Level and Rondeau Archaeological at the Mojave Level. Chronicle Heritage is a global cultural and heritage resource management consultancy committed to the possibilities in a prosperous balance between the needs of the future and the uses of the past. Throughout their history, they have worked for clients in both the public and private sectors, guiding one successful project after another through the complex regulations that govern the management of prehistoric, historic, architectural, and paleontological resources. To learn more, please visit chronicleheritage.com

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