Kate Crosmer, of Garden Grove, Calif., was recently hired as a curation intern at the Anasazi Heritage Center.
Crosmer, 26, has a bachelor’s degree in archaeology and art history from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa. She is currently working on a master’s at Rutgers University in cultural heritage and preservation studies.
The Dolores Star visited with her Tuesday on the job site where she will work until June.
Star: As an intern, what are your duties?
Crosmer: I’m learning in depth about how curation and cataloging systems at a museum work. Right now, my duties include conducting ceramic typology and some lithic analysis. We recently returned from a forensic anthropology lab at Fort Lewis College where we had bones from a site tested that turned out to be fauna (animal).
Star: What is your impression of this region’s archaeology?
Crosmer: I love it. The Southwest is a dream for archeologists because the arid climate has preserved the past so well. The cultural history is rich and the residents here are very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about past Native American cultures. I’ve found that there is much stronger protection of archeological sites in the Southwest than other parts of the country.
Star: Where else have you studied?
Crosmer: I’ve done research on the West and East coasts in the U.S., and also in Belize, Canada, and Russia. In Belize, we studied Mayan ruins, and in Alaska, we worked with local tribes and studied sites with butchered caribou dating to 13,000 years ago. In Russia, I studied Scythian Burial Mounds.
Star: What have you learned so far that was unexpected?
Crosmer: What blew my mind was the density of archaeological sites in this area: one out of every six acres has a site (eligible for the National Register of Historic places). That is astounding. On the East and West coasts, the ruins do not hold up that well, and have disappeared or been dispersed.
Also, I’m especially impressed by the Dominguez and Escalante ruins here at the museum. They are smaller, so the visitor gets a sense that this was a family’s home; it has a more egalitarian appeal, an example of what everyday life was like for the Ancestral Puebloans.
Star: How is this museum unique compared with others in your experience?
Crosmer: People here can get a close-up view of the on-site ruins, and then observe the artifacts excavated from them right in the museum. The staff also offers tours to the general public of stored archives, which is really special. For the public to get a behind the scenes look does not happen at larger museums.
Star: Could you give an example of how the modern world can learn from ancient cultures?
Crosmer: What comes to mind is the research being done on ancient corn by Crow Canyon. There is an effort to extract DNA from unburned corn and apply it to modern farming. Corn from that era is genetically very drought-resistance, and taking advantage of that is relevant in a region that suffering from drought.
Star: What are your career goals?
Crosmer: This is one of them. I’d love to participate in the educational tours of this museum. I want to continue assisting researchers here and learn everything I can. The old photos from the Wetherill collection are really fascinating. After completing my masters, I want to get more field work experience. Of course I’d love to work in a museum in the Southwest, the gem of the archaeological world.
jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com
