The Four Corners Lecture Series has released it 2015 schedule for events titled “It’s About Time.”
This is the 10th year for the popular series, which focuses on the people, places, wildlife, geology, astronomy, culture and history of the Southwest and beyond.
Organizer Linda Martin said this year’s theme is based on the 25-year anniversary of the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).
The Act changed the way archaeology is conducted by improving consultation with native tribes and providing a framework for repatriation of burials, grave goods, and sacred artifacts.
“Some lectures focus on how NAGPRA has been successful, and how it has been a healing process for tribes,” Martin said.
The 30 lectures are free to the public and are held at a variety of locations, including Mesa Verde’s Far View lodge library, the Southwest Center at Fort Lewis College, Crow Canyon Archaeology Center, the Anasazi Heritage Center, the KSJD Sunflower Theater, Cortez Cultural Center, and the Edge of the Cedars Museum.
The series came about as a way to combine the events of different organizations under one umbrella.
“It is a way to coordinate with each other instead of compete,” Martin said. “The lectures educate professionals in the field and the general public, including visitors to our area. It’s a great model.”
Past titles include: “Native American Patterns of Kin and Community” (2008), “Not Just One Story: Native American Collaborations with Anthropologists” (2009), “Crossroads of Arts and Cultures” (2012), and “Roads Less Traveled” (2014).
See sidebar for upcoming lectures. For a complete schedule go to http://1.usa.gov/1axMfBw
jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com
