Welcome to our public presentations page.
Public Presentations
Here, you will find PDFs of talks we have given detailing our grant work throughout Colorado.
Click on the presentation graphic to view a slideshow.
Note: Download files require Adobe Acrobat Reader available here
Ute STEM Project
The Ute STEM Project was a five-year project funded by the National Science Foundation to explore the connections between Ute Traditional Knowledge and western science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM.) At the center of the project were the fieldwork visits in the summers of 2017, 2018, and 2019. During these fieldwork trips, Ute elders, Ute youth, archaeologists, scientists, and History Colorado staff visited historical and cultural sites near Montrose, Colorado, and the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado. With the permission of tribal elders and all participants, videographer Mara Ferris and evaluator Kate Livingston filmed aspects of the fieldwork, including interviews with elders, youth, and others. These longer, rough-cut interviews and footage were edited into nine short videos reviewed by tribal representatives from all three Ute tribes in 2018. After tribal approvals, these short videos were included in exhibits at the Ute Indian Museum, History Colorado Center and the History Colorado
Our Project Page includes public video exhibits featuring ute elders, youth, archaeologists, scientists and history colorado staff
Click here to learn more
Native American Trails
The trails projects examine prehistoric and historic sites associated with aboriginal trail routes, with the intended results of providing tribal and agency cultural resource managers with landscape scale archaeological baseline
The importance of trails depends on the mobility of society. They are characteristically used for trade between resource-differentiated regions, for seasonal movements, inter-group ceremonies, and sacred journeys. Aboriginal hunter-gatherers for example have extensive seasonal movements for changing food resources, but their choice of foot or horse affected the ways and modifications of the routes used. Important contrasts can be drawn between those created by aboriginal foot traffic and those utilized by horse traffic – especially in mountainous regions. Visit our project page for more information.
Rock Art Studies
Petroglyphs and pictographs are continually at risk from natural and man-made causes. DARG is developing an ongoing rock art recording and database project to create "preservation quality" documentation for these irreplaceable cultural resources. To learn more about our work with rock art studies, click here.
Colorado Wickiup Project
Colorado Wickiup Project
The Colorado Wickiup Project (CWP) has been conducting a program of context development, data assessment, and comprehensive field documentation of aboriginal wooden feature sites in the state since 2004. To learn more, visit our project page.
Archaeoastronomy
Archaeoastronomy
Gunsight is a prehistoric stone ring site in Middle Park, Colorado consisting of 30 stone features divided into five localities (A—E). From Medicine Wheels, we inherited: true circles, flattened circles, ellipses/ovals, and egg shapes, all associated with astronomical observations. At Gunsight, we have combinations of shapes: oval, egg, lens, L, J, and irregular polygons. A real mix-and-match scenario. Is this a reflection of different techniques by different groups and/or at different times, for observation of different celestial bodies or events?
Follow the link to learn more about our work with archaeoastronomy research click here.