The Indigenous Connections between the Northern Rio Grande and Chaco Canyon: a Model for Equitable Collaboration between Indigenous and Non-Abelian Groups

Where Chacoan populations resettled in roughly 1150 ce, and what subsequent migrations they might have undertaken, remains a debated topic within Southwestern Archaeology and Indigenous communities alike. The Northern Rio Grande region has gained some attention due to its connections to Chaco. Dating to roughly 900 ce, the earliest NRG Puebloan centres were contemporaneous with early Chaco, whereas archaeological, historic and modern pueblos—such as Picuris—provide evidence of NRG cultural continuity since the depopulation of Chaco. The oral traditions of present-day Puebloans, as well as the many lines of scholarly evidence, support a relationship with the nature of Chaco Canyon. This has resulted in a lack of trust in the strength of links between past and present puebloan groups, which has negatively affected tribal nations that seek to protect and preserve Chaco Canyon.

Picuris oral histories and artefacts show a link with the archaeological site, a once-thriving centre famous for its ‘great houses’ that was mysteriously abandoned starting around 900 years ago.

The study, published1 on 30 April in Nature, offers a model for equitable collaborations between Indigenous communities and scientists. The project was initiated by Picuris Pueblo leaders, who determined how the research was conducted and presented; researchers wishing to use the data generated in the study must get the tribe’s permission.

“I think that’s a big step in the right direction,” says Katrina Claw, a genomicist at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, who is Diné, or Navajo, and was not involved with the study.

Navajo Nation’s Challenge to a Restriction on the Oil and Gas Drilling in the Area Around Chaco Canyon

The Navajo Nation is challenging a restriction on oil and gas drilling in the area surrounding Chaco Canyon. A review by the administration of US President Donald Trump is also threatening to repeal the restriction. A judge in New Mexico gave permission for two other tribes to argue against the lawsuit.

At the press conference, he said that they had tried to steer the ship by using technology in the Western way, which would allow them to listen. He said that we have been telling our stories for a long time, but they could understand it.

The leadership of the tribe wanted to use the remains as evidence of the connection between Chaco Canyon and other places, and sought a collaboration with Eske Willerslev. This was the first time a tribe had sought out his assistance and the team had previously worked with Native American groups.

“It wasn’t an easy decision,” Picuris governor Wayne Yazza said at the press briefing. We thought it would benefit our community to establish a genetic connection to Chaco Canyon.