Voices of the Ancients/ Archaeology and Oral Tradition in the American West

A Landmarks of American History & Culture Teacher Workshop

Southern Utah University; Cedar City, UT

In this new project, participants will investigate the ancient Fremont culture, a group of people who lived in what is now Utah, Idaho, Nevada, and Colorado from about CE 1 to 1200 before severe drought disrupted their way of life. The Fremont were contemporaries of the Mississippian culture at Cahokia and the Ancestral Puebloans at Mesa Verde. The Paiute, Shoshone, Ute, Goshute, and Navajo consider the Fremont people to be their ancestors. Using the Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter and Investigating Rock Art curricula as a foundation, the workshops will introduce participants to the use of archives, archaeology, GIS, and oral history to teach about ancient peoples. Through place-based learning and meaningful interactions with tribal elders, participants will experience and understand Native American History at an entirely new level.

This program is residential (in-person). Depending on public health guidelines related to COVID-19, plans for residential offerings are subject to change.

Project Directors

These workshops have been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website and workshop, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.