M u s e u m
Chronicle Also in this issue: • Board of Regents Elects Four New Members • Museum Expedition 33 • 11th Annual Knap-In • Saturdays in the Park • Discovering Alabama Virtual Field Trip • Museum Mondays
N e w s f r o m t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f A l a b a m a Mu s e u m s • N u m b e r 3 6 • S P RI N G 2 0 1 1 Alabama Museum of Natural History • Discovering Alabama • Moundville Archaeological Park • Office of Archaeological Research • Gorgas House • Museum Collections
black belt heritage area funds
M A R C H 11-13 Moundville Knap-In, MAP 19, 26 Saturdays in the Park, MAP
Three Sisters Garden
a p r i l 2, 9, 16 Saturdays in the Park, MAP 23, 30 Saturdays in the Park, MAP
M A Y 7, 14 Saturdays in the Park, MAP 21, 28 Saturdays in the Park, MAP
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1-4 Shark Week Expedition for 6th, 7th and 8th grade students, AMNH 4, 11 Saturdays in the Park, MAP 18, 25 Saturdays in the Park, MAP 5-11 Shark Week Expedition, AMNH 6-10 Indian Summer Day Camp, MAP 15-18 Discovering Alabama Ecology Teacher Workshop, AMNH 19-25 Survivor Week Expedition, AMNH
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2, 9, 16 Saturdays in the Park, MAP 23, 30 Saturdays in the Park, MAP 7 Little Cahaba Tubing, AMNH 8 Shark’s Tooth Creek Fossils, AMNH 9 Bear Creek Canoeing (Swimmers only), AMNH 12 Little Cahaba Tubing, AMNH 14 Coosa River Canoeing, AMNH 22-23 Little River Canyon Camping and Hike, AMNH 25-29 Indian Summer Day Camp, MAP 25-29 Museum Adventure Day Camp, AMNH 25 Shark’s Tooth Creek Fossils, AMNH 26 Tubing, AMNH 27 Canoe Clinic, AMNH 28 Sipsey River Canoeing, AMNH 29 Coosa River Canoeing, AMNH 30 Fifth Saturday Series Finding the Cache: Geocaching for Families, AMNH
AMNH: Alabama Museum of Natural History MAP: Moundville Archaeological Park
M u s e um
Chronicle
Published periodically during the year by The University of Alabama Museums Robert Clouse, Ph. D. Executive Director The University of Alabama Museums
Board of Regents Ben Barnett, Board President Tuscaloosa, AL
Steve Johnson Tuscaloosa, AL
Leah Ann Sexton Tuscaloosa, AL
Larry Taylor, Board Vice President Moundville, AL
Thomas Joiner Tuscaloosa, AL
Craig Sheldon, Ph. D. Wetumpka, AL
Prescott Atkinson, Ph. D., M. D. Birmingham, AL
Eleanor May Tuscaloosa, AL
Marguerite Smith Short Birmingham, AL
Catherine Sloss Crenshaw Birmingham, AL
Douglas McCraw Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Kristie Taylor Tuscaloosa, AL
Darla Graves Birmingham, AL
Tom McMillan Brewton, AL
Nick Tew, Ph. D. Tuscaloosa, AL
Tommy Hester Tuscaloosa, AL
Howell Poole Moundville, AL
Terry Waters Tuscaloosa, AL
Mike Jenkins Montgomery, AL
Beverly Phifer Tuscaloosa, AL
Tom Watson Tuscaloosa, AL
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Tom Semmes San Antonio, TX
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oundville Archaeological Park is pleased to announce that the Alabama Black Belt Heritage Area recently funded a small grant for our Three Sisters Garden. This outdoor exhibit is a modern day interpretation of prehistoric and early historic Native American gardening. The award, along with additional monies set aside by the park, will help staff and volunteers relocate the garden closer to water. The Alabama Black Belt Heritage Area (ABBHA) is a 19-county initiative with a mission of empowering the people and communities of Alabama’s Black Belt region to build a positive future by collaborating to preserve, enhance, and promote what makes the area unique. Dr. Richard Holland and the University of West Alabama graciously funded partnership grants in each of the 19 counties in the Black Belt Heritage Area, including the one for the Three Sisters Garden.
interested in researching and learning about sustainable agriculture and how it relates to Native American gardening. Eventually, we hope our garden will help other people, most especially those in the Black Belt, learn new gardening practices that are healthier for humans and the planet as a whole. The monies awarded and allocated for this project will go a long way towards purchasing seeds, compost, soil, landscaping materials and basic equipment.
The UA Museums family consists of the following:
BUT WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP! Great gardens need lots of attention and we need lots of volunteers. We encourage anyone that loves Native American culture, gardening and has any knowledge about sustainable agriculture, organic gardening or heirloom plants (OR would like to learn) to call us at 205-371-8732. You can also email the park’s education department at ccumming@ua.edu. Top to bottom: Amaranth; Maypop Passion Flower; Chenopodium; Pumpkin varieties
When Europeans first made contact with Native Americans they were told that corn, beans, and squash were the “three sisters.” This refers to the symbiotic relationship the three plants have when grown intermingled with one another. As corn leeches nitrogen from the soil, beans help put nitrogen back. By sowing beans around the base of the young corn shoots, the cornstalks provide support as the climbing bean plants grow. Squash is sown in between the corn and beans. The shade caused by the squash foliage helps keep water in the soil and somewhat reduces the amount of weed growth. By planting corn, beans, and squash together, the soil stays healthier and, overall, supports a better crop.
MOUNDVILLE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK
Over the last seven years, the garden has been fairly successful, thanks to the tireless efforts of our volunteers. Heirloom varieties of corn, beans and squash, along with a host of other plants have been grown, including chenopodium, amaranth, ground cherries, tobacco, echinacea, Jerusalem artichokes, sunflowers, wild strawberries, maypops and several kinds of gourds. Seeds saved from crops have been stored for the following season and shared with others interested in heirloom and organic gardening. But, a major problem that the garden faced in the past was a reliable source of water. Last year’s weather, alternating from near drought conditions to torrential downpours, severely impacted the garden’s output. As a result, park staff decided to move the exhibit. This coming spring, a new Three Sisters Garden will be placed across the road from the museum. Staff and volunteers plan to construct raised beds for the new garden to avoid impacting an archaeologically sensitive area. We are also M
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Guy Meador shows visitors how flintknappers systematically break glass-like rock to form points.
saturdays in the park Saturdays in the Park, held Saturdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Moundville Archaeological Park, is becoming an increasingly popular program. The program often features demonstrations and always has a hands-on activity for kids. Since being funded by a private donation, a wide range of topics has been covered, including pottery making and firing, ancient hunting and fishing, Native American flutes, the art of twining textiles and native foods. The program is free with paid park admission. Close to 2,000 park visitors have participated since the program began. On March 12th, the same weekend as the Moundville Knap-in, Choctaw arts and crafts will be featured. Choctaw beadwork and basketry are two of several different crafts that will be demonstrated. Kids can learn to do beadwork and make their very own bracelet. Choctaw Juanita Gardinski of Fayetteville, Tennessee, is bringing a number of her family members who specialize in making various traditional crafts as was handed down to them by their elders. According to Chip Wente, volunteer organizer for Saturdays in the Park, “Since many people will already be in the park attending the Knap-in, we thought we’d give them an extra treat.”
Noel Grayson (Cherokee) of Tahlequah, Oklahoma is one of the few Native American knappers actively reviving the art. Students and visitors watch how Southeastern Indians fired pottery without a kiln.
11th Annual knap-in features lots for kids both Young and old
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he Moundville Knap-in, March 11 through 13, is a great event for anyone interested in Native Americans, ancient technologies or outdoor sports such as hunting and fishing. Stone toolmakers from around the country join others hammering out stone points, throwing spears and shooting bows. Kids can get their faces painted, grind corn or play Native American games. Displays of ancient hunting and fishing equipment, cooking demonstrations and net making will also be featured.
A knife made of purple opalescent glass with a deer antler handle.
the hole is small. As the pellet goes through the glass, a cone shaped piece pops out. Using these laws of physics, knappers create any number of tools or weapons. Spear and arrow points, knives, scrapers, drills and spokeshaves are just a few things Indians from our area made using this technology.
Flintknapping is an ancient technology used by nearly all Stone Age people. Native Americans made most of their weapons and many of their tools from stone prior to Europeans arriving in the New World. Very quickly, Indian people set aside flintknapping in favor of metal implements to the point where the technology was almost lost. In the last 20 years, however; hundreds, if not thousands of people have revived the process, passing their knowledge down from one person to another in much the same way as the ancients did. Lapidary knapper Randy Beach
There are about as many different ways to knap as there are flintknappers. Some knappers use only tools made out of stone or bone to fashion their points. Others use copper covered, lead weighted billets they call “boppers” to hammer on their stone. Lapidary knappers use rock saws and heavy duty grinders to preshape their pieces prior to removing flakes. You can be sure that all of these folks will be glad to see you! They love making stone implements and love to show other people how to do it. All the tools needed, safety gear and rock are available for purchase. And, of course, there is a huge variety of stone points, knives, wooden display cases and other handmade items for sale.
Flintknapping is based on the principle of how glass created this point breaks. Imagine what a windowpane looks like when it’s made of Brazilian For more information, call 205-371-8732 or email been shot with a BB pellet. Where the BB goes into the pane agate. ccumming@ua.edu. We hope to see you there!
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museum expedition 33
Discover Alabama’s diverse natural history by participating in the 33rd Annual
Museum Expedition Camp! Participants will have several fun and unique opportunities to work with scientists in the fields of paleontology and ecology as part of actual scientific research to examine Alabama’s intriguing natural heritage. Students, teachers, and adults will spend a week at the Expedition field camp situated in Greene County, Alabama and work with scientists to learn collection techniques, laboratory procedures, and specimen identification. The Museum Expedition combines real exploration, with real science to create a unique experience and lasting friendships. THIS IS NOT YOUR ORDINARY SUMMER CAMP!
SHARK WEEK: Explore the prehistoric past when Alabama was submerged beneath a shallow sea teeming with sharks and other menacing marine predators. Scoop up shark’s teeth from the gravel deposits in creeks, uncover ammonites from ancient sea beds, and perhaps even excavate a Mosasaur, the Tyrannosaurus Rex of the sea! Our Museum paleontologist and other scientists will lead you on a real scientific expedition to find real fossils and uncover the mysteries of Alabama’s wild marine past! Two Sessions: Mini-week – June 1-4 (6th, 7th, and 8th grade students - cost $175) Week 2 – June 5-11 (Open to anyone age 14 and up - cost $350) DISCOVERING ALABAMA ECOLOGY WEEK– TEACHER WORKSHOP: Join other teachers and educators from around the state in this unique opportunity to discover the rich diversity of the Black Prairie Belt region of Alabama. Participants will wander through the meadows, wade in the streams, and paddle on the rivers to become immersed in hands-on study of the geology, soil, water, plants, animals, and people that make up this diverse ecosystem. One Session: Week 3 – June 15-18 (Teachers and Educators - cost $150) SURVIVOR WEEK: Working in teams, participants will test their outdoor skills while exploring meadows, wading in streams and paddling down rivers with scientists to conduct a “bio-blitz” of field research and nature studies of the Alabama Black Belt ecosystem. During the afternoons, each team will compete in challenging activities to win immunity and a chance to be named the Ultimate Expedition Survivor! One Session: Week 4 – June 19-25 (Open to anyone age 14 and up - cost $350) Space is limited to 20 participants, so contact us soon to reserve your spot. For more information or to register for one or more weeks of the program, please send e-mail to museum.programs@ua.edu or call (205) 348-7550.
Looking for fossils in Shark’s Tooth Creek
discovering alabama virtual field trip
On February 11th, Discovering
Alabama and the Alabama Museum of Natural History hosted a virtual field trip for over 200 students from five high schools across Alabama to one of Alabama’s most important paleontological resources, the Steven C. Minkin Paleozoic Footprint Site. Students (from as far south as Mobile County and as far north as Etowah County) engaged in a live, interactive videoconference hosted by Dr. Doug Philips of Discovering Alabama and Alabama Museum of Natural History experts from the museum, including Director Randy Mecredy, Curator of Paleontology James Parham, and Board of Regents member Prescott Atkinson. Together with David Kopaska-Merkel (Geological Survey of Alabama), the museum team showed museum specimens and answered students’ questions about life in Alabama during the ‘Coal Age’ (over 300 million years ago). The live and interactive video conference was a collaboration between Discovering Alabama and the College of Communication and Information Sciences’ Center for
Public TV & Radio as part of the 2nd Annual ACCESS Distance Learning Week statewide event. This ‘webcast’ was a first for the Alabama Museum of Natural History, but given its success we look forward to using new technologies to bring the natural history of Alabama to people across the state. Schools that participated: Pleasant Valley High School, Jacksonville; Glencoe High School, Glencoe; West End High School, Walnut Grove; Booker T. Washington High School, Montgomery; Geneva County High School, Hartford; Fairhope High School, Fairhope. M
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Fossil trackways from the Steven C. Minkin Paleozoic Footprint site.
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BOARD OF REGENTS ELECTS four NEW BOARD MEMBERS
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he University of Alabama Museums Board of Regents, established in 1926 by Dr. Eugene Allen Smith, is an advisory board for the museums at the University of Alabama. The members are advocates for UA Museums across the nation. Recently, at their annual meeting, they elected the following new members to the board. We welcome our new board members to a longstanding tradition!
Howell Poole • President of the Bank of Moundville, Moundville, AL Leah Ann Sexton • Vice President Safety, Health & Personnel McAbee Construction Craig Sheldon, Ph. D. • Former Chair of the Department of Sociology at Auburn University, Montgomery (retired) • Board Member of the Alabama Historical Commission • Conducted his student research at Moundville Archaeological Park and was a UA Museums student worker Kristie Taylor • High School teacher-created an aquaculture program for Greensboro High School
discovering alabama oil spill EPISODE INCLUDES INTERVIEW WITH PHILLIPE COUSTEAU This is not a show that I ever wanted to have to do.
This is not a show that I ever wanted to have to do. Thus begins the premiere
broadcast of Discovering Alabama – Oil Spill, as Executive Producer and Host Dr. Doug Phillips prepares viewers for a documentary unlike other Discovering Alabama programs. In this program, instead of showcasing Alabama’s natural wonders, Discovering Alabama is compelled to examine a tragedy assailed as the most catastrophic oil spill in U.S. history. On April 20, 2010, the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and burned, taking the lives of eleven work crew and leaving a damaged well-casing to spew oil five thousand feet beneath the Gulf of Mexico. The spill continued for months creating an environmental disaster with long term ecological and economic implications. This episode of Discovering Alabama returns to coastal Alabama to visit with various experts and authorities who are working to help Alabama rebound from the impacts of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
–Dr. Doug Phillips
The program has been rebroadcast several times, receiving wide viewer praise and prompting Phillips to confide, “At first I truly did not want to do such a show. The oil spill was a disgusting blow to coastal and marine life, and the thought of doing a show about it seemed sort of like televising a terrible injury to a dear friend. But, when we were invited to the coast to spend some interview time with Philippe Cousteau, well, this was an opportunity to give special perspective to the issue.” In addition to Cousteau, the program features commentary by leading scientists and experts representing such organizations as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
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Presented by The University of Alabama Museum of Natural History and The W. S, Hoole Special Collections Library
Joseph G. Dawson III - Texas A & M University SPEAKERS Dr. Dr. Steven E. Woodworth - Texas Christian University Dr. Craig L. Symonds - United States Naval Academy
LUNCH PROVIDED - ADMISSION FREE RSVP 205.348.7551 or email caverett@bama.ua.edu
university of alabama museums membership
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g i v i ng l e v e l s & b e n e f i t s uch of the natural beauty of Alabama is found among its many rivers. To recognize the vital role these rivers play in making our state unique, the University of Alabama Museums has designated gift membership levels with the names of some of Alabama’s best-known and beloved rivers.
All membership levels are important to the Museum. We hope you will be as generous as your circumstances allow. third Level
First Level
Alabama River $40 • Unlimited admission (except for special events) to: Moundville Archaeological Park Alabama Museum of Natural History Gorgas House Paul W. Bryant Museum • Membership newsletter • Discounts on Museum programs and Summer Expedition • Membership card and decal • Recognition in newsletter • Invitations to special member events
second Level
B l a c k warr i o r R i v e r $100 • Receive Discovering Alabama DVDs • 10% discount at University of Alabama Museum Shops • Other benefits as listed in previous level
cahaba River $250 • Free admission to Moundville Native American Festival • Unlimited admission to Museums for member and 5 guests • Gift membership for one year at Alabama level • 20% discount at University of Alabama Museum Shops • Other benefits as listed in previous level
fourth Level
coosa River $500 • Unlimited admission to Museums for member and 7 guests • Book on natural history from The University of Alabama Press • Reduced rental rates for Museum facilities • Other benefits as listed in previous level
fifth Level
Sipsey River $1000 • Unlimited admission to Museums for member and 10 guests • Three gift memberships for one year at Black Warrior level • Other benefits as listed in previous level
sixth Level
eugene allen smith society $5000 • Special recognition in Smith Hall foyer • Special Museum excursion lead by Executive Director of The University of Alabama Museums • Unlimited admission to Museums for member and 15 guests • Other benefits as listed in previous level
Yes, I/we want to support The University of Alabama Museums Alabama River $40 B l a c k W arr i o r R i v e r $ 1 0 0 Ca h a b a R i v e r $ 2 5 0 Coosa River $500 Sipsey River $1000 Eugene Allen Smith Society $5000
Charge to: MasterCard Visa Account Number_______________________________________________ Expiration Date________________________________________________ My Signature__________________________________________________ Name(s)______________________________________________________ Address______________________________________________________
My/our membership is enclosed
Phone_______________________________________________________
My employer will match this gift
E-mail_______________________________________________________
Please make checks payable to the University of Alabama Museums and mail to: Box 870340 • Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0340 Your annual gift is tax deductible to the extent provided by law. Thank you for your support.
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nonprofit org. u.s. postage
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tuscaloosa al permit #16
Box 870340 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487–0340 (205) 348-7550 museums.ua.edu museum.programs@ua.edu
Connect with UA Museums on Facebook Your visit to Moundville Archaeological Park or the Alabama Museum of Natural History doesn’t have to end at the front door lobby. Stay connected with UA Museums online, wherever in the world you may be! Become a fan on Facebook. This is the place to connect with the museums and lovers of natural and American history from around the world. Connect with Moundville Archaeological Park and the Alabama Museum of Natural History on Facebook by visiting our pages and clicking on the “Like” button.
museum mondays Third, fourth, and fifth graders experience the Alabama Museum of Natural History Museum in a whole new way each Monday afternoon during April. Kids discover the mysteries of fossils, rocks and minerals, they romp with reptiles and experience wayfinding with GPS and compasses! The programs run from 3:30 to 5:15 and includes snacks. Pre-registration required. For more information visit www.amnh.ua.edu or call 348-6383.