00:00.00 archpodnet 1 00:00.00 alan Welcome back gang to segment 2 of the archaeology podcast the rock art podcast episode one fifteen and we're honored and blessed to have Lindsay Lafayette here representing the archaeological conservancy Lindsay we were talking about how you got involved with the conservancy and we were just beginning to discuss when we met and how um you acquire properties and I think that would be a good place to start? Do you agree. 00:34.25 Linsie Lafayette Um, well actually I was wondering if we could do a little bit of background of what the archeological conservancy is first before we um, like okay. 00:38.88 alan Please No I think that's they think that's sensible and let's let's let's back pedal a little bit exactly go right ahead. 00:47.50 Linsie Lafayette Okay, well I just need to point out that the archaeological conservancy is the only nonprofit that preserves archeology sites on private land. We preserve um historic sites pre-contact sites. Um Ethno Ethno historic sites um it's been it's been a conservancy since Mark Michael founded it? um in 1980 so that's um I don't know is that 43 years now and we have over 585 sites across the country and um, there are offices like the one in Reno. Representing the northeast the southeast the midwest the southwest and the western reno of course and and the western office we are responsible for Oregon California Idaho Washington and Nevada those those preserves we have in that region and there are 44 archaeological preserves in that region that we are responsible for and that we manage. Okay, so I think that's a little bit of a background on what we do. So we acquire these sites. Um, before they turn biby. Before they're developed or before someone else acquires the land who might want to pot huntage or just um, you know, plow it into a field that kind of thing so that's how we are preserving these sites and we generally like to just leave them exactly how they are. But if ah we do the. 02:14.65 Linsie Lafayette The purpose of their preservation is to do archeology. So um, you know's so we if if you have ah um, a plan and um, you're an archeologist you can You can give us submit an application and and we will review it and and see if it meets our. Our guidelines and if so then um, then we'll we'll ah we can do some archeology on that on the preser. Okay, so ah, we can pick up now where we met. 02:40.61 alan So I think I say I say I yeah, no I think that I think that's interesting because um, people may be unaware even even our listeners which are all across the the globe that in California there are actually. Um, it's not as common as it might be in the in other areas of the country and maybe it's uncommon there as well to have private lands ah that contain archeological sites privately held lands. Um I know that in most of the. A great basin in western mojave desert in the Eastern California most of the landscape is owned or managed by the bureau of land management the national park service. Do you ah find that's the case Lindsay. 03:34.45 Linsie Lafayette Right? Yeah, um, along the East Coast the directors over there. Um, it's a lot different for them because most of the land is privately owned but that's what is unique about the west so much of it is is ah owned federally and and state owned. So um, getting something on private land. Um, you know you need to know people and you need to. That's why I'm doing public outreach because people need to know that if if there is something on private land that needs to be protected then there is ah there is a place. Um. To contact and and have it be reviewed to see if ah if it can be saved or preserved for and into the future. Yes, in perpetuity. Yes I had trouble saying that? yeah. 04:20.85 alan In perpetuity as you would say. Um, Yeah, yeah, but um I did connect with the archeological conservancy. Um earlier in time several years ago. In fact to discuss a privately held site. That's very very important. It's a rock art site but it's one of those rare birds that have ethnographic information in that the native people have ah a robust collection of sacred narratives surrounding the site and so we know basically from indigenous perspective. What the site was used for and what they called the site and how they interpreted it and then the site um falls you know sort of in this in the center of a lot of the research that I have done over the years regarding questions. Relating to rock art function and indigenous symbolism and metaphor etc so we were not. We were not able to acquire that site and we have had difficulties connecting with the owner but that was how. 05:29.80 Linsie Lafayette No of no. 05:32.66 alan My initial initial relationship began with the conservancy now another site that the California Rock Art Foundation has visited often was that one in the central valley near Visalia. You know that site for its rock art. 05:50.82 Linsie Lafayette Yes I had a chance to visit it in September for the first time first time excuse me. Oh. 05:59.55 alan Tell us. Ah maybe tell us a bit about about ah what you might know about that site and I can add a few things. Perhaps it's called Rocky Hill that's the yeah, go ahead. 06:08.87 Linsie Lafayette Um, well I believe um, the yo cute. Yeah yeah, we mentioned it before Rocky Hill but I think technically um, the conservancy. It's known as the Jt last um, archeological preserve in honor I think he was um, might have been a ah primary donator donator to the preservation of that site. Um I yeah don't have know a lot about it I visited it. But um, we have ah. 06:41.99 Linsie Lafayette Have a summary written of it and I did look at it before I went but I believe it's um, on the lands of the Yoku the Southern Yoku and it might take back to ah the two thousand years ago to present and ah. 06:49.80 alan Yes, so it's so it's again. 06:55.89 alan Certainly or or if not more than that. It's a um, it's a pictograph site. It's a Polychrome Pictograph site rock paintings and it it exhibits ah indications of sort of the ceremonial religious metaphors of the yokhurts. 06:59.68 Linsie Lafayette Yeah. 07:04.65 Linsie Lafayette Who. 07:15.23 alan And there are um, tremendously interesting panels that exist and they're situated all over that hillside of granite and they're done in. You know, vibrant colors of Yellow Red White black. And ah some represent sort of spiritual beings Animal Human figures, etc, etc. Um, but it is a remarkable citon certainly world class rock art ah has been ah preserved thanks to the ark. 07:48.69 Linsie Lafayette Yes I was I've never seen anything like it and what I thought was unique about it. Sorry what I thought was unique about it was that it was underneath the rocky overhangs in like little little caves one of them I had to crouch down and and sit. Um. 08:05.76 Linsie Lafayette Sit down and enable it so that I could see what was going on. Um on the panel. It was tucked under. So a lot of them. There might still be more that we haven't found because they were. It was very tucked in and hard to find. Um, yeah yeah. 08:17.43 alan Yes, and that that whole that whole area that is very rich in in rock art and to have this particular privately held parcel managed and conserved by the archeological inservancy is an enormous blessing to um. The general public and even the academic community for that matter and then we have ah Portuguese bench. 08:46.46 Linsie Lafayette Right? Um, yeah I had ah I usually try and incorporate site visits when I have other business in the area to make the most of my time when I'm traveling and so while Allen and I were looking at a perspective site to acquire. And preserve. There was a nearby um preserve that's already within the archaeological conservancies. Um within our preserves of sites and it's called portuguese bench and um. It was excavated. It's a village site that was excavated in the 1980 s by David Whitley Dr. David Whitley but there is one ah panel um on a on a granite boulder which is kind of. Not really where the excavations took place. It's further down the hill ah, just amongst all the ranching buildings. It's it's also where a historic ranch functioned so it's it's impressive that it has survived and. That it's on granite when most of rock art is on um the basalt that's in that area right? yes. 09:54.81 alan That you're exactly correct. It's very unusual to have a Non- basalt Rock art canvas for a petoglyph in that area and um I Guess what is even more remarkable is to kind of Shouts coso in terms of its. Ah, subject matter and highly representational and naturalistic Symbolism. So Let's ah, pick this up on the next segment and um, see you see you on the flip-flop. 10:25.62 Linsie Lafayette Okay.