[Source: La Monica Everett-Haynes, Tucson Citizen] -- Arizona's first inhabitants gathered more than 10,000 years ago with nothing more than spears to hunt mammoths. The Clovis people were hunters, and their story is told in bones and spear points excavated from the San Pedro Valley. But those clues to our past are in storage -- along with other treasures -- at the Arizona State Museum. Also tucked out of view at the museum on the University of Arizona campus are ancient tools, vessels, turquoise jewelry, ceramic figures, effigy pieces, trade items, and Quechan Indian dolls.The artifacts, and the UA museum's decades of research, chronicle the region's history and origins, which is why UA officials say the city should fund expansion of the museum downtown with Rio Nuevo funds. UA is seeking $62 million to build a branch of the museum just south of Congress Street and west of the Santa Cruz River. That is where a farming culture developed some 4,000 years ago. If that happens, the public will finally be able to see, on consistent display, thousands of items excavated in Arizona.
"People want to see these things," said Michael J. Riley, the museum's associate curator and head of public programs. "The biggest critique is, 'You don't have enough stuff up.' Our job is to tell the stories of groups of people." The museum's collection traces the evolution of prehistoric humans, revealing their hunting styles, migration patterns, farming techniques, technology, and trade interests. It speaks to climate changes, culture, and religion, and may be important to American Indians trying to gain land and water rights, Riley said. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
