Part of a puzzle
Scientists sift clues at Toadlena
Zarana Sanghani
Staff Writer
TOADLENA — Though only scarce fragments of pottery and partial
walls remain at an Anasazi site uncovered by the Navajo Nation Archaeology
Department, they may form a piece of a larger puzzle.
An ancient domestic dwelling found near Toadlena, a
Navajo community north of Gallup, is the first such ruin to be excavated
in that area.
The dwelling is near a larger group of buildings that
are part of what is called the Tocito Community, where archaeologists
recorded 88 Anasazi sites in 1967. Several hundred people are believed
to have lived there, said Paul Reed, the Toadlena project director.
These sites share the same time frame, between A.D. 950 and 1150,
Reed said. The architecture in both areas is similar to that at Chaco
Canyon.
"We will have a pretty good understanding of how
people in this area lived in the time range this (existed),"
Reed said. "What we're going to have is certainly not a complete
understanding but we're going to have a more complete picture of history
and prehistory."
The small dwelling near Toadlena, which was found in February 1997,
is made up of three rooms, an outside cooking and storage area and
a kiva, or a circular room in the ground where people probably conducted
religious ceremonies. Reed said a nuclear family of six or seven must
have occupied the rooms.
The cultural characteristics of the Toadlena site are similar to the
Tocito Community, but several aberrations exist. Reed said it is common
to find more uniformity of lifestyles within a large community while
finding some variations in habitats outside such a society.
Analyzing those variations will give a broader view of the general
culture of the times, Reed added.
Architecture provides clues to the culture of the people occupying
the three rooms and kiva.
"What's really interesting is that (the rooms)
are all built differently," Reed said. "Typically they're
built in the same style."
The kiva and a room next to it have the same masonry, but the room
next to them has a different masonry design. The third room has yet
another style.
The change in architecture may mean the rooms were built progressively
through time, with the kiva and the adjacent room being constructed
first, Reed said.
Understanding the differences may give archaeologists insight into
the chronological development of architecture.
Scott Wilcox, an archaeologist working on the project, said the paved
floor of one room is highly unusual. He has uncovered several similar
rooms, but most have dirt floors, he added.
Another atypical, though not rare, feature is slabs of stone secured
into the ground immediately outside the rooms. The stones form a square
within which other stones create narrow compartments, which may have
been used for storage, Reed said.
Unfortunately, most items the inhabitants may have had were taken
with them, leaving little from which the researchers can accrue information,
Reed said.
"One of the things that was surprising was how empty it was,"
Reed said. "It's what we would call clean, really clean. It's
almost like a planned abandonment. They moved out and they took everything."
The lack of artifacts will hamper the scientists' ability
to precisely date the site and to understand the local culture, but
they will use alternative procedures to obtain the desired information.
The best method for dating is to analyze the tree rings of logs used
in architecture, but Reed and his colleagues could find only burned
charcoal and small pieces of wood. However, radiocarbon dating, which
can use the charcoal and bits of wood, will yield a date for the site
within 50 to 75 years, Reed said.
Determining the manufacturing location of the pottery found in and
around the rooms can also give dates within 50 to 75 years, which
can confirm dates found through radiocarbon analysis, Reed said.
The archaeologists will also gather soil clues that may reveal the
occupants' diets.
Wilcox noted the walls looked incomplete, but only further analysis
of the masonry could determine whether the inhabitants purposefully
took parts of the walls when they left or whether the masonry deteriorated
with time.
As work on the site wraps up, Reed said he expects to
understand the answers to these questions a little more as laboratory
reports and other analysis is gathered.
"Part of the fun as we dig the sites is trying to find out what
was going on, but you can only do so much in the field," Reed
said.
Reed, Wilcox and other archaeologists working with them have considered
several theories to understand the site.
The people may have built the rooms over a long time during which
architectural trends evolved, and then the Anasazi left, taking their
household items with them, Reed said.
Or, he said, the people may have not inhabited the place
for long, giving them little time to develop the tools and artifacts
archaeologists find at most sites.
"What stands out in my mind is that these are the
only sites excavated around here," Reed said.
Whatever the result, Reed said he expects the site to
give some insight into the local culture and how it differed from
the Tocito Community culture. Such information will prove valuable.
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Gallup denies transfer of 2 liquor permits
Bill Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Members of the Gallup City Council sent a message Tuesday
night to Santa Fe there are too many liquor establishments on East
Highway 66.
They sent the message by denying a liquor license transfer from Pedro's
Lounge to a man who wants to build a sports bar a little more than
a block away. They also voted reluctantly to deny the new owners of
La Barraca restaurant a beer and wine license, even though the former
owners had one.
It is still questionable, however, what effect the city
council decision will have, since state law gives the ultimate authority
of approving liquor licenses to the New Mexico Alcohol and Beverage
Control office.
But the four members of the council agreed in the case of the proposed
liquor license transfer to Goodfella's Inc. to go along with former
Gallup Mayor Eddie Muoz, who argued the city council had a duty to
city residents to tell Santa Fe it had problems with the transfer.
Too many establishments
Muoz questioned the wisdom of allowing Rex Good to establish a sports
bar on East 66 about a block and a half from Pedro's, citing the fact
that there were already 13 liquor establishments along that part of
the highway.
"By concentrating that many liquor establishments along that
stretch of road, you are taking the chance of turning the east side
of Gallup into a skid row," he said.
He compared the situation along the road today to the way downtown
Gallup was 20 years ago, when a large concentration of bars made it
unsafe to walk down the street because people feared someone "would
puke on you."
He also pointed out there were few safe areas for people
to cross Highway 66 which was why pedestrians are killed every year
trying to get from one side of the highway to the other.
Local attorney Jay Mason, who represented Good, said he agreed with
Muoz's contention that Gallup had a major liquor problem, but that
problem "had no relevance to the issue before the council."
This was not a situation where a new license would be added to the
area, he argued. Pedro's was already there, and the new establishment
would be "within a stone's throw of Pedro's."
"This is meant to be a neighborhood bar with food," Mason
said, adding that it would be a lot like Pedro's but with more food.
"I don't think that granting the license would add to the problem
in the area."
Good said he was hoping to attract men between ages
35 and 50 to his bar. He also planned to have a package liquor store
that would be separate from the bar.
Litter is a problem
Ralph Richards, owner and operator of Earl's Restaurant,
which is located a couple of blocks east of where the new bar would
be built, said anyone who walks that area can see a major problem
exists: Beer and wine bottles litter the road.
Council member Rosemarie "Shorty" Sandoval pointed out city
council doesn't have the power to deny the license under existing
state law.
Muoz, however, disagreed, saying the council could send a message
to the state that it believed the congestion of liquor licenses along
that part of the highway was dangerous to the safety of area residents.
"I feel you have a valid reason to deny the license," he
said, adding that by doing so, the council would have done its duty.
It would then be up to the state agency to decide whether to grant
the license. The transfer has already received preliminary approval
from the state.
City Manager David Ruiz told the council that it had denied a liquor
license transfer a few years ago, but the license had subsequently
been approved by the state.
Council members also argued about whether it was fair to force Good
to find another location for his bar. Wasn't that just creating a
problem for another section of town?
"That's true, but if that happens, let the residents
of that section of town come in and present their complaints,"
Muoz said.
La Barraca turned down
After denying the transfer of Pedro's liquor license,
the council turned its attention to Michael DePauli's request for
a beer and wine license for La Barraca Restaurant, which is located
in the same area where Good wanted to built his new bar.
"This was very bad timing," DePauli said after the council
rejected his request as well, mostly because it believed it wouldn't
be fair to Good to rule one way in his case and the opposite way for
DePauli.
But DePauli argued his was a different situation.
For one thing, the former owners of La Barraca had a beer and wine
license, and no one from the area complained about problems.
The restaurant's policy in the past and in the future had been to
allow patrons beer or wine when they ordered a meal. Customers had
a limit of only two drinks per meal and were not allowed to sit around
after the meal and drink.
Councilman Charlie Chavez said he was concerned about
new laws put in place this year by the state that allow restaurants
to serve beer and wine without requiring customers to buy food.
He and others on the council argued the state law would
allow owners of La Barraca to change their policy anytime they wanted.
People might then be able to come in and drink for hours without having
to buy a meal.
Appeal to the state
Both Good and DePauli are planning to ask the state to approve their
liquor license requests.
DePauli said he was unhappy because he believed the lack of a beer
and wine license has hurt his business for the six months he has operated
the restaurant. Failure to get a license would mean a sizable number
of his customers would go to other places where they would be able
to get a drink with their meals, he said.
After the meeting, it was evident council members weren't totally
satisfied with the way things had gone.
Councilman Pat Butler said he was unhappy about the fact that Muoz
and his group, which was opposed to the transfer of the license to
Good, were noticeably silent when it came to La Barraca's question.
"The council is upset about this one," he said.
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Candles set hotel blaze
Sekai K. Mutunhu
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Two lit candles left unattended on a windowsill caused
the fire that resulted in an estimated $20,000 in damage to the historic
El Rancho Hotel and Motel, city fire officials say.
Six rooms were damaged by smoke, water and heat. Firefighters
rushed to 1000 E. Highway 66 just after 8 a.m. Sunday when flames
were spotted through the window of room 201. The blaze was extinguished
within 15 minutes, said Second Lt. Brent Mowrer of the Gallup Fire
Department.
"That room is an apartment and the motel leases
that room to tenants," Mowrer said. "There were two people
in the apartment at the time of the fire but they got out without
injury."
The El Rancho Hotel is a national historical site that has played
host to many Hollywood film giants since it officially opened in 1937.
Ronald Reagan, Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn and Kirk Douglas are
only a few of the movie stars to have stayed at the El Rancho while
working on films in the area.
A spokesman for the El Rancho Hotel declined to discuss
details of Sunday's fire but said discussions are under way with insurance
officials.
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Panel orders audit of lobbyists' money
Nancy Watson
Staff Writer
WINDOW ROCK — The Navajo Nation Council Budget and Finance Committee
Tuesday ordered an audit of money for the tribe's lobbyists who have
been working on the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.
The committee requested the audit after Phil Harrison reported that
$30,000 allocated for his salary was missing from lobby funds. He
said he doesn't know where the money went or whether it was ever sent
to his office in Shiprock.
Money for lawyers, consultants and lobbyists is funneled through the
tribe's attorney general's office. A spokesman for that office said
he did not know where the money went...
Donation aids abuse victims
Sekai K. Mutunhu
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Thanks to a recent $2,400 donation, victims of domestic
abuse will now be able to receive a few additional services that have
previously been out of reach.
After tallying up the sales from a recent Saturday morning, Wal-Mart
stores deducted a percentage of its profits and signed the check over
to Battered Families Inc. The nonprofit Gallup organization offers
shelter and resources to victims of domestic abuse.
Because 97 percent of the organization's budget stems from grant money
that is already earmarked for specific uses, Nan Gile, director of
community relations for Battered Families, said "unrestricted
funds" that are donated are placed toward crucial needs that
tend to otherwise fall between the cracks...
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Future of NHA in task force's hands
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — A task force meeting in Gallup Tuesday and today
will determine the agency that will be in charge of the Navajo Nation's
$90 million federal housing effort.
Will it continue to be the Navajo Housing Authority, the giant among
several tribal housing programs? Or will it be a new umbrella group,
as envisioned by the current Navajo Nation administration?
It may take a few months for the answer to emerge as
the single-purpose committee grinds its way toward a decision that
will affect thousands of families living or wanting to live on the
Navajo reservation...
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Tribe's law on gifts to be updated
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Can Miss Navajo Nation keep a brigadier
general's star without violating tribal law?
She soon may be able to keep not only that gift but others without
violating the Navajo legal code if the tribal council adopts changes
approved unanimously Tuesday by the Government Services Committee.
The star is one of many medals and pins that the current Miss Navajo,
Victoria Yazzie, wears on her sash. The medals and pins were gifts
from a variety of people...
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Arson destroys empty hogan at Cornfields
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — A Christmas Day fire destroyed an
unoccupied hogan near Cornfields, Navajo police have reported.
An unidentified passing motorist used a cellular telephone to call
the Ganado Fire Department around 1:30 a.m. to report a fire in a
home a quarter of a mile southwest of the junction of Navajo Routes
15 and 15A. Ganado is about 10 miles away.
An unknown person had broken into the hogan that Martha Long was using
for storage, according to police...
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Navajo cops plan 82-hour beat for Y2K
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Navajo police will be out in full force for 82
straight hours using satellite communications, if necessary, to combat
hoodlums who may try to cause artificial Y2K problems.
Navajo Department of Law Enforcement Chief Leonard Butler said all
350 officers and civilians will be on 10- to 12-hour shifts from 8
a.m. Thursday through 6 p.m. Sunday. All leaves have been canceled.
All seven police districts Window Rock, Crownpoint, Shiprock, Kayenta,
Chinle, Dilkon and Tuba City plus the training academy at Toyei and
the Department of Emergency Management operations center at the Window
Rock fire station will have a non-telephone generator satellite and
battery radios in case the electricity and telephone systems are disrupted...
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