Alannah Bell | University of Virginia (original) (raw)

Papers by Alannah Bell

Geology, Earth and Marine Sciences, 2024

The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is the traditional homeland of many Native American people... more The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is the traditional homeland of many Native American peoples, including the Southern Paiutes, Hualapai, Havasupai, Zuni Pueblo, Hopi Pueblo, and Navajo. Many massive volcanoes with widespread lava flows have been witnessed by these Native Americans over the past 40,000 years, so their various cultural understandings and ceremonial responses to volcanism are grounded in experience. Pilgrimage is one example of a persistent ceremonial response to volcanic areas by Native American peoples. This analysis is based on 902 ethnographic interviews with Paiute elders conducted over decades by the authors. The Paiute response to volcanism is typical of Native Americans in the Southwestern United States but manifests itself uniquely in the geology of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. The analysis argues that these are heritage places and landscapes to be protected by the IUCN World Conservation Congress (IUCN 2024) which is where the world comes together to set priorities and drive conservation and sustainable development action. More than 9,000 people participated in the 2021 Congress in Marseille. Experts shared the latest science and best practices, and IUCN Members voted on 39 motions to guide humanity’s relationship with our planet for the decades ahead. Keywords: Volcanic cultural heritages, Geosites, Geoscapes, Geoheritage, Native Americans, Southern Paiutes aboriginal lands, Grand Canyon, Colorado River

Arts, 2024

Storied Rocks (Tumpituxwinap) is a term of reference used by the Numic speaking tribal elders who... more Storied Rocks (Tumpituxwinap) is a term of reference used by the Numic speaking tribal elders whom we have worked with for over 60 years on an estimated 200 ethnographic studies. Key to this analysis are the protocols for approaching, interacting, and using the places where Storied Rocks
have been located. Concomitant with these traditional protocols are ones established to resolve the curiosity of non-Natives about why they are in a particular place and what they mean. This analysis shares the cultural understandings of tribal representatives who participate in these ethnographic studies. Studies used in the analysis were funded by U.S. federal agencies, supported by federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and composed with the cultural understandings shared and made public by tribally appointed elders to clarify the conundrums that are Storied Rocks.

ATS, 2024

Storied Rocks (Tumpituxwinap) is a term of reference used by the Numic Speaking tribal elders who... more Storied Rocks (Tumpituxwinap) is a term of reference used by the Numic Speaking tribal elders whom we have worked with for over 60 years on an estimated 200 ethnographic studies. Key in this analysis are the protocols for approaching, interacting, and using the places where Storied Rocks have been located. Concomitant with these traditional protocols are ones estab-lished to resolve the curiosity of non-Natives about why they are in a particular place and what they mean. This analysis shares the cultural understandings of Tribal representatives who par-ticipated in these ethnographic studies. Studies used in the analysis were funded by U.S. federal agencies, supported by federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and composed with the cultural understandings shared and made public by tribally appointed elders to clarify the conundrums that are Storied Rocks.

AIMS Geosciences, 2024

This is a data-based analysis of how Native American interpretations of their distant past are be... more This is a data-based analysis of how Native American interpretations of their distant past are being considered reflecting new science findings. A key science understanding developed over the past 75 years has been that Native people did not occupy North America (or any place in the so-called New World) longer than 12,000 years before present (BP), thus they could neither have experienced nor understood any event in the late Pleistocene interglacial period (128,000 BP to 11,700 BP). As called in this analysis, the Clovis glass ceiling references the popular use of Clovis spear points to represent the earliest signs of humans in North America with dates generally later than 12,000 BP. This analysis engaged with recent science findings that Native people were present in North America up to 40,000 years ago. Opening the science limits of Native presence affords a reinterpretation of the past using extant Native interpretations. As an example, Salt Spring near Death Valley is a component of an ancient Pleistocene heritage landscape that can be reconstructed using geology and Native American interpretations. Native American perspectives were derived from 404 ethnographic interviews with Numic speaking peoples, focused on 24 ancient springs near Death Valley,

Land, 2023

Devils Tower is located in Wyoming, USA. It is composed of volcanic elements from the Tertiary Pe... more Devils Tower is located in Wyoming, USA. It is composed of volcanic elements from the Tertiary Period of geologic time. Geologists are interested in this geosite because it is a unique, upstanding, steep-sided, high-relief exhumed Tertiary-age volcanic plug. As a Native cultural geosite, however, it is often called Mateo Tepe, and it is a sacred place to over 20 Native American tribes. It was inscribed as America's first national monument in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt, which was argued because of its special geology. It is visually dramatic due to its columns, which are understood by earth scientists as a wonder of geology, but by Native people as the claw scratches of a spiritual bear. These vertical cracks are the focus of rock climbers and Native people, respectively as opportunities for adventure and self-fulfillment and spiritual paths to another dimension and the achievement of religious balance in the world. Mateo Tepe became a national monument due to it being a unique geologic feature. The geopark concept is used in this analysis to talk about this geologically based monument.

Geology, Earth and Marine Sciences, 2024

People from western cultures have regularly viewed desert playas of the western United States as ... more People from western cultures have regularly viewed desert playas of the western United States as sterile and of little utility except for gathering salt or minerals. In line with this unimportant valuation of desert playas by western observers, many call the region "The Great American Wasteland" [1]. The region's culturally affiliated Native Americans, however, tend to view these playas as heritage areas extending back in deep time to the Pleistocene when they were filled with lakes, surrounded by wetlands, and drained by permanent streams. According to the University of Utah's Shoshoni Dictionary[2] (Shoshoni Language Project 2024), the Goshute people refer to themselves as the Newe[nɨwɨ] or Newenee [nɨwɨnɨɨ] meaning the Person or the People. There have been times throughout their history where they have been referred to as Kutsipiuti (Gutsipiuti) or Kuttuhsippeh which translates to "People of the dry earth" or "People of the Desert" (literally: "dust, dry ashes People") [1,3]. Goshute means people covered with dust, dusty people, or desert, terms which were reiterated generations later in Halmo et al. [4]. In the same study, contemporary Goshute people who are fluent in their language use the term in reference to the white alkali dust that lines the lowest portions of most valleys [4,5]. Our analysis explains why the playa dust symbolizes heritage connections with the land and past lives. Native American heritage perspectives regarding playas are required in national searches for places to drop bombs, make landing strips for large military aircraft, build industrial scale solar arrays, and mine rare earth minerals, including lithium.

Background The most current understanding of the UNESCO preference for using geology heritage ter... more Background The most current understanding of the UNESCO preference for using geology heritage terms like geoparks for research and management is discussed in a special issue of the journal Land entitled Geoparks, Geotrails, and Geotourism-Linking Geology, Geoheritage, and Geoeducation that was edited by Margaret Brocx and Vic Semeniuk [1]. They summarize the worldwide movement towards using these concepts to better understand heritage places that involve a number of geoparks and geotrails that have been established, e.g., UNESCO. Global Geoparks where the geology, geotours, and local economy are linked for the well-being of the local people and operate under the auspices of UNESCO, and National or State-oriented geoparks/geotrails where the geology is identified as significant and preserved in conservation estates and utilized for tours, education, and other commercial purposes. Well-designed and organized geoparks/geotrails provide valuable sites for geoeducation, including suitable localities for collecting minerals and fossils, and all types of geoparks/geotrails can function for geotourism. Geotours in geoparks/geotrails provide excellent opportunity for introducing the public and students to the wealth of information and history that the Earth has to offer and professional geologists to the diversity of Earth Science globally. This analysis contributes to our understanding of the UNESCO use of geoparks by demonstrating how Effigy Mounds National Monument (NM) and its surrounding ceremonial landscape fits into a broader discussion of multi-ethnic [Ethnicity is the social organization of cultural difference (Barth 1969). We use ethnic groups here to denote socially defined subdivisions of a common

AIMS Geosciences, 2024

This is a data-based analysis of how Native American interpretations of their distant past are be... more This is a data-based analysis of how Native American interpretations of their distant past are being considered reflecting new science findings. A key science understanding developed over the past 75 years has been that Native people did not occupy North America (or any place in the so-called New World) longer than 12,000 years before present (BP), thus they could neither have experienced nor understood any event in the late Pleistocene interglacial period (128,000 BP to 11,700 BP). As called in this analysis, the Clovis glass ceiling references the popular use of Clovis spear points to represent the earliest signs of humans in North America with dates generally later than 12,000 BP. This analysis engaged with recent science findings that Native people were present in North America up to 40,000 years ago. Opening the science limits of Native presence affords a reinterpretation of the past using extant Native interpretations. As an example, Salt Spring near Death Valley is a component of an ancient Pleistocene heritage landscape that can be reconstructed using geology and Native American interpretations. Native American perspectives were derived from 404 ethnographic interviews with Numic speaking peoples, focused on 24 ancient springs near Death Valley,

Geology, Earth & Marine Sciences , 2024

Background The most current understanding of the UNESCO preference for using geology heritage ter... more Background The most current understanding of the UNESCO preference for using geology heritage terms like geoparks for research and management is discussed in a special issue of the journal Land entitled Geoparks, Geotrails, and Geotourism-Linking Geology, Geoheritage, and Geoeducation that was edited by Margaret Brocx and Vic Semeniuk [1]. They summarize the worldwide movement towards using these concepts to better understand heritage places that involve a number of geoparks and geotrails that have been established, e.g., UNESCO. Global Geoparks where the geology, geotours, and local economy are linked for the well-being of the local people and operate under the auspices of UNESCO, and National or State-oriented geoparks/geotrails where the geology is identified as significant and preserved in conservation estates and utilized for tours, education, and other commercial purposes. Well-designed and organized geoparks/geotrails provide valuable sites for geoeducation, including suitable localities for collecting minerals and fossils, and all types of geoparks/geotrails can function for geotourism. Geotours in geoparks/geotrails provide excellent opportunity for introducing the public and students to the wealth of information and history that the Earth has to offer and professional geologists to the diversity of Earth Science globally. This analysis contributes to our understanding of the UNESCO use of geoparks by demonstrating how Effigy Mounds National Monument (NM) and its surrounding ceremonial landscape fits into a broader discussion of multi-ethnic [Ethnicity is the social organization of cultural difference (Barth 1969). We use ethnic groups here to denote socially defined subdivisions of a common

Geology, Earth and Marine Sciences, 2024

People from western cultures have regularly viewed desert playas of the western United States as ... more People from western cultures have regularly viewed desert playas of the western United States as sterile and of little utility except for gathering salt or minerals. In line with this unimportant valuation of desert playas by western observers, many call the region "The Great American Wasteland" [1]. The region's culturally affiliated Native Americans, however, tend to view these playas as heritage areas extending back in deep time to the Pleistocene when they were filled with lakes, surrounded by wetlands, and drained by permanent streams. According to the University of Utah's Shoshoni Dictionary[2] (Shoshoni Language Project 2024), the Goshute people refer to themselves as the Newe[nɨwɨ] or Newenee [nɨwɨnɨɨ] meaning the Person or the People. There have been times throughout their history where they have been referred to as Kutsipiuti (Gutsipiuti) or Kuttuhsippeh which translates to "People of the dry earth" or "People of the Desert" (literally: "dust, dry ashes People") [1,3]. Goshute means people covered with dust, dusty people, or desert, terms which were reiterated generations later in Halmo et al. [4]. In the same study, contemporary Goshute people who are fluent in their language use the term in reference to the white alkali dust that lines the lowest portions of most valleys [4,5]. Our analysis explains why the playa dust symbolizes heritage connections with the land and past lives. Native American heritage perspectives regarding playas are required in national searches for places to drop bombs, make landing strips for large military aircraft, build industrial scale solar arrays, and mine rare earth minerals, including lithium. Native American cultural

Geology, Earth and Marine Sciences, 2024

The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is the traditional homeland of many Native American people... more The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is the traditional homeland of many Native American peoples, including the Southern Paiutes, Hualapai, Havasupai, Zuni Pueblo, Hopi Pueblo, and Navajo. Many massive volcanoes with widespread lava flows have been witnessed by these Native Americans over the past 40,000 years, so their various cultural understandings and ceremonial responses to volcanism are grounded in experience. Pilgrimage is one example of a persistent ceremonial response to volcanic areas by Native American peoples. This analysis is based on 902 ethnographic interviews with Paiute elders conducted over decades by the authors. The Paiute response to volcanism is typical of Native Americans in the Southwestern United States but manifests itself uniquely in the geology of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. The analysis argues that these are heritage places and landscapes to be protected by the IUCN World Conservation Congress (IUCN 2024) which is where the world comes together to set priorities and drive conservation and sustainable development action. More than 9,000 people participated in the 2021 Congress in Marseille. Experts shared the latest science and best practices, and IUCN Members voted on 39 motions to guide humanity’s relationship with our planet for the decades ahead. Keywords: Volcanic cultural heritages, Geosites, Geoscapes, Geoheritage, Native Americans, Southern Paiutes aboriginal lands, Grand Canyon, Colorado River

Arts, 2024

Storied Rocks (Tumpituxwinap) is a term of reference used by the Numic speaking tribal elders who... more Storied Rocks (Tumpituxwinap) is a term of reference used by the Numic speaking tribal elders whom we have worked with for over 60 years on an estimated 200 ethnographic studies. Key to this analysis are the protocols for approaching, interacting, and using the places where Storied Rocks
have been located. Concomitant with these traditional protocols are ones established to resolve the curiosity of non-Natives about why they are in a particular place and what they mean. This analysis shares the cultural understandings of tribal representatives who participate in these ethnographic studies. Studies used in the analysis were funded by U.S. federal agencies, supported by federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and composed with the cultural understandings shared and made public by tribally appointed elders to clarify the conundrums that are Storied Rocks.

ATS, 2024

Storied Rocks (Tumpituxwinap) is a term of reference used by the Numic Speaking tribal elders who... more Storied Rocks (Tumpituxwinap) is a term of reference used by the Numic Speaking tribal elders whom we have worked with for over 60 years on an estimated 200 ethnographic studies. Key in this analysis are the protocols for approaching, interacting, and using the places where Storied Rocks have been located. Concomitant with these traditional protocols are ones estab-lished to resolve the curiosity of non-Natives about why they are in a particular place and what they mean. This analysis shares the cultural understandings of Tribal representatives who par-ticipated in these ethnographic studies. Studies used in the analysis were funded by U.S. federal agencies, supported by federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and composed with the cultural understandings shared and made public by tribally appointed elders to clarify the conundrums that are Storied Rocks.

AIMS Geosciences, 2024

This is a data-based analysis of how Native American interpretations of their distant past are be... more This is a data-based analysis of how Native American interpretations of their distant past are being considered reflecting new science findings. A key science understanding developed over the past 75 years has been that Native people did not occupy North America (or any place in the so-called New World) longer than 12,000 years before present (BP), thus they could neither have experienced nor understood any event in the late Pleistocene interglacial period (128,000 BP to 11,700 BP). As called in this analysis, the Clovis glass ceiling references the popular use of Clovis spear points to represent the earliest signs of humans in North America with dates generally later than 12,000 BP. This analysis engaged with recent science findings that Native people were present in North America up to 40,000 years ago. Opening the science limits of Native presence affords a reinterpretation of the past using extant Native interpretations. As an example, Salt Spring near Death Valley is a component of an ancient Pleistocene heritage landscape that can be reconstructed using geology and Native American interpretations. Native American perspectives were derived from 404 ethnographic interviews with Numic speaking peoples, focused on 24 ancient springs near Death Valley,

Land, 2023

Devils Tower is located in Wyoming, USA. It is composed of volcanic elements from the Tertiary Pe... more Devils Tower is located in Wyoming, USA. It is composed of volcanic elements from the Tertiary Period of geologic time. Geologists are interested in this geosite because it is a unique, upstanding, steep-sided, high-relief exhumed Tertiary-age volcanic plug. As a Native cultural geosite, however, it is often called Mateo Tepe, and it is a sacred place to over 20 Native American tribes. It was inscribed as America's first national monument in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt, which was argued because of its special geology. It is visually dramatic due to its columns, which are understood by earth scientists as a wonder of geology, but by Native people as the claw scratches of a spiritual bear. These vertical cracks are the focus of rock climbers and Native people, respectively as opportunities for adventure and self-fulfillment and spiritual paths to another dimension and the achievement of religious balance in the world. Mateo Tepe became a national monument due to it being a unique geologic feature. The geopark concept is used in this analysis to talk about this geologically based monument.

Geology, Earth and Marine Sciences, 2024

People from western cultures have regularly viewed desert playas of the western United States as ... more People from western cultures have regularly viewed desert playas of the western United States as sterile and of little utility except for gathering salt or minerals. In line with this unimportant valuation of desert playas by western observers, many call the region "The Great American Wasteland" [1]. The region's culturally affiliated Native Americans, however, tend to view these playas as heritage areas extending back in deep time to the Pleistocene when they were filled with lakes, surrounded by wetlands, and drained by permanent streams. According to the University of Utah's Shoshoni Dictionary[2] (Shoshoni Language Project 2024), the Goshute people refer to themselves as the Newe[nɨwɨ] or Newenee [nɨwɨnɨɨ] meaning the Person or the People. There have been times throughout their history where they have been referred to as Kutsipiuti (Gutsipiuti) or Kuttuhsippeh which translates to "People of the dry earth" or "People of the Desert" (literally: "dust, dry ashes People") [1,3]. Goshute means people covered with dust, dusty people, or desert, terms which were reiterated generations later in Halmo et al. [4]. In the same study, contemporary Goshute people who are fluent in their language use the term in reference to the white alkali dust that lines the lowest portions of most valleys [4,5]. Our analysis explains why the playa dust symbolizes heritage connections with the land and past lives. Native American heritage perspectives regarding playas are required in national searches for places to drop bombs, make landing strips for large military aircraft, build industrial scale solar arrays, and mine rare earth minerals, including lithium.

Background The most current understanding of the UNESCO preference for using geology heritage ter... more Background The most current understanding of the UNESCO preference for using geology heritage terms like geoparks for research and management is discussed in a special issue of the journal Land entitled Geoparks, Geotrails, and Geotourism-Linking Geology, Geoheritage, and Geoeducation that was edited by Margaret Brocx and Vic Semeniuk [1]. They summarize the worldwide movement towards using these concepts to better understand heritage places that involve a number of geoparks and geotrails that have been established, e.g., UNESCO. Global Geoparks where the geology, geotours, and local economy are linked for the well-being of the local people and operate under the auspices of UNESCO, and National or State-oriented geoparks/geotrails where the geology is identified as significant and preserved in conservation estates and utilized for tours, education, and other commercial purposes. Well-designed and organized geoparks/geotrails provide valuable sites for geoeducation, including suitable localities for collecting minerals and fossils, and all types of geoparks/geotrails can function for geotourism. Geotours in geoparks/geotrails provide excellent opportunity for introducing the public and students to the wealth of information and history that the Earth has to offer and professional geologists to the diversity of Earth Science globally. This analysis contributes to our understanding of the UNESCO use of geoparks by demonstrating how Effigy Mounds National Monument (NM) and its surrounding ceremonial landscape fits into a broader discussion of multi-ethnic [Ethnicity is the social organization of cultural difference (Barth 1969). We use ethnic groups here to denote socially defined subdivisions of a common

AIMS Geosciences, 2024

This is a data-based analysis of how Native American interpretations of their distant past are be... more This is a data-based analysis of how Native American interpretations of their distant past are being considered reflecting new science findings. A key science understanding developed over the past 75 years has been that Native people did not occupy North America (or any place in the so-called New World) longer than 12,000 years before present (BP), thus they could neither have experienced nor understood any event in the late Pleistocene interglacial period (128,000 BP to 11,700 BP). As called in this analysis, the Clovis glass ceiling references the popular use of Clovis spear points to represent the earliest signs of humans in North America with dates generally later than 12,000 BP. This analysis engaged with recent science findings that Native people were present in North America up to 40,000 years ago. Opening the science limits of Native presence affords a reinterpretation of the past using extant Native interpretations. As an example, Salt Spring near Death Valley is a component of an ancient Pleistocene heritage landscape that can be reconstructed using geology and Native American interpretations. Native American perspectives were derived from 404 ethnographic interviews with Numic speaking peoples, focused on 24 ancient springs near Death Valley,

Geology, Earth & Marine Sciences , 2024

Background The most current understanding of the UNESCO preference for using geology heritage ter... more Background The most current understanding of the UNESCO preference for using geology heritage terms like geoparks for research and management is discussed in a special issue of the journal Land entitled Geoparks, Geotrails, and Geotourism-Linking Geology, Geoheritage, and Geoeducation that was edited by Margaret Brocx and Vic Semeniuk [1]. They summarize the worldwide movement towards using these concepts to better understand heritage places that involve a number of geoparks and geotrails that have been established, e.g., UNESCO. Global Geoparks where the geology, geotours, and local economy are linked for the well-being of the local people and operate under the auspices of UNESCO, and National or State-oriented geoparks/geotrails where the geology is identified as significant and preserved in conservation estates and utilized for tours, education, and other commercial purposes. Well-designed and organized geoparks/geotrails provide valuable sites for geoeducation, including suitable localities for collecting minerals and fossils, and all types of geoparks/geotrails can function for geotourism. Geotours in geoparks/geotrails provide excellent opportunity for introducing the public and students to the wealth of information and history that the Earth has to offer and professional geologists to the diversity of Earth Science globally. This analysis contributes to our understanding of the UNESCO use of geoparks by demonstrating how Effigy Mounds National Monument (NM) and its surrounding ceremonial landscape fits into a broader discussion of multi-ethnic [Ethnicity is the social organization of cultural difference (Barth 1969). We use ethnic groups here to denote socially defined subdivisions of a common

Geology, Earth and Marine Sciences, 2024

People from western cultures have regularly viewed desert playas of the western United States as ... more People from western cultures have regularly viewed desert playas of the western United States as sterile and of little utility except for gathering salt or minerals. In line with this unimportant valuation of desert playas by western observers, many call the region "The Great American Wasteland" [1]. The region's culturally affiliated Native Americans, however, tend to view these playas as heritage areas extending back in deep time to the Pleistocene when they were filled with lakes, surrounded by wetlands, and drained by permanent streams. According to the University of Utah's Shoshoni Dictionary[2] (Shoshoni Language Project 2024), the Goshute people refer to themselves as the Newe[nɨwɨ] or Newenee [nɨwɨnɨɨ] meaning the Person or the People. There have been times throughout their history where they have been referred to as Kutsipiuti (Gutsipiuti) or Kuttuhsippeh which translates to "People of the dry earth" or "People of the Desert" (literally: "dust, dry ashes People") [1,3]. Goshute means people covered with dust, dusty people, or desert, terms which were reiterated generations later in Halmo et al. [4]. In the same study, contemporary Goshute people who are fluent in their language use the term in reference to the white alkali dust that lines the lowest portions of most valleys [4,5]. Our analysis explains why the playa dust symbolizes heritage connections with the land and past lives. Native American heritage perspectives regarding playas are required in national searches for places to drop bombs, make landing strips for large military aircraft, build industrial scale solar arrays, and mine rare earth minerals, including lithium. Native American cultural