Archaeological Field School at S’edav Va’aki

This field project and associated field school are organized in collaboration with the City of Phoenix, the Office of the City Archaeologist (Laurene Montero 2023 and Christopher Schwartz 2025), and the S’edav Va’aki Museum. The project focuses on documenting and researching archaeological resources within a portion of the Ancestral O’Odham site of S’eḏav Va’aki, and on developing recommendations for its long-term management on behalf of the City of Phoenix. The field school operates under a project-specific Arizona Antiquities Act permit issued by the Arizona State Museum.

In addition to supporting the City of Phoenix’s cultural resource management goals, the field school is designed to introduce students to archaeological field research, analysis, consultation, permitting and legal processes, curation, archiving, and reporting. The curriculum integrates lectures, discussions, workshops, site tours, field and laboratory sessions, and student presentations. These components provide students with both a broad understanding of archaeological practice and practical experience relevant to cultural resource management and related careers.

Students also engage directly in the tribal consultation process and examine the legal and ethical contexts of conducting archaeological research in partnership with Indigenous communities. As part of the course, they participate in meetings and discussions with representatives from the Tribal Historic Preservation Offices of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Gila River Indian Community, as well as with officials from state and federal agencies. These experiences provide students with firsthand insight into the consultation process and the responsibilities it entails.