Publications
Richard Nixon, Gough Whitlam, and Indigenous Land Rights
A comparative analysis reveals that the successful implementation of Indigenous land rights in the 1970s, exemplified by U.S. President Richard Nixon's return of Blue Lake to Taos Pueblo and Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam's transfer of Wattie Creek to the Gurindji people, required a convergence of grassroots pressure, public support, and political will from national leaders. Both leaders used these actions as symbolic milestones in shaping their legacies, demonstrating how Indigenous land rights policies emerged at the intersection of national leadership, public policy, and legacy-building. The study highlights the critical role of sympathetic political contexts in advancing Indigenous self-determination amid settler-colonial resistance.
The Bioarchaeology of the Pithouse to Pueblo Transition in the Northern Rio Grande
A bioarchaeological study of Ancestral Pueblo populations in the northern Rio Grande region, including Taos Pueblo, reveals distinct community profiles marked by similarities and local variations. These differences are linked to dietary resources, mobility patterns, population growth, and social stress during the Pithouse to Pueblo transition (AD 600-1600). Seasonal food shortages and subsistence practices significantly influenced population density and community integration, highlighting the complex interplay between environmental conditions and human adaptation.
Taos Valley Groundwater Structure
A new groundwater structural model for Taos Valley reveals that faults frequently disrupt water levels, with warm, saline waters rising along these fault planes to precipitate minerals. This finding provides critical insights into the region's aquifer dynamics, influenced by recent watershed management actions such as forest thinning and deep drilling required by the Taos Pueblo Water Rights Settlement Agreement (Abeyta Settlement). The study compiled geological data from water wells across the valley, plotted at a 1:24,000 scale for precise topographic mapping. Drillers' logs distinguished between hard basalt and soft clastic formations, while structural cross-sections highlighted lateral offsets caused by faults, offering a detailed understanding of groundwater behavior in this complex geological setting.
Modernist Activities and Native Acts in and around Northern New Mexico
Indigenous artists in Northern New Mexico, including Maria Martínez (San Ildefonso Pueblo), Lynn Riggs (Cherokee), and Tony Luján (Taos Pueblo), were not mere subjects of Anglo-European modernism but active participants who strategically engaged with modernist practices between 1887 and 1934. They adapted traditional artistic forms, navigated complex markets, and capitalized on tourism and real estate opportunities, demonstrating how Indigenous individuals leveraged modernity for personal and collective benefit. This study highlights their dynamic roles in the transition to New Mexican statehood while challenging conventional narratives of modernism.
Taos conversation
A poetic reflection on the Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in New Mexico, describes how immersive experiences in wilderness—such as hiking and sleeping under the stars—can provoke somatic shifts that alter human perception of the environment. The work blurs boundaries between self and nature, suggesting embodied encounters may deepen awareness and inform language about the natural world. This approach contrasts with conventional scientific narratives, offering an alternative method for fostering environmental consciousness through intimate, sensory engagement.
Unseen Women in Psychedelic History
Historical accounts of psychedelic research often overlook the significant contributions of women, whose roles range from pioneering exploration to therapeutic impact. This study reveals underreported stories of women like Mabel Luhan, Valentina Wasson, Mary Barnard, Gertrude Paltin, and Kay Parley, who played pivotal roles in psychedelic investigation but remain marginalized or unknown. While figures such as Wasson are subsumed under more prominent counterparts (e.g., her husband), others like Luhan have been recognized for their contributions without full acknowledgment of their broader influence, particularly in the politics of peyote at Taos Pueblo. The study highlights gaps in documentation and celebratory recognition, emphasizing how women's work in psychedelic exploration—whether for spiritual development or therapeutic purposes—has been systematically overlooked.
Diet of a Recently Reintroduced River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) Population in Taos County, New Mexico
River otters reintroduced to New Mexico after a nearly 60-year absence primarily consume crayfish (66.2%) and fish (61.8%), with significant seasonal variation in their diet. The study, the first of its kind in New Mexico, analyzed 877 scat samples from Taos County, revealing that Salmonidae and Catostomidae were the most frequently identified fish families. This research provides critical insights for otter management in the state and aligns with dietary patterns observed in other U.S. studies.
Eros and the Value of Relatedness: The Lineage of an Enduring Friendship between Carl Jung and Ochwiay Biano
A profound and enduring friendship between Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung and Taos Pueblo leader Ochwiay Biano exemplifies the transformative potential of relational dynamics, offering a paradigm for experiencing cultural and psychological difference. This study highlights how analytical psychology, through dreamwork and active imagination, facilitates respectful dialogue with diverse figures—both inner and outer—fostering deep understanding, mutual transformation, and reparations essential for human flourishing. The research draws on personal correspondence between Biano and three Jungian analysts, preserved in the OPUS Archive at Pacifica Graduate Institute, to document this lineage of friendship post-Jung's death, underscoring its continuity and significance.
Cultivating Culture: Youth Food Movement in the Taos Pueblo Native American Community
Local food systems at Taos Pueblo foster positive farming ideologies that reciprocally strengthen native identity and heritage preservation. A three-month ethnographic study involving 16 interviews and participant observation revealed how youth-led agricultural movements reinforce cultural pride, suggesting these systems could mitigate language loss and cultural erosion. The findings highlight a covert but significant link between food sovereignty and indigenous identity, offering potential strategies for community development and future quantitative research.
Landscape Culture: Ansel Adams and Mary Austin's Taos Pueblo
This study examines the interplay between modernist and regionalist aesthetics through the collaboration between Ansel Adams and Mary Austin on the 1930 photobook Taos Pueblo. It reveals how Adams's shift from pictorialism to a straight photographic style, characterized by clean lines and deep focus, contrasted with Austin's expectations for a more traditional representation of artistic genius. The analysis highlights that modernism and regionalism were mutually constitutive in the early-to-mid 20th century, challenging the notion that they were antithetical movements. The research approach involves comparing Adams's portrait of Austin to his earlier work on Robinson Jeffers, as well as examining the layout and symbolic significance of the photographs within their respective publications.
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