VVAC Land Acknowledgement Statement

This Land Acknowledgement is a formal statement by the Verde Valley Archaeology Center that recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories. This is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory we reside on, and a way of honoring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land for millennia. History can also be a shared space, and that the oral traditions and lived experience of Native Americans are as significant as those of any culture. It is important to understand the long existing history that has brought us to reside on the land, and to seek to understand our place within that history. 

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Our History

The Verde Valley Archaeology Center (VVAC) is a non-profit Arizona corporation (recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity). It is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of a group of individuals with a professional and avocational interest in the field of archaeology.  We value the human adaptation to the Verde Valley and feel that both artifacts and archaeological sites should be protected and preserved as the top priority.  An understanding of the past is a key to developing sustainability and the Center believes that the VVAC should provide a forum for the discussion of ideas about the past, present and future.

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The Center is the only organization in the Verde Valley region dedicated to the care, management and use ('curation') of archaeological artifacts found throughout the Verde Valley region. The Center's vision is to be the foremost research and educational institution devoted to the preservation, interpretation, and celebration of archaeology of the Verde Valley by creating and sustaining an archaeological center and museum where artifacts:

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• are cared for in a state-of-the-art environment

• are available for further academic and professional research

• are used in educational programs and museum exhibits so the public can enjoy learning about the prehistory of the Verde Valley 

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"Virtually every major artifact collection from the Verde Valley is some place other than the Verde Valley," says Jim Graceffa, Past President of the Center.  There are many good reasons for creating an archaeology center in the Verde Valley, but the one that keeps coming up most often is the loss of artifacts that continues today. Verde Valley artifacts are in museums and universities around the world -- everywhere but here.  Over the years dozens of other archaeologists have sent items to the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott and the Arizona State Museum in Tucson.

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It's not just those items found in research or regulatory compliance excavations; it's also a matter of finding a place for private collections. We get asked all the time to find a home for private collections. If we don't make one, they will also find their way out of here. The drain of artifacts is one of the primary reasons the Center was created.

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Our Ten-Year History is available in a special edition of the Verde Valley Archaeologist quarterly publication.

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