Collaboration for Preservation

The Bears Ears Digital Cultural Heritage Initiative (BEDCHI) is a group of anthropologists, archaeologists, and Indigenous leaders from: three universities, the Navajo Nation Heritage and Historic Preservation Department (NNHHPD), the Zuni Cultural Resources Advisory Team (ZCRAT), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Forest Service, (USFS), as well as students from Navajo and Zuni communities collaborating to create virtual reality experiences and photogrammetric models of significant sites in the Bears Ears National Monument. We talk with Eric Heller, professor of anthropology at the University of Southern California, Noah Pleshet, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of New Brunswick, and Ben Bellorado, assistant curator at the Arizona State Museum about their methods and the importance of involving descendant communities in the interpretation and preservation of these sacred sites. We talk about the educational and preservation goals of the initiative, the involvement of Indigenous students, and the future potential for expanding this technology-driven approach to cultural heritage.