Ancient DNA confirms New Mexico tribe’s link to famed Chaco Canyon site
By CHRISTINA LARSON
Updated 4:12 PM EDT, April 30, 2025
"For the first time, a federally recognized #Indigenous tribe in the U.S. has led research using DNA to show their ancestral history.
"The #PicurisPueblo, a sovereign nation in #NewMexico, has oral histories and cultural traditions that link the tribe to the region of #ChacoCanyon, one of the ancient centers of #Pueblo culture and society.
" 'We’ve been telling our stories as long as time immemorial,' said Picuris Lt. Gov. Craig Quanchello. But he said those traditions were often 'overlooked and erased.'
"As members of the Picuris Pueblo seek a greater voice in shaping decisions about the future of Chaco Canyon, where debates about oil and gas drilling loom, leaders including Quanchello decided that using DNA sequencing to complement or corroborate their oral histories could be a useful tool. The group began a collaboration with an international team of geneticists.
" 'The DNA could help us protect' our heritage, he said. 'Now we can say, ‘This is ours, we need to protect it.' "
Read more:
https://apnews.com/article/picuris-pueblo-chaco-canyon-dna-a86588a281c70921e0c1920ff7b6b5d7
