The Arkansas Archeological Survey is holding its final presentation of the Archeology in Pajamas lecture series for the 2024-25 academic year today. The Survey is pleased to welcome Carlton Shield Chief Gover from the University of Kansas as the final speaker.

His presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. CDT today, Monday, April 7, and will last for about 40 minutes with a 15-minute Q&A period. The talk is free, but registration is required via Zoom here.

Gover is a citizen of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma. He received his B.S. in anthropology from Radford University, his M.A. in anthropology from the University of Wyoming and is currently defending his Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Colorado Boulder with professional certificates in museology and Native American & Indigenous studies.

His talk tonight is titled "Recalibrating Identity: New Radiocarbon Insights into Pawnee Ethnogenesis." This presentation explores the emergence of maize horticulture and its transformative impact on social organization in the Central Great Plains over the past millennium, focusing on integrating Indigenous perspectives into archaeological practice. Examining oral traditions from the Pawnee and Arikara Nations alongside archaeological evidence addresses key questions regarding social change, ethnogenesis and population movement between the 11th and 17th centuries C.E. The talk will be recorded and later uploaded to the Arkansas Archeological Survey's YouTube channel for viewing. 

This upcoming fall, we'll be back with a list of new speakers with different foci in archeology and history. Stay tuned for the roster of presenters; we're excited to offer this series again for a second year!