Meet others who share your passion for the past! Welcome to the Minnesota Archaeological Society Website! The Minnesota Archaeological Society (MAS) invites you to share with us exciting discoveries from Minnesota's past. The Society, established in 1936, is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and study of archaeological resources in the Upper Midwest. All persons with an interest in archaeology - those just beginning to explore the field as well as avocational archaeologists and professionals - are welcome. MAS is a doing organization. Members volunteer their time and energy to participate in Society programs, helping to protect Minnesota's rich heritage and learning something about themselves in the process. Society activities include:   Made with Xara Web Designer Welcome Last Updated: 10 Apr 12 Comments to Webmaster The MAS Thunderbird Curious about our logo? The inscriptions on the right are from a 1,000-year-old pot that was discovered in 1957 near Red Wing, Minnesota by an MAS member. The thunderbird motif is representative of Middle Mississippian iconography.  - Slide lectures on current fieldwork and research in archaeology, anthropology and history. Past topics have included Minnesota's Old Copper Culture and ethnoarchaeology in East Africa. - Classes in fieldwork methods and artifact analysis, taught by professional archaeologists from government and private organizations. - Opportunities to take part in field projects sponsored by MAS and other Minnesota organizations. - Field trips to important archaeological sites, such as Jeffers Petroglyphs in western Minnesota and Effigy Mounds National Park in Iowa. - Participation in special events such as Minnesota Archaeology Week and the Midwest Archaeological Conference. - Social events - potluck dinners, brown-bag lunches, informal get-togethers - that allow you to share your experiences and insights with other members and working archaeologists. Dear Minnesota Archaeological Society Members,   Last week the SAA Board was informed that there are two TV series planned that promote and glorify the looting and destruction of archaeological sites. They are American Diggers (scheduled for Spike TV) and Diggers (National Geographic TV).   The Spike TV announcement is available at   http://aroundthenetworks.com/spike-tv-announces-unscripted-show-american-digger/   From the website: In the US, there are millions of historical relics buried in backyards just waiting to be discovered and turned into profit.  "American Digger" hopes to claim a piece of that pie as the series travels to a different city each week, including Detroit, MI, Brooklyn, NY, Chicago, IL and Jamestown, VA searching for high-value artifacts and relics, some of which have been untouched for centuries.  After pinpointing historical locations such as Civil War and Revolutionary War battlefields, Savage’s first task is to convince reluctant homeowners to let his team dig up their property using state-of-the-art metal detectors and heavy-duty excavation equipment.   The promotion of both of these programs is an insult to anyone who is concerned with the preservation of our national historic resources. The premise of both shows glorifies the wanton destruction of   historical and archaeological sites strictly for greed and profit, without regard to the importance of the scientific information they may contain. These shows are disgraceful, unethical, possibly illegal and totally wrong. They need to be stopped!   Help save the past for the future by responding to the links below.   The following is a reprint or an e-mail from Fred Limp, RPA SAA President:   Dear Colleagues, The past SAA President, Bob Kelly wrote in a recent e-mail in response to American Diggers, "This shameless and shameful program will glorify and promote the mindless destruction of archaeological sites in the U.S."  SAA and other groups, such as SHA, have already prepared and sent strong letters condemning both of these programs to the production companies, networks, and others. Copies of the SAA letters can be found on the SAA website (http://bit.ly/w2MHJM, and http://bit.ly/wzT7IA). The letters provide details on why we are so concerned. Up to this point Spike TV has not responded to the public outcry. Leadership of National Geographic, however, has indicated that, while they are unable to stop the showing tomorrow on such short notice, they will place a disclaimer into the show that speaks to laws protecting archaeological and historic sites. They are also willing to enter into discussions with the archaeological community to determine how to raise awareness of the impacts of the use of metal detectors for treasure hunting. We will advise you of developments in this area. We are also in conversations with SHA, RPA, AIA, NASA and others to develop a coordinated response and next steps. BUT for the Spike TV program we need your help. We ask you to individually send letters and/or e- mails to the companies involved—or take advantage of social media outlets (see below)—urging them as strongly as possible to stop this show. The contact points that we have identified so far for the Spike TV project are provided below.   • Spike TV Scott Gurney and Deirdre Gurney Gurney Productions, Inc. 8929 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 510 Los Angeles, California 90045 http://www.gurneyproductions.com/contact • Kevin Kay President, Spike TV 1633 Broadway New York, New York 10019 http://www.spike.com/about/feedback/ • Stephen K. Friedman President, MTV c/o MTV Studios 1515 Broadway New York, New York 10036 Shana Tepper shana.tepper@mtvstaff.com • Philippe Dauman President and Chief Executive Officer Viacom Inc. 1515 Broadway New York, New York 10036 http://www.viacom.com/contact/Pages/default.aspx   There are also Facebook pages where you can comment. One is a "People against American Diggers" facebook page:   https://www.facebook.com/pages/People-against-Spike-TVs-American-Digger/193110227460512   If you would like to add comments to the Spike website, please visit the comments section at the bottom of the following page: http://bit.ly/yQjlXP   Sincerely, Fred Limp, RPA SAA President