The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center has been awarded a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to help start work on the next phase of the Zuni Kiva Project.

The project is a collaboration between Crow Canyon’s American Indian Initiatives department and the Pueblo of Zuni to restore six Zuni kivas that are used for ceremonies.

Crucial Corn Kiva ceremonies have not been performed in their entirety since 1980 due to the condition of the kiva, and without practice they could go extinct, according to Crow Canyon Cultural Specialist Dan Simplicio.

Restoration of the Corn Kiva is expected to finish in May. Zuni religious leaders selected it as the first to receive treatment because it is temporarily serving as the primary religious facility for all the Pueblo’s kiva groups to conduct summer kachina dances and other kiva activities, a news release from Crow Canyon said.

Three of the six kivas at Zuni need complete reconstruction. The remaining three need structural work ranging from minor repair to moderate renovation.

The $10,000 NTHP grant will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Zuni tribe and will go toward preparation work for the next kiva renovation, the Wall Kiva. The Zuni tribe has tried to revitalize the kivas but ran short of funding and manpower, Crow Canyon said.

“Without the kivas and the kiva ceremonies, Zuni people lose access to their culture, their past, and their path to the future,” said Zuni Pueblo Gov. Val Panteah Sr.

“The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center has a long history of researching, visiting, and teaching about ancient and historic kivas — and now we are working collaboratively with the Zuni Tribe on a project that directly benefits them,” the Crow Canyon news release said.

Crow Canyon said it hopes that the relationship will lead to new service learning and research opportunities and become a model for developing similar projects with other American Indian communities across the country.

For more information contact Sharon Milholland, Ph.D., director of American Indian Initiatives at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, at 970-564-4353, or via email at smilholland@crowcanyon.org.