Northern Arizona University

Christian E. Downum received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1988. He taught for 3 years at the University of Arizona and since 1992 has been a faculty member and Director of the Anthropology Laboratories at Northern Arizona University. Dr. Downum has 27 years of field experience in the archaeology of the Southwest and has directed more than 100 field projects. His research interests include questions of ethnicity and conflict in the prehistoric past, use of ceramics for dating, and analysis of architecture. He has conducted numerous research projects on these subjects at sites in the U.S. National Park system, often working closely with Native American students. Since 1997 Dr. Downum has conducted several training programs in cultural resource management and ruins preservation, including collaborative NPS workshops targeted at Hopi, Zuni, and Navajo youth.