Learning resources — video and audio
Reading is the foundation of preparing for a visit, but some things are easier to learn by watching and listening. This page collects video and audio resources that we have found useful.
Why video matters
Some things — how to recognize cryptobiotic crust, what an undisturbed sherd field looks like, the cadence of speech of an elder describing a place — translate poorly to the printed page. Short video and audio are a complement to reading, not a replacement for it.
Topics we recommend learning before arrival
- Reading the desert floor. Five minutes of footage that shows the difference between living soil crust, blow sand, and a beaten path will change how you walk for the rest of your life.
- Recognizing cultural surface evidence. What pottery sherds, lithic scatter, and worked stone look like in situ — and why you should photograph rather than collect.
- Listening to tribal voices on the land. Many tribal nations and museums have produced public-facing audio and video introductions to the region. These are the most important resources on this page.
- Canyon hydrology and flash floods. The single most common cause of visitor injury and death in the region.
Where to find them
The Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, regional museums, and tribal cultural offices publish public-facing video. We don’t host video on this site, and we don’t want to centralize what is better held by the institutions whose work it is. Instead we recommend starting with:
- The websites of the Hopi, Zuni, Pueblo of Zia, Navajo Nation, and Ute Mountain Ute cultural departments.
- The Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum in Blanding.
- The Anasazi Heritage Center (now Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum) in Dolores, Colorado.
- The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center’s public video and education library.
These are not affiliate links and we receive nothing if you visit them. They are simply where the most reliable material lives.
If you have a particular topic you’d like a learning recommendation on, the contact page goes to a reader.