The National Park Service today awarded $537,005 in Tribal Heritage Grants to 11 projects across the country to support the protection of America’s Indigenous cultures. This competitive grant program focuses on what Indigenous communities are most concerned with protecting - oral histories, plant and animal species important in tradition, sacred and historic places, and the establishment of Tribal historic preservation offices.
“These Tribal Heritage grants provide support for a variety of important projects that are critical to preserving unique cultural heritage and traditions for future generations,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams. “The National Park Service is committed to working with Indigenous communities to expand partnerships, share knowledge, and connect people with the traditions of the past.”
Some of the projects this year’s grants will invest in, include:
- Historic preservation work at the Pueblo of Zuni in New Mexico to prepare a historical site assessment and mitigation plan for the repair and preservation of the Middle Village Kiva.
- In Maine, the Arrostook Band of Micmacs will conduct an oral history project documenting basket making and the story of an insect that threatens this important traditional cultural practice.
- The Knik Tribe in Alaska will lead an archaeological survey and map an important cultural area considered to be part of the Tribe’s Ancestral lands in the Upper Cook Inlet Dena’ina Territory, laying a foundation for future conservation easement.
Other projects funded by these grants will locate and identify cultural resources, preserve historic properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places, support comprehensive preservation planning, preserve oral history and cultural traditions, provide training for building a historic preservation program, and support cultural and historic preservation interpretation and education.
Learn more about the Tribal Heritage Grant program. Applications for at least $500,000 in 2022 funding will be available in fall 2022.
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