WASHINGTON - The National Park Service today announced the awarding of $531,187 in grants from the Historic Preservation Fund to 16 American Indian tribes to support the protection of America's native cultures.
"These grants from the Historic Preservation Fund represent one of the many ways the National Park Service works closely with tribes to help protect the cultures and history of America's original inhabitants," said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis.
Tribal communities will use these grant funds to preserve cultural practices;survey and protect historic and archeological sites;and fund historic preservation education and training.For example, tribal elders of the Muscogee Creek Nation in Oklahoma will use grant funds to mentor at-risk youth, teaching them the customary use of traditional items and the meaning of ceremonial grounds and traditional dances.The Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa community in Michigan will collect oral histories of key historic events and developments integral to the community that will be featured in an exhibit for use in community outreach and education.In Arizona, the Yavapai-Apache Nation will document and map the 180 mile route by which their ancestors were removed from their homelands and forced to march over rugged terrain.
Administered by the National Park Service, Tribal Heritage Grants are a part of annual appropriations from the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF).Since its inception in 1977, the HPF has provided more than $1.2 billion in historic preservation grants to states, tribes, local governments, and non-profit organizations.The funding is provided by Outer Continental Shelf oil lease revenues, not tax dollars, with intent to mitigate the loss of a non-renewable resource to benefit the preservation of other irreplaceable resources.
A full list of this year's awards is below.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND GRANTS TO INDIAN TRIBES
Yavapai-Apache Nation
Arizona
14,900
Karuk Tribe
California
39,911
Tejon Indian Tribe
California
36,369
Mashantucket Pequot
Connecticut
5,848
Nez Perce Tribe
Idaho
39,681
Seminole Tribe of Florida
Florida
48,070
Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa
Michigan
40,000
Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
Michigan
15,091
The Pueblo of Jemez
New Mexico
41,437
Pueblo of Pojoaque
New Mexico
39,920
Pueblo of Zuni
New Mexico
39,966
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe
Nevada
39,050
Kaw Nation
Oklahoma
36,000
Muscogee Creek Nation
Oklahoma
29,690
Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians
Oregon
25,254
Coquille Indian Tribe
Oregon
40,000
TOTAL
$531,187
www.nps.gov
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 413 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
