WASHINGTON - The National Park Service today announced $986,691 in Tribal Heritage Grants to support cultural and historic preservation projects that protect and promote the unique heritage and traditions of America’s native cultures.
"The 23 projects funded by these grants will help American Indians, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiians to ensure the survival of their cultural heritage, including traditional arts, skills, education, and ceremonies," said National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith.
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
* Support cultural and historic preservation interpretation and education
Congress appropriates funding for the Tribal Heritage Grant Program through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). The HPF uses revenue from federal oil leases on the Outer Continental Shelf to provide assistance for a broad range of preservation projects.
Examples of projects funded in 2018 include:
* The Mescalero Apache Tribe (New Mexico) will use grant funds to conduct oral histories regarding the “Girls Ceremony", a traditional coming of age ceremony for young Apache girls. Funds will transcribe and record the related ceremonial songs, stories, and prayers in the required language of the Mescalero Apache.
* The Seneca Nation (New York) plans to use funds to repair the Allegany Council House, which was recently nominated for inclusion in the National Register. The building’s significance is related to two historical events in the Tribe’s history - the right for Seneca Nation women to vote, and resistance to the development of the Kinzua Dam. The house will be used as an educational facility once repairs are completed.
* The Knik Tribe (Alaska) will conduct an archaeological evaluation and survey of numerous Knikatnu settlement sites for National Register eligibility. The project will introduce archaeological investigation and field training to Native American youth.
Following is the full list of projects funded in 2018:
Grantee Project State Amount
Leinsoi, Inc. Leisnoi Lands Survey Alaska $43,075
Knik Tribe Phase II Evaluation of Cultural Sites on Knikatnu Inc. Parcels. Alaska $43,200
Native Village of Eyak Traditional Boat Building Project Alaska $43,200
Hualapai Tribe Historic Preservation and Education Through Story Maps Arizona $43,200
Bishop Paiute Tribe Tribal Interpretation and Education of Land and Plant Resources Through Outreach and Exhibits at the Owens Valley Paiute-Shoshone Cultural Center California $43,200
Hula Preservation Society I Ulu No Ka Lala I Ke Kumu (The Branches Grow Because of the Teacher/ Trunk/ Source) Hawaii $43,170
Sac and Fox Tribe of the
Mississippi in Iowa Meskwaki Cattail/Bulrush Mat Making Iowa $43,200
Aroostook Band of
Micmacs Preservation of Mi'kmaq Porcupine Quill Embroidery Skills Maine $42,880
Saginaw Chippewa Indian
Tribe of Michigan Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School Initiative Michigan $63,200
Grand Traverse Band of
Ottawa and Chippewa
Indians Eyaawing Cultural Education Project Michigan $30,608
Pueblo of Acoma Creating an Archaeological Survey Project for the Pueblo of Acoma New
Mexico $43,181
Mescalero Apache Tribe The Mescalero Apache Tribe’s Girls Ceremony New
Mexico $43,200
Pueblo of Pojoaque Documenting the Past to Plan for the Future. New
Mexico $43,200
Washoe Tribe of Nevada
and California Washoe Homelands Mapping Project Nevada $43,200
Seneca Nation of Indians SNI THPO Council House Renovation New York $39,550
Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Akwesasne Stories Project New York $43,200
Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma Ponca Hymnal Book & Recordings Oklahoma $43,200
The Chickasaw Nation Preserving Sacred Stories of the Chickasaw People Oklahoma $33,065
United Keetoowah Band
of Cherokee Indians in
Oklahoma Creating United Keetoowah Band Cultural Resource Database and Historical Mapping Preservation System Oklahoma $43,200
Delaware Tribe of Indians Collaborative Archaeological Survey of Delaware Sacred Sites in Northeastern Oklahoma Oklahoma $43,200
Lummi Nation Lummi Nation Tribal Heritage Sites Access/Protection Plans and Facilities Washington $43,200
Makah Indian Tribe Makah Interpretive Guide Training Washington $43,162
Bad River Band of Lake
Superior Tribe of
Chippewa Indians Bad River Cultural Site Preservation Project Wisconsin $43,200
TOTAL $986,691
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Tags: historic preservation grants historic preservation grants historic preservation fund american indian native hawaiian native alaskans alaska arizona california hawaii iowa maine michigan new mexico nevada new york oklahoma washington wisconsin
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
