National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers

National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers
Name	National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers
Abbreviation	NATHPO
Formation	1990
Type	Tribal nonprofit
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	Executive Director

National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers is a membership organization representing Tribal Historic Preservation Officers from federally recognized tribal nations, working to protect and manage Indigenous cultural resources. It serves as a national advocacy, policy coordination, and technical assistance body interfacing with agencies such as the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. The association engages with federal legislation, tribal sovereignty issues, and cultural resource management across reservation lands, traditional cultural properties, and historic sites.

History

NATHPO was founded in 1990 amid a period of increased tribal assertion following the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and alongside activities by the National Congress of American Indians, the Indian Health Service, and tribal historic programs of the Cherokee Nation and Navajo Nation. Its emergence paralleled key legal and policy events including the American Indian Religious Freedom Act amendments, consultations under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and growing interaction with agencies such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Early collaborations involved leaders from the Hopi Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni, Osage Nation, and others, responding to issues raised by projects linked to the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and energy developments on tribal lands.

Mission and Activities

The association’s mission centers on protecting Indigenous cultural heritage, supporting Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, and advancing tribal interests in federal and state decision-making, coordinating with entities like the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Activities include policy advocacy on amendments to the National Environmental Policy Act, consultations related to the Historic Sites Act, and engagement with museums such as the National Museum of the American Indian and archives including the Library of Congress. It provides legal and technical resources relevant to cases before the Indian Claims Commission and interactions with the United States Congress and the White House on executive actions.

Organizational Structure and Membership

NATHPO’s governance comprises a board of directors drawn from Tribal Historic Preservation Officers representing regions that include the Bureau of Indian Affairs Eastern Region, Bureau of Indian Affairs Western Region, and Alaska Native organizations like the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. Members come from tribal nations such as the Chippewa Cree Tribe, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Lakota Sioux Tribe, Seminole Tribe of Florida, Yup'ik, and Tlingit. The association coordinates with institutions like the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, the Association on American Indian Affairs, and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society on shared programmatic goals. Leadership roles include an executive director, regional representatives, and committees focused on legal affairs, cultural resource management, and repatriation.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs include technical assistance for Tribal Historic Preservation Plans, training workshops on compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and Archaeological Resources Protection Act, and initiatives for inventories of Traditional Cultural Properties in collaboration with universities such as University of Arizona, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Arizona State University. NATHPO runs conferences and symposia with partners like the Society for American Archaeology, the American Anthropological Association, and the World Archaeological Congress. Grants and capacity building have been provided in conjunction with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Ford Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support cultural preservation, tribal archives, and language revitalization linked to projects with the Endangered Languages Project.

Partnerships and Advocacy

The association partners with federal agencies including the National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Federal Highway Administration, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for consultation protocols and training. It advocates before the United States Congress, engages with the Department of Justice on repatriation enforcement, and collaborates internationally with organizations like the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the International Council on Monuments and Sites. Coalition partners have included the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, and tribal organizations such as the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians for advocacy on infrastructure projects, repatriation disputes, and protection of cultural landscapes threatened by climate change linked to reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Impact and Notable Projects

NATHPO has influenced policy outcomes in repatriation cases at institutions like the National Museum of the American Indian and in federal compliance reviews for projects by the Federal Highway Administration and Bureau of Land Management. Notable collaborative projects include inventories for Traditional Cultural Properties with the Pueblo of Taos and Pueblo of Zuni, consultation frameworks used in energy development cases involving Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and cultural resource protection measures developed in response to litigation involving the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and pipeline projects. The association’s training and technical assistance have been credited in preservation planning for sites such as Cahokia Mounds, indigenous stewardship initiatives in the Pacific Northwest with the Makah Tribe and Coast Salish peoples, and archaeological collaborations with the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology and the Smithsonian Institution.

Category:Native American organizations Category:Historic preservation organizations of the United States