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| Native American Heritage Project | |
|---|---|
| Name | Native American Heritage Project |
| Abbreviation | NAHP |
| Formed | 1998 |
| Type | Cultural heritage organization |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Region served | United States |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
| Leader name | Deborah L. Running |
Native American Heritage Project The Native American Heritage Project is a United States-based cultural heritage organization focused on documenting, preserving, and promoting the histories and living cultures of Indigenous peoples. Founded in the late 1990s, the Project works with tribal nations, museums, archives, academic institutions, and federal agencies to support repatriation, language revitalization, and community-led curation. It engages with a wide range of partners including national museums, tribal colleges, and philanthropic foundations to advocate for policy change and to provide technical assistance to tribal cultural programs.
The organization operates at the intersection of cultural heritage institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian, Library of Congress, and National Archives and Records Administration and tribal governments like the Navajo Nation, Lakota Sioux, Cherokee Nation, Pueblo of Zuni, and Hopi Tribe. It liaises with federal entities including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Institute of Museum and Library Services while collaborating with universities such as University of Arizona, University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, Yale University, and University of New Mexico. The Project draws support from private foundations like the Ford Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and engages with museums including the American Museum of Natural History, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and Field Museum of Natural History.
Origins trace to collaborations among tribal cultural leaders, museum curators, and legal advocates following high-profile efforts such as the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and repatriation cases at institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and Peabody Museum. Early partners included tribal advocates from the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin, Onondaga Nation, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and scholars from the American Indian Studies program at the University of Arizona and Center for Native American and Indigenous Research at the Smithsonian. The Project’s early work was shaped by leaders and activists such as Vine Deloria Jr., Winona LaDuke, Wilma Mankiller, Russell Means, and legal figures involved in United States v. Lara and other landmark cases. Initial funding and advisory support came from institutions including the National Endowment for the Arts, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and tribal philanthropic initiatives from the Annenberg Foundation.
The mission emphasizes cultural sovereignty, repatriation, archival access, and language preservation. Core programs include repatriation support aligned with Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act procedures, language initiatives partnering with programs such as the Master-Apprentice Program and institutions like Haskell Indian Nations University and Sitting Bull College, and digital archiving collaborations with the Digital Public Library of America and Smithsonian Institution Archives. The Project operates grant programs modeled after Institute of Museum and Library Services grant structures and awards inspired by recognitions such as the MacArthur Fellowship and National Humanities Medal to community leaders. It also offers fellowships comparable to those at the American Antiquarian Society and the Newberry Library and convenes conferences in venues such as the National Museum of the American Indian and university centers like the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity at Stanford University.
The Project maintains formal MOUs and informal collaborations with tribal nations including Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Seminole Tribe of Florida, Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Yakama Nation, Blackfeet Nation, and Iroquois Confederacy nations. Museum partners include the National Portrait Gallery, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Autry Museum of the American West, Brooklyn Museum, and regional museums like the Heard Museum and Museum of Indian Arts & Culture. Academic collaborators include Cornell University, University of Washington, Michigan State University, Dartmouth College, and Brown University as well as tribal colleges within the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. Legal and policy partners include the Native American Rights Fund, Association on American Indian Affairs, National Congress of American Indians, and law clinics at Columbia Law School and University of New Mexico School of Law.
The Project works to identify cultural objects, human remains, and archival materials held by institutions such as the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, American Museum of Natural History, Harvard Peabody Museum, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, and regional repositories like the Idaho State Historical Society and Alaska State Museum. It facilitates provenance research drawing on records from Bureau of Indian Affairs files, Army Corps of Engineers project archives, and collections at the National Anthropological Archives. Collaboration extends to community museums such as the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Autry Museum, and tribal cultural centers including the Chickasaw Cultural Center and Klamath Tribes Cultural Center. The Project supports conservation standards modeled on guidelines from the American Institute for Conservation and ethical frameworks promulgated by the World Archaeological Congress.
Educational initiatives span K–12 partnerships with school districts and institutions like the National Museum of the American Indian education programs, university curricula at University of New Mexico, Bemidji State University, and tribal colleges, and public exhibits in collaboration with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Native American Heritage Month events, and community gatherings such as the Gathering of Nations and Powwow circuits. Outreach includes oral history projects with linguists and anthropologists affiliated with University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, and youth mentorship in partnership with organizations like the Indian Health Service and American Indian Science and Engineering Society.
Funding sources include federal grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Institute of Museum and Library Services, private philanthropy from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Ford Foundation, and contributions from tribal nations and regional community foundations. Governance is overseen by a board composed of representatives from tribal nations, museum professionals from the Smithsonian Institution and Field Museum, legal advisors from the Native American Rights Fund, and academics from institutions including Harvard University and University of Arizona. Financial oversight adheres to nonprofit standards as practiced by organizations such as the Council on Foundations and reporting norms modeled on the Independent Sector.
Category:Native American cultural organizations