Oregon Tribal Historic Preservation Offices: Problems and Challenges of Starting and Maintaining a THPO

Summary

In 1992, amendments were made to the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) to include provisions for Indian tribes to assume the responsibilities of the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) on tribal lands, and establish the position of a Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO). THPOs are responsible for conducting a comprehensive survey of tribal historic properties and maintaining an inventory of such properties, preparing and implementing a tribal-wide historic preservation plan, and assisting federal agencies in the NHPA Section 106 review of undertakings on tribal land. There are a total of nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon, of which six having a federally recognized THPO, and two agreeing to participate: the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. The goal of this research is threefold: to understand the challenges that these tribes faced when they first began the process of creating their THPO, to find ways to make starting and operating a THPO less of a challenge, and to understand how they measure success (i.e. budget size, staff size, educational outreach, etc.).

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15911