Over the last 500 years, Indian cultures have experienced massive destruction, but the tide is changing. Indian tribes are using their resources to halt the loss of language, tradition, religion, objects, and sites. Fundamentally different in character from other components of American society, Indian tribes are living cultures that can continue and be strengthened only through the perpetuation of their traditions. Tribes, therefore, are reintroducing ceremonies, teaching languages, and seeking the culturally appropriate treatment of tribal objects and sites. These activities are not peripheral to tribal life; they are basic to healthy contemporary tribal societies.

Who We Are
The National Park Service (NPS) Tribal Preservation Program assists Indian tribes in preserving their historic properties and cultural traditions. The program originated in 1990, when Congress directed NPS to study and report on preservation funding needs. The findings of that report, the Keepers of the Treasures--Protecting Historic Properties and Cultural Traditions on Indian Lands, are the foundation of the Tribal Preservation Program. Based on that report, Congress has appropriated annual grants for tribal preservation.

Program Partners
The Tribal Preservation Program is dedicated to working with Indian tribes, Alaska Native Groups, Native Hawaiians, and national organizations, to preserve and protect resources and traditions that are of importance to Native Americans. Given the limited funding levels of the program, its main purpose is to help tribes strengthen their capabilities for operating sustainable preservation programs. Projects that provide training for tribal members and have a lasting impact on the tribe are given the highest priority in the funding process.

How We Help
The grant awards of the tribal preservation program provide much needed assistance to Indian communities interested in protecting their cultural heritage. The federal grant funds used for these preservation projects are often leveraged with tribal and private funds in cooperative projects that benefit tribal, National Park, and non-profit groups simultaneously.

The two major grant programs of the Tribal Historic Preservation Program at the National Park Service are the Historic Preservation Fund Grants awarded to the Tribal Historic Preservation Offices and the Tribal Project Grants.

The Tribal Historic Preservation Office Program (101d Tribes):
In 1996 the National Historic Preservation Program entered a new era, as fourteen tribes were approved by the Secretary of the Interior and the National Park Service to assume national historic preservation program responsibilities on tribal lands, pursuant to Section 101(d) of the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (citation).  The responsibilities these tribes assumed include conducting archeological and cultural resource surveys, maintaining permanent inventories of historic and cultural properties, nominating properties to the National Register of Historic Places, and reviewing Federal Agency undertakings pursuant to Section 106 of the Act.

Tribal Project Grants:
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 authorizes grants to Indian tribes for cultural and historic preservation projects.  Now in its twenty-first year, this grant program assists American Indians and Alaska Natives in protecting and promoting their unique cultural traditions. Historic Preservation Funds are granted to Indian Tribes, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiian Organizations.

Since 1990, over $19.8 million has been awarded to approximately 537 projects in Indian and Alaska Native communities.  In Fiscal Year 2010, a total of $899,316 is being awarded to 26 communities for a broad range of historic preservation projects.