LEECH LAKE DIVISION OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
CULTURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
-TRIBAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE-

THPO - TRIBAL HISTORICAL PRESERVATION OFFICE
Tribal Historic Preservation Officers are officially designated by a federally recognized Indian Tribe to direct a program approved by the National Park Service and the THPO must have assumed some or all of the functions of State Historic Preservation Officers on Tribal lands. This program was made possible by the provisions of Section 101(d)(2) of the National Historic Preservation Act. Before a Tribe may assume the functions of a State Historic Preservation Officer, the National Historic Preservation Act requires Tribes to submit a formal plan to the National Park Service describing how the proposed Tribal Historic Preservation Officer functions will be carried out. Leech Lake was approved to hold office in June 1996 and has continued for 9 years.

Our program is supported by the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) which was created by the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act and is supported by annual revenues from Outer Continental Shelf oil leases and assists states, local governments, Indian tribes and Historically Black Colleges and Universities with their historic preservation activities nationwide. There is an emphasis to the importance of protecting “traditional cultural properties,” places that are eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places because of their association with cultural practices and beliefs that are:
(1) rooted in the history of the community; and
(2) are important to maintaining the continuity of that community’s traditional beliefs and practices.

Incorporating Tribal cultural values into the historic preservation program has been consistently cited as a priority. Finally, the need for assuming the responsibility for reviewing Federal undertakings that may affect historical properties and the importance of archaeological survey work was consistently mentioned as essential. Tribal Historic Preservation Officers advise Federal agencies on the management of Tribal/State historic properties and strive to preserve their Tribes’ cultural heritage and preservation programs.

HISTORY
Leech Lake Reservation assumed the responsibility of a Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO), in late 1996. Under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the THPO is charged with reviewing federal activities and recommending how to best protect heritage sites, including traditional cultural properties (TCPs). TCPs are places which are "eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places because of their association with cultural practices or beliefs of a living community that are rooted in the communities history and are important to maintaining cultural identity" (USDA National Park Service, Bulletin 38).

In a cooperative effort with Leech Lake Reservation the Chippewa National Forest is conducting a Traditional Resource Inventory.

Tribal Historic Preservation Office
The Tribal Historic Preservation Office has review authority regarding specific properties covered under the NHPA, including but not limited to TCPs, on lands within the exterior boundaries of the reservation.

To be considered a TCP under the NHPA, a property must meet all of the following criteria:
¨ be tangible and discrete;
¨ have clearly definable physical boundaries and attributes which can be documented historically;
¨ be designated a historic district if the site involves large land areas;
¨ have traditional values that have been documented for 50 or more years;
¨ be of integral importance to tribes;
¨ the property's significance must be established through multiple lines of documentation (e.g. archeology, history, oral tradition, ethnography, or ethnohistory) or preponderance of evidence in any one of these fields (F. Dale Robertson letter to Regional Foresters, September 6. 1991).

PERSONNEL CONTACTS (THPO)

Leech Lake Band of Chippewa Indians
Leech Lake Heritage Sites Program
6350 Hwy. 2 NW
Cass Lake, MN 56633
Contact: Gina Papasodora, Preservation Officer
218-335-8095
Fax: 218-335-8309
llthpo@hotmail.com