Tribal Historic Preservation Office

Aaniin and welcome! It is the mission of the White Earth Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) to locate, protect, and preserve White Earth cultural resources so that knowledge, history and traditions are accessible to the White Earth people and passed down for generations to come.

The White Earth THPO is a Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) Indian Advisory Committee (IAC) member and the White Earth THPO office is a member of the following organizations:

The Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) is the official Tribal representative for historic and cultural preservation and is recognized as such by the national preservation community. The THPO is also recognized as the official tribal representative under multiple Federal laws including the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA), Archaeological Resources Protection Act(ARPA), and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In addition, the THPO assumes oversight of the Section 106 process from the State, providing the Tribe with review authority and consultation over Federal undertakings both on and off Tribal land.

The THPO locates the remains of ancestors, sacred items, and items of cultural patrimony affiliated with White Earth from institutions nationally and internationally. The THPO engages in consultation and completes the repatriation process when appropriate. The THPO engages in proactive consultation and leads all aspects of the repatriation process.

The THPO addresses physical and digital preservation needs for White Earth archival documents, ojibwemowin sound recordings, and cultural items. The THPO locates, catalogues, restores, digitizes (when appropriate) historic and contemporary materials so that community members will ultimately have a significant increase in accessibility to their history while having an active role in creating new content and sharing knowledge.