History
Originally funded in 1996 through authorization in Section 101(d) of the 1992 amendments to the National Historic Preservation Act, the THPO program started with 12 tribal governments receiving an appropriation of nearly $80,000 each. Now, despite a five-fold increase in tribal participation, the funding allocation for the THPO program will drop to less than $45,000 per tribe in FY 2008, unless substantial new sources of funding are found. Currently, there are 66 tribes with THPOs that are responsible for preservation on more than 34 million acres of tribal land spanning 24 states.
Threat
The Kashia's Regalia House, where cultural items are stored for use in religious ceremonies, has been looted on several occasions. The house, which is desperate need of repair, contains items that are important to Kashia religious ceremonies dating back centuries. The THPO for the Kashia Pomo tribe is desperately underfunded and is forced to compete for a shrinking resource base as the half-dozen new THPOs that join the program each year must share smaller and smaller pieces of the funding pie.
Solution
THPO programs have enhanced tribal historic preservation nationally and enhanced the collective knowledge of all Americans about our culture. In the past several years, many programs are also fulfilling the role of promoting cultural and heritage tourism, thus creating jobs in tribal communities. A substantial and sustained increase in federal funding is needed in order to save the Kashia Pomo historic district and similar sites that THPOs are struggling to protect across the country.
