NEWS RELEASE

ORGANIZATION CONTACT
Valerie J. Grussing, Ph.D. NATHPO, Executive Director
Valerie@nathpo.org
202-628-8476

MEDIA CONTACT
Media@nathpo.org
202-643-0839

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Today, the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO) responded to the Department of the Interior (DOI)’s recently issued “Secretarial Order 3431 - Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” The order instructs Bureaus and offices within DOI “to ensure that all public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties within the Department’s jurisdiction do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times), and instead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people or, with respect to natural features, the beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape.”

This instruction is especially troubling because of the risk it will hide from public view acknowledgment of the wrongs done to Indigenous peoples in the United States, as well as other historically marginalized communities. THPOs are among the leaders within their communities in preserving this history and sharing these stories, but they cannot and should not do it alone. These stories can only be preserved if they are shared with the public, and America’s public lands and National Parks are some of the most visible and, therefore, important places for that storytelling.

"In order to do true justice to the history of the United States of America, its government must acknowledge and tell its entire history,” said NATHPO Executive Director Dr. Valerie Grussing. “There is no denying Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities across the United States suffered violence and oppression at the hands of the Federal Government, and of the colonial powers who preceded it. This Secretarial Order is deeply concerning because it appears to instruct federal agencies to obscure the efforts on the part of those governments to eradicate vibrant Indigenous cultures, causing the deaths of untold numbers of people and threatening the very existence of peoples who have called this land home since time immemorial. We call on Secretary Burgum and the Interior Department to engage in real consultation with those Tribes and communities to ensure he does not preside over the erasure of stories that so desperately need to be told.”  

Preserving and publicly retelling the stories of America’s Indigenous peoples – in their entirety – is a necessary part of healing for Tribal Nations and other Native communities, a critical part of ensuring their health and vitality and allowing them to thrive both now and in the future. NATHPO will write to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in the coming days to provide constructive suggestions about how best to ensure those stories continue to be told, including by engaging in meaningful nation-to-nation consultation with the descendant communities whose stories this Secretarial Order threatens to erase.

Who we are – NATHPO is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) membership organization, founded in 1998, of Tribal preservation leaders protecting culturally important places that perpetuate Native identity, resilience, and cultural endurance. Connections to cultural heritage sustain the health and vitality of Native peoples. We provide guidance to preservation officials, elected representatives, and the public about national historic preservation legislation, policies, and regulations. We promote Tribal sovereignty, develop partnerships, and advocate for Tribes in governmental activities on preservation issues. For more information visit our website at www.nathpo.org.