Tribes and Cultural Resource Management in the Mid-Columbia River Region: A Look into the Future

We have been fortunate over the last few years to work alongside Native Americans in conducting cultural resource management activities. These experiences have helped us appreciate the importance of cultural resources to the Indian people. We are convinced that Native Americans must be directly involved in cultural resource management activities for two main reasons: they understand the cultural resources in ways that non-Indians probably never can, and because these sites are an integral part of their past, present, and future, they care more about them than non-Indians do. Thus, if the resources are to be protected and made available to future generations of Native Americans, Native Americans must take an active role in managing the resources.