Caddo Nation Cultural Preservation Office
NAGPRA Point of Contact: Bobby Gonzales
Historic Preservation Point of Contact: Robert Cast
Telephone: (405) 656-2344, Extension 233
Email: culture@caddonation-nsn.gov or preservation@caddonation-nsn.gov
Staff:
Mary Botone, Administrative Assistant, extension 233
Robert Cast, Historic Preservation Officer, extension 245 or (405) 656-2901
Bobby Gonzalez, NAGPRA Coordinator, extension 242 or (405) 656-2903
Quarterly Report
By Bobby Gonzalez, Robert Cast, and Mary Botone
April, May and June of 2007
The Caddo Nation Cultural Preservation Department would first like to thank the Caddo Nation and its government, especially the Caddo people for allowing us to work with them in partnership so that we may better understand the past and our future.
Our office attended the American Archeology Society Conference in Austin, Texas to present a tri-partite presentation on Caddo archaeology in Texas and the prospects and challenges existing today for the Caddo Nation assuring that we are involved in framing the direction and conduct of Caddo archaeological work in Texas.
The Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO) also received an increase of 14% for FY 07-08 for THPO operations; we received a letter from the National NAPGRA Grant Program that our FY 07-08 grant was approved in the amount of $73,000.00. This is grant money to document Caddo pottery vessels at Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma which will have our NAGPRA findings included in the "Documentation Report" to the National NAGPRA program so the Caddo Nation can repartiate the collection.
An article by Amelie Walker in Archeology, a publication of the Archaeological Institute of America, discusses the mounds of Louisiana. Over 700 mounds are located all over the state, some of which are now joined by historical and interpretive markers to form the Ancient Mounds Trail. This article is available on-line here.
REPATRIATION COMMITTEE
Bobby Gonzalez, Madeline Hamilton, Robert Cast, Lucy Wabaunesee, LaRisha
Wabaunasee, (2nd row) Debbie Lopez, Lymon Kionute, Mary Botone (3rd row) Thurman Parton, Pete Gregory, and Marilyn Threlkeld
The Caddo Nation of Oklahoma is a federally recognized tribe with homelands spanning the present-day states of Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. With such a vast homeland, there are innumerable historic and prehistoric Caddo cultural sites and cemeteries. In addition to the physical remnants of our past, we have handed down Caddo culture, language, and traditions. The Cultural Preservation Department implements several federal laws which protect cultural heritage resources. It also encompasses a range of preservation programs, including language preservation, NAGPRA / Repatriation, and Historic Preservation. The staff of the Cultural Preservation Office works closely with the Caddo Heritage Museum and is advised by the Repatriation Committee. The Repatriation Committee includes representatives of the Caddo Culture Club, the Native American Church, and the Senior Citizens.
The Historic Preservation and NAGPRA Programs have several ongoing projects. One of these projects is seeking to compile a registry of family cemeteries. Using advanced techniques, the staff have worked to pinpoint the locations of several graves and cemeteries. If you would like to discuss this project with the NAGPRA staff or talk to them about a cemetery on your land, please give them a call.
