Our Work
Tribal Consultation and Collaboration
Collaboration with Tribal Nations is central to all HDHR activities. This program formalizes HDHR’s commitment to ethical partnership by ensuring that Tribal expertise and authority guide decision-making at every stage of the repatriation process.
Collaboration and Consultation
The difference between collaboration and consultation lies at the heart of HDHR’s work. We are not a government funded facility that is required to follow consultation as outlined by NAGPRA; we are free to do better. Consultation typically entails asking how Tribal authority over artifacts can conform to a pre-existing process for repatriation. Space is made for Tribal consultation.
In collaboration, we ask Tribes to build the process with us. What are the goals for different kinds of items, what special considerations are there for transportation and care? How and when do tribes want to be contacted about items from their histories?
Beyond consultation, HDHR’s process seeks collaboration with tribes as together we determine paths forward for each item or collection. In partnership with Tribal communities, HDHR supports the co-development of repatriation protocols that reflect specific cultural priorities, communication preferences, and handling practices.
Paid Expertise
We highly value the knowledge and expertise of our Tribal partners. That’s why we offer to pay for the time, and in some cases travel, for tribal representatives. We work with tribal councils to identify the right individuals to guide decisions about culturally sensitive items. Experts often have lived experience, cultural knowledge, and community trust—forms of expertise that are rarely displayed publicly, but are deeply important. We rely on tribal communities themselves to identify the right voices.
If you have knowledge to share that you believe would help us to determine affiliation, care, and long-term storage of artifacts, please reach out to your Tribal Council or your tribe’s cultural resource officer to let them know you would like to work with HDHR.
Building Relationships
Beyond individual cases, HDHR invests in long-term relationship building with Tribal partners. These sustained partnerships enable more efficient future collaboration, reduce administrative burdens on Tribal offices, and ensure that repatriation efforts align with community-defined goals.
Support Our Work
Donate to High Desert Heritage and Research to fund collaboration and research that makes repatriation possible.
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