The CRD actively engages in dialogue with other American Indian tribes regarding cultural resource issues. In 1995, under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the CRD collected over two hundred Museums and Federal Repository completed Inventories and Summaries of their artifact collection.
Eight human remains were found and repatriated to the Fort Peck and Fort Belknap Tribes respectively. The study concluded that the collection might contain cultural items from the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes. In1996, the CRD assisted the National Park Service; Fort Union Site to repatriate five Assiniboine human remains for reburial at Chicken Hill west of Wolf Point, Montana. In 1998 – 2005, the CRD visited over forty Museums to consult about the NAGPRA law and to inspect the curation facility and collections.
In 2005, the CRD identified 228 additional museum collections throughout the U.S. affiliated with the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, and have invited these museums to consult concerning its artifact collection and NAGPRA Standard Operating Procedures for the Inadvertent Discovery of Native American Human Remains and Associated Funerary Objects, Sacred Objects, or Objects of Cultural Patrimony. Although CRD has identified many sacred sites or requested access, many agencies have yet to schedule consultation and comply with the Federal mandate.
Curation
Fort Irwin’s 3,000 square-foot Curation Facility does not provide ample space for the analysis and curation of the Reservation’s artifacts and records, which are packed into two small storage rooms. In addition, the facility provides an area to inform and educate the public about Fort Peck’s cultural resources and its protection efforts. This facility is inadequate for the Reservation’s cultural and historical records. All collections are managed in accordance with 36 CFR 79.