In the past, non-Indian archaeologists had control of how cultural resources were managed on tribal, federal, state, and private lands. Management decisions, often based on values other than protection of the resources, resulted in the destruction of sites important to tribes. In 1987, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) developed the Cultural Resources Protection Program (CRPP) to actively work with federal agencies on archaeological decision making processes on both tribal lands and lands ceded by the CTUIR to the U.S. in the Treaty of 1855.
The mission of the CRPP is to promote the protection, preservation, and perpetuation of the CTUIR’s culturally significant places and resources for the benefit of current and future generations. The CRPP takes the innovative approach of educating federal, state, and local agencies on cultural resource laws, executive orders, and tribal concerns using a variety of tools. The CRPP provides services to these agencies to keep them in compliance with cultural resource laws. The CRPP recently began providing training to federal agencies regarding cultural sensitivity, tribal cultural resource management, and tribal perspectives on natural resource management. Because of the CRPP’s considerable success, we serve as a model for other tribes’ programs. We provide training to tribes on starting a tribal cultural resource program, and certifying cultural resource technicians. We assist tribes with a variety of inquiries, including developing cooperative agreements with agencies, contracting with these agencies, and how to gather and store data.
The CRPP’s creative approach to cultural resource management has changed the archaeological community in the CTUIR’s ceded lands from one in which there was no Native American involvement in the management of cultural resources to one which requires Native American involvement. Incorporating traditional cultural knowledge of how cultural resources were managed in the past by our ancestors into archaeological methods has given the archaeological community an insight into the fact that tribes have always managed archaeological sites, sacred sites, and traditional use areas.
Prior to the existence of the CRPP, the CTUIR’s traditional practices and values were not recognized by agencies and archaeologists charged with managing cultural resources. Today, most agencies understand their responsibility to consult with the CTUIR and other tribes. Although we still need to reach more agencies, we have succeeded in protecting hundreds of sites that would otherwise have been damaged.
Management decisions, often based on values other than protection of the resources, resulted in the destruction of sites important to tribes. In 1987, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) developed the Cultural Resources Protection Program (CRPP) to actively work with federal agencies on archaeological decision making processes on both tribal lands and lands ceded by the CTUIR to the U.S. in the Treaty of 1855. 
The mission of the CRPP is to promote the protection, preservation, and perpetuation of the CTUIR’s culturally significant places and resources for the benefit of current and future generations. The CRPP takes the innovative approach of educating federal, state, and local agencies on cultural resource laws, executive orders, and tribal concerns using a variety of tools. The CRPP provides services to these agencies to keep them in compliance with cultural resource laws. The CRPP recently began providing training to federal agencies regarding cultural sensitivity, tribal cultural resource management, and tribal perspectives on natural resource management. Because of the CRPP’s considerable success, we serve as a model for other tribes’ programs. We provide training to tribes on starting a tribal cultural resource program, and certifying cultural resource technicians. We assist tribes with a variety of inquiries, including developing cooperative agreements with agencies, contracting with these agencies, and how to gather and store data. 
The CRPP’s creative approach to cultural resource management has changed the archaeological community in the CTUIR’s ceded lands from one in which there was no Native American involvement in the management of cultural resources to one which requires Native American involvement. Incorporating traditional cultural knowledge of how cultural resources were managed in the past by our ancestors into archaeological methods has given the archaeological community an insight into the fact that tribes have always managed archaeological sites, sacred sites, and traditional use areas.