Preservation and research of sacred sites by the Zuni Indian tribe of New Mexico

Up until the 1930s, the political structure was theocratic, and political leaders at Zuni were appointed by the religious leaders. In 1934 the Zuni tribe reorganized under the WheelerHoward Act, and the positions of Governor and Tribal Council became elected offices (Ferguson, Hart, and Seciwa 1988). The tribal administration has been strengthened over the last two decades through the federal policy of Self-Determination (PL. 96-638). This policy encourages tribal governments to contract services previously supplied by the federal government, especially those provided through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (Deloria 1986:191-207). The Zuni Tribe has taken advantage of the federal policy of Self-Determination, and has replaced a number of programs formerly operated by federal agencies with programs operated by the tribe. In addition, the Zuni Tribe operates a number of other tribal programs, including a tribal archaeological program that was set up to manage and study cultural resources.

The Zuni Tribe has always supported the preservation and protection of religious sites, both on and off of the reservation. The tribe hosted one of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act Task Force consultations in 1979, which resulted in the unprecedented appearance of representatives from the entire Zuni religious community at a secular meeting (FATF 1979:46). In addition, the first tribal comprehensive plan, prepared in 1967, recommended that... "sacred areas should be carefully surveyed out, appropriately marked and plotted on a map so that no future developments will conflict with the sacred traditions and religion of the Zuni Tribe" (PZ 1967:29). Although this goal has not been achieved, strides towards the protection of Zuni sacred sites have been made over the last two decades.

Preservation and Protection of Sacred Sites by The Zuni Archaeology Program

The Zuni Archaeology Program was formally established in 1978 by the Pueblo of Zuni to research and protect cultural resources of the Zuni Tribe. As defined by the Zuni Tribe, cultural resources consist of places and objects of historical, cultural, or scientific value, including archaeological sites, historic architecture, sacred places, and religious objects. This program grew out of an earlier program called the Zuni Archaeological Enterprise, which was established in 1974 with assistance from the National Park Service (Ferguson 1980a). The program's mandate is explicitly defined in Zuni Tribal Council Resolution No. M70-78-947, which states,

The program is charged specifically with the preservation, protection, and scientific study of the cultural resources of the Zuni people...A plan-ofoperation outlines five major program activities: planning and consultation; archaeological and scientific research; inventory and curation; public interpretation; and training and development of tribal members.

To better support the activities of the Zuni Archaeology Program, the Zuni Cultural Resource Enterprise was formed in 1982 as a minority-owned small business to provide professional archaeological services under contract to governmental agencies and private developers. Until 1994, surplus revenues generated by the enterprise were used to support the varied (and often otherwise unfunded) projects of the Zuni Archaeology Program (Anyon and Zunie 1989). While the Zuni Archaeology Program and the Zuni Cultural Resource Enterprise were legally separate organizations, they shared staff and facilities, and through careful coordination, provided the full range of cultural resources management services desired by the Zuni Tribe. Both programs were commonly referred to by the name of the umbrella organization, the Zuni Archaeology Program. In 1994, the Zuni Tribe replaced the Zuni Archaeology Program with the Zuni Heritage and Historic Preservation Office, which is charged with the development and implementation of tribal policies to preserve the cultural and historic heritage of the Zuni people. This new organization now operates with a staff separate from that of the Zuni Cultural Resource Enterprise (Anyon and Ferguson 1995).