Title
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SUBMISSION OF A SPECIAL GRANT APPLICATION TO THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE FOR A HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND GRANT
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WHEREAS, the Cherokee Nation since time immemorial has exercised the sovereign rights of self-government in behalf of the Cherokee people;
WHEREAS, the Cherokee Nation is a federally recognized Indian Nation with a historic and continual government to government relationship with the United States of America;
WHEREAS, Cherokee people, through time, have developed intricate knowledge of the native flora of the Cherokee Nation and hold this knowledge in high esteem as contributing to an essential aspect of Cherokee cultural traditions;
WHEREAS, with every Cherokee elder that passes, this knowledge is disappearing due to the low awareness of and/or our youth's disinterest in this knowledge, among other factors;
WHEREAS, Cherokee Nation Natural Resources Department staff have gathered together a Cherokee elders advisory council to discuss and address these issues, and have held three meetings with this group to date;
WHEREAS, Cherokee Nation Natural Resources Department staff have been documenting and researching Cherokee plant knowledge with the guidance of said advisory council, and are conceptualizing ways to revitalize such knowledge;
WHEREAS, the United States National Parks Service Tribal Preservation Program is providing grants to fund such activities.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CHEROKEE NATION, that the Tribal Council, in order to support these initiatives, grants Natural Resources Department staff permission to apply for a Historic Preservation Fund Grant from the National Park Service (NPS) for the fiscal year 2009, not to exceed a total award of $40,000, per NPS stipulations.