"Up until relatively recently ... cultural resources were things that were in the ground, tangible things," says Dr. Melanie McCavour, who serves as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (T.H.P.O.) for the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria.
But a T.H.P.O. protects all the cultural resources of a Tribe, which can include language, culture, and stands of oak that may have been tended for thousands of years. "Now with these recent changes, you've really a really great opportunity to protect all the cultural resources of a Tribe, not just the buried villages or artifacts."
In today's episode of Talk Humboldt, McCavour invites Tom Jackson and Keith Flamer into the world of T.H.P.O.s.
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Transcription:
Tom Jackson:
Welcome to talk with Keith and Tom. I'm Tom Jackson.
Keith Flamer:
And I'm Keith Lamer.
Tom Jackson:
We have a special guest from the Bear River Band. That's Dr. Melanie McCarver. Dr. MacArthur, welcome. Thank you for inviting me. You have quite the background as I look at what you bring to Bear River Tribe. Can you talk a little bit about your background and what brought you into this role?
Tom Jackson:
I didn't say what your role is. It's an acronym, so I'm going to leave that to you.
Melanie McCavour:
Okay. Well, would you like me to start with what I'm doing now?
Tom Jackson:
Or let's start with your background.
Melanie McCavour:
I grew up in a small fishing village of approximately 300 people on the Bay of Fundy. And then I lived nearly my whole adult life -until I moved here- in Montreal, Quebec.
In terms of my studies, I actually studied Japanese history and language, and then I switched into biology, which was something I had always loved as well. I then decided to do my master's in environmental Impact assessment, and then after that, I did an internship with the Forest Service in Washington. I didn't really intend to do a Ph.D., but I saw an advert for something that was very much within that area, and I thought, ‘Oh, I'll apply for that.’ And it had a scholarship associated, and so I did that work and it was really enjoyable.
Tom Jackson:
And all of this has led you to what the acronym is: T.H.P.O. Can you say what that is and how important it is? My sense is it's really important.
Melanie McCavour:
It is, yes. So ‘T.H.P.O.’ stands for Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, and the THPO is someone at a Tribe who handles all of the reviews and referrals that one might get in terms of projects that are occurring within the ancestral territory or sometimes at a federal level.
For example, if it's a policy or policy change, it's really important because the role is primarily to protect cultural resources, and cultural resources are very difficult to protect. That's not something that's really tangible all the time. Up until relatively recently, what we saw was that cultural resources were things that were in the ground, tangible things that an archeologist could label and identify.
And indeed, under the California Environmental Quality Act, the CEQA, the value of them and the ability to protect them was dependent on its scientific value. So now with these recent changes, you've really a really great opportunity to protect all the cultural resources of a Tribe, not just the buried villages or artifacts that may or may not be present there.
Keith Flamer:
We have a lot of Tribes in this area, so how do you coordinate with the other Tribes?
Melanie McCavour:
So if you have a project or if you're an archeologist, for example, and you have a survey to do, then you contact the NHC, which stands for Native American Heritage Commission, and they maintain a contact list because the Tribes decide basically what is important to them and what their ancestral territory is.
Multiple Tribes will receive referrals on the same project, often because there are overlapping territories. We're joined today with Dr. Melanie McCarver, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Bear River Band. Just for those joining us right now, I have a question related to the cultures and the threats in your role. I'm guessing that there's certainly the need and the importance of protecting the culture, if not evolving it as it evolves.
Tom Jackson:
Can you talk a little bit about what you see some of those cultural threats are from society today and how you deal with them in your role as an officer?
Melanie McCavour:
Fundamentally, cultural resources are extremely important to protect because they're not as resilient, for example, as natural resources. So a lot of the more tangible resources that you would find, for example, buried in the ground or even a parasite site or something, it can be easily destroyed. And that's not really replaceable. You know, the cultural resource field, once it's gone, it's gone. And so the protection is that much more important. I could take a little deeper dive on a question
Keith Flamer:
What type of resistance have you had in the last five years? In the last three years on the work that you do?
Melanie McCavour:
I wouldn't say that I have encountered a lot of resistance. I've noticed that the community has been very supportive and we have a lot of programs with the Mattolel Restoration Council, for example, and then we had a field school down there with Cal Poly Humboldt last summer. Really exciting, first-ever field archeology school that was a joint Tribal and University with a very pronounced focus on culture. But there are definitely challenges that remain in terms of protection of cultural resources, existing conditions, limits on what you can really do when the property may be in privately held entities.
So let's say it's a prayer site or a ceremony site. You can protect it, but you can't necessarily get an easement to use it. So that's a limitation as well.
Tom Jackson:
What would you say to us, as two university administrators, from an archeological point of view to make sure that we are well disciplined and respectful as these programs evolve within a university?
Melanie McCavour:
Archeology shouldn't just be about the scientific discovery, and the labeling and the value being defined in terms of scientific discovery.
So I think from a university's point of view, it's a really wonderful opportunity to create a really holistic program that includes culture, language, archeology, the geology, even the natural resources. I mean, they're important to stands of, for example, Hazel or Willow or Oaks. Those are cultural resources. Some of those stands that we have evidence that they were intended for hundreds, if not thousands of years. So including only so-called artifacts that you might find in the ground, is just very narrow. And I don't think it serves anyone.
Tom Jackson:
As we wrap up, Dr. McCavour, what things would you like the listeners to know as we come to a close?
I would like people to understand that cultural resources are more finite than natural resources. They're not easily replaced. And just to know that the Tribes are really happy to work with everybody in the community, do a lot of work in the community, and any assessment or review that might be done is simply to protect those cultural resources. And I think that's something that everybody can understand and care about.
Tom Jackson:
I have to say thank you, thank you very much. Today, we were joined by Dr. Melanie McCarver, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Bear River Band. Very informative, I think. I appreciate it. Thank you very much.
Melanie McCavour:
Oh, thank you so much for inviting me. You've been listening to Dr. Melanie McCarver, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria.
Tom Jackson:
Welcome to talk with Keith and Tom. I'm Tom Jackson.
Keith Flamer:
And I'm Keith Lamer.
Tom Jackson:
We have a special guest from the Bear River Band. That's Dr. Melanie McCarver. Dr. MacArthur, welcome. Thank you for inviting me. You have quite the background as I look at what you bring to Bear River Tribe. Can you talk a little bit about your background and what brought you into this role?
Tom Jackson:
I didn't say what your role is. It's an acronym, so I'm going to leave that to you.
Melanie McCavour:
Okay. Well, would you like me to start with what I'm doing now?
Tom Jackson:
Or let's start with your background.
Melanie McCavour:
I grew up in a small fishing village of approximately 300 people on the Bay of Fundy. And then I lived nearly my whole adult life -until I moved here- in Montreal, Quebec.
In terms of my studies, I actually studied Japanese history and language, and then I switched into biology, which was something I had always loved as well. I then decided to do my master's in environmental Impact assessment, and then after that, I did an internship with the Forest Service in Washington. I didn't really intend to do a Ph.D., but I saw an advert for something that was very much within that area, and I thought, ‘Oh, I'll apply for that.’ And it had a scholarship associated, and so I did that work and it was really enjoyable.
Tom Jackson:
And all of this has led you to what the acronym is: T.H.P.O. Can you say what that is and how important it is? My sense is it's really important.
Melanie McCavour:
It is, yes. So ‘T.H.P.O.’ stands for Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, and the THPO is someone at a Tribe who handles all of the reviews and referrals that one might get in terms of projects that are occurring within the ancestral territory or sometimes at a federal level.
For example, if it's a policy or policy change, it's really important because the role is primarily to protect cultural resources, and cultural resources are very difficult to protect. That's not something that's really tangible all the time. Up until relatively recently, what we saw was that cultural resources were things that were in the ground, tangible things that an archeologist could label and identify.
And indeed, under the California Environmental Quality Act, the CEQA, the value of them and the ability to protect them was dependent on its scientific value. So now with these recent changes, you've really a really great opportunity to protect all the cultural resources of a Tribe, not just the buried villages or artifacts that may or may not be present there.
Keith Flamer:
We have a lot of Tribes in this area, so how do you coordinate with the other Tribes?
Melanie McCavour:
So if you have a project or if you're an archeologist, for example, and you have a survey to do, then you contact the NHC, which stands for Native American Heritage Commission, and they maintain a contact list because the Tribes decide basically what is important to them and what their ancestral territory is.
Multiple Tribes will receive referrals on the same project, often because there are overlapping territories. We're joined today with Dr. Melanie McCarver, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Bear River Band. Just for those joining us right now, I have a question related to the cultures and the threats in your role. I'm guessing that there's certainly the need and the importance of protecting the culture, if not evolving it as it evolves.
Tom Jackson:
Can you talk a little bit about what you see some of those cultural threats are from society today and how you deal with them in your role as an officer?
Melanie McCavour:
Fundamentally, cultural resources are extremely important to protect because they're not as resilient, for example, as natural resources. So a lot of the more tangible resources that you would find, for example, buried in the ground or even a parasite site or something, it can be easily destroyed. And that's not really replaceable. You know, the cultural resource field, once it's gone, it's gone. And so the protection is that much more important. I could take a little deeper dive on a question
Keith Flamer:
What type of resistance have you had in the last five years? In the last three years on the work that you do?
Melanie McCavour:
I wouldn't say that I have encountered a lot of resistance. I've noticed that the community has been very supportive and we have a lot of programs with the Mattolel Restoration Council, for example, and then we had a field school down there with Cal Poly Humboldt last summer. Really exciting, first-ever field archeology school that was a joint Tribal and University with a very pronounced focus on culture. But there are definitely challenges that remain in terms of protection of cultural resources, existing conditions, limits on what you can really do when the property may be in privately held entities.
So let's say it's a prayer site or a ceremony site. You can protect it, but you can't necessarily get an easement to use it. So that's a limitation as well.
Tom Jackson:
What would you say to us, as two university administrators, from an archeological point of view to make sure that we are well disciplined and respectful as these programs evolve within a university?
Melanie McCavour:
Archeology shouldn't just be about the scientific discovery, and the labeling and the value being defined in terms of scientific discovery.
So I think from a university's point of view, it's a really wonderful opportunity to create a really holistic program that includes culture, language, archeology, the geology, even the natural resources. I mean, they're important to stands of, for example, Hazel or Willow or Oaks. Those are cultural resources. Some of those stands that we have evidence that they were intended for hundreds, if not thousands of years. So including only so-called artifacts that you might find in the ground, is just very narrow. And I don't think it serves anyone.
Tom Jackson:
As we wrap up, Dr. McCavour, what things would you like the listeners to know as we come to a close?
I would like people to understand that cultural resources are more finite than natural resources. They're not easily replaced. And just to know that the Tribes are really happy to work with everybody in the community, do a lot of work in the community, and any assessment or review that might be done is simply to protect those cultural resources. And I think that's something that everybody can understand and care about.
Tom Jackson:
I have to say thank you, thank you very much. Today, we were joined by Dr. Melanie McCarver, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Bear River Band. Very informative, I think. I appreciate it. Thank you very much.
Melanie McCavour:
Oh, thank you so much for inviting me. You've been listening to Dr. Melanie McCarver, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria.
