The monacan indian nation will address the urgent need to organize and preserve its archival and museum object collections while integrating improved collections care practices with the revitalization…

The Monacan Indian Nation received a $245,140 Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services Program (CFDA 45.308), effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027. The award funds comprehensive collections stewardship and cultural preservation activities, including the stabilization, cataloging, digitization, and rehousing of archival materials and museum objects in a temperature-controlled storage facility. These archival materials were instrumental in establishing the tribe's federal recognition. Project staff and student interns will document museum workflows and organize extensive collections while implementing improved preservation practices.

The award also supports the revitalization of traditional Monacan pottery making through an integrated cultural practice initiative. Expert consultants in Monacan pottery will conduct classes on the collection and provide hands-on production instruction to community members and students. These instructional sessions will be filmed and documented to create a permanent record of traditional pottery-making knowledge for future generations. This dual approach addresses both the urgent operational need for proper collections management and the strategic objective of sustaining indigenous cultural practices through workforce development and knowledge transfer.

The monacan indian nation will address the urgent need to organize and preserve its archival and museum object collections while integrating improved collections care practices with the revitalization of traditional monacan pottery making. Project staff and student interns will stabilize, catalog, digitize, and rehouse the extensive suite of archival materials that were crucial to proving the tribe's continued existence and securing its federal recognition. The project team will also catalog and digitize the museum's object collection, document workflows, and rehouse items in a temperature-controlled storage unit. To ensure continuity of the cultural practice of pottery making alongside proper management of the tribe's monacan pottery collection, consultants with expertise in monacan pottery will lead classes focused on the collection, and provide hands-on instruction in production, which will be filmed to document and preserve this knowledge for future generations.