QUAPAW, Okla. (AP) — The Quapaw Tribe and the Arkansas National Guard have signed an agreement to protect the tribe's cultural and historical resources.
The agreement will help the tribe protect and enhance sacred sites and resources of historical and cultural importance in the state of Arkansas. The Quapaw Tribe lived in Arkansas for hundreds of years prior to its statehood.
The agreement calls for the Arkansas National Guard to work with the tribe in developing and implementing the state's cultural resources management plan.
Quapaw Chairman John L. Berrey says the agreement is important because the area was the tribe's homeland before they were moved to northeast Oklahoma. Berrey says historical sites dating back hundreds of years that feature artifacts, villages, burial sites and more need to be protected.