The National Archives and Records Administration plans to leave three facilities holding records important to Tribal Nations, prompting concern from tribal officials, historians and archivists who say the decision was made without meaningful consultation.
The agency plans to close its archival facilities in Chicago and San Francisco and transfer temporary federal records from its Seattle center. According to Federal News Network, an internal June 23 email said the changes were intended to reduce expenses, shrink the agency’s real estate footprint and support its long-term financial health.
The Chicago facility alone houses 2,296 linear feet of Bureau of Indian Affairs records from agencies, subagencies and Indian boarding schools across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa. The collections include enrollment and education records, land allotment files, financial documents, maps, photographs, genealogies and materials related to federal Indian boarding schools. Most have not been digitized and must be accessed in person.
Moving the records could leave them unavailable for two to three years and place them farther from the Native nations and urban Indigenous communities whose histories they document. Researchers have also raised concerns about transportation damage, copying costs, and the loss of experienced staff who understand the collections.
Tribal advocates argue that relocating these materials without consultation disregards the federal government’s trust responsibility and its nation-to-nation relationship with tribes. Some tribal governments and coalitions have requested greater transparency, while advocates are calling for congressional intervention and possible legal action.
A similar effort to relocate Seattle’s archival records was halted in 2021 after 29 federally recognized tribes and other plaintiffs sued the federal government. Advocates say the current plans require the same level of scrutiny because access to tribal history, treaty rights, and family records is again at stake.
Sources: ICT, Native News Online, Federal News Network
