MISSOURI—Members of the Mark Twain National Forest Heritage Team recently had the opportunity to train tribal partners from the Shawnee Tribe and Absentee-Shawnee as heritage paraprofessionals in Miami, Oklahoma. The training is part of a participating agreement between the tribe and Eastern Region.

The program benefits are two-fold: It creates employment and job skills development opportunities for tribal members and also allows the forest access to skilled resource technicians who can help accomplish work on the ground. After training, participants assist archaeologists on forest system lands conducting cultural resource surveys in support of Heritage program goals and obligations.

Six members of the Shawnee Tribe participated in the training. They took classes on artifact and site identification, survey strategy and record keeping—all in preparation for a week of fieldwork on the Mark Twain.

The following week, together with forest heritage professionals, the crew worked on an unevaluated archaeological site in hopes of establishing a determination of eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places. There, they practiced mapping, excavation and artifact/feature identification.

The crew is scheduled to return to the Mark Twain this month to conduct additional survey work.

This partnership was established in 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Forest staff are excited to carry out the long-awaited training and fieldwork.