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activities at the three pilot parks and use
nous peoples who revere them, such as
them to spread the approach to other
Native Americans and Native Hawaiians,
parks in the national park system. In the
take first priority so that interpretive mate-
third phase we expanded our operations
rials present only what they want to reveal
to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, North
about these sites and the beliefs and
Cascades National Park, Yosemite Na-
practices connected with them. The
tional Park, and Santa Monica Mountains
involvement of representatives of these
National Recreation Area, while continuing
groups, as well as other stakeholders,
work at Mount Rainier and Great Smoky
from the beginning is key. A major pur-
Mountains. Our intent was not to replicate
pose of the project is to highlight the
the products and activities developed at
importance of park resources to indige-
the pilot parks, but to present them as
nous peoples today, engendering under-
examples to stimulate people elsewhere
standing
to come up with their own ideas for apply-
traditions.
ing this approach to the particular needs
ment of interpretive materials and activi-
and characteristics of their unique sites
ties that draw wherever possible on the
and environments. This methodology has
voices of living representatives of these
the added advantage of developing a
traditions. Too many waysides and exhi-
wider range of models for use in the fourth
bits in too many parks and protected
phase — expanding the project to parks
areas refer to indigenous peoples in the
and protected areas outside the USNPS
past tense, leading visitors to believe that
and the United States. We have recently
they no longer exist or have any connec-
begun work on this fourth phase with
tions with the land.
of
and
respect
for
their
We encourage the develop-
TMI’s Asian Program and other partners, developing a Sacred Values and Biodiversity Conservation initiative that focuses on national parks and sacred sites in
Examples of Interpretive Products and Activities
South Asia. During the second and third phases of the project, we received a
The following is a sampling of the various
Partnership Achievement Award from the
products and activities completed or initiat-
USNPS for our work with Mount Rainier
ed so far in the project. We have prepared
National Park.
and distributed packets with descriptions and illustrations of these samples as one
In dealing with traditional sacred sites on
means of spreading the approach to other
park lands, the preferences of the indige-
parks and protected areas. Other means
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