8 JANUARY 1,2009
Smoke Signals
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aordhivDsft off Native Ameriicam miuseiuim
O'Neal says new job is a 'perfect fit' for her heritage, interest in history
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Tribal member Jennifer O'Neal
is in the envious position of saying
without reservation that her new
job is a "perfect fit."
Considering her interest in his
tory and Native American heritage,
she couldn't be happier.
O'Neal, 31, became head archi
vist in July at the Smithsonian
Institute's National Museum of the
American Indian Cultural Resourc
es Center in Suitland, Md.
"It's a perfect fit for what my life
long career goal has been, which
is to work with Native American
archives and see them handled
accordingly, and ensure they are
being cared for," O'Neal says in a
telephone interview.
"I'm loving every minute of it. It's
just a great, great environment to
work in. Right now, I'm right where
I want to be and where I want to
continue my career."
Being hired by the National Mu
seum of the American Indian is the
culmination of 13 years of hard work
for O'Neal since graduating from
a small Wyoming high school (Ly
man) in 1995 and complements her
deep interest in history, be it world,
American or Native American.
"I have always been very interested
in history ever since I was in high
school," O'Neal says. "I had a very
instrumental high school teacher who
was one of my mentors, particularly
in American history, and I also had
influential professors in college con
cerning American West history and
Native American history. ...
"I was lucky enough to go to very
good schools and have very good
teachers. I always knew I wanted
to do something in history, or law,
or some form of humanities."
O'Neal received the Grand Ronde
Tribe's Eula Petite Scholarship and
earned her undergraduate degree in
History and a teaching certificate at
Utah State University.
Later, she also earned a master's
degree in History from Utah State.
She then earned a master's degree
in Library Science from the Univer
sity of Arizona in Tucson, where she
participated in the Knowledge River
Program designed for Native Ameri
can and Hispanic students.
"I actually found out about that
program through Smoke Signals,"
she says.
She is currently working on a
Ph.D in History from Georgetown
University.
O'Neal said she became
interested in archival work
while participating in an
internship at Utah State
University while earning
her master's degree-
"It was just a perfect fit
of blending history and
working with archival col
lections," she says. "You get
to find out different things
about so many different
aspects of history working
with the collections and
working with the donors. I
just loved everything about
it."
As head archivist at the
National Museum of the
American Indian, O'Neal
oversees the Archives Unit,
which includes approxi
mately 324,000 images,
1,500 linear feet of records
and more than 12,000 video
tapes, motion pictures and
audio recordings.
O'Neal not only handles admin
istrative and supervisory duties,
but also oversees the processing of
collections, reference questions and
the Research Room.
Before that, she was the first
archivist at the U.S. Department
of State's Office of Treaty Affairs in
Washington, D.C., and held archival
positions at Princeton University
and the University of Arizona.
Professionally, she is a founding
member of the Society of American
Archivists' Native American Ar
chives Roundtable. She also partici
pated in an international gathering
in Flagstaff, Ariz., in April 2006 that
drafted the best practices for the
culturally responsive care and use
of Native American archival materi
als, which produced the document
"Protocols for Native American
Archival Materials."
"While serving in various posi
tions, I've been very involved with
Native American archives and
the issues surrounding them be
cause that is very important to me,"
O'Neal says.
The international gathering in
Flagstaff included archivists, his
torians and archaeologists.
"At that time, there was no real
guidance on how to handle these
specific items and what archivists
should be doing or not doing," O'Neal
says.
"In many instances, nonTribal
Sooipipoirft group sttacts
The Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority is sponsoring a Financial Well
ness support group that is meeting weekly at 5:30 p.m. Thursdays in the
Housing Authority conference room.
The support group will discuss, share and learn ways to stretch dollars and
protect the money participant's make.
The group will be informal and will decide on the topic to be discussed and
researched each week.
The 1 lousing Authority has computers and worksheets to help people develop
and track spending plans.
For more information, call Deborah Kroeker at 603879-4522 or send her
an e-mail at deborah.kroekerjfgrandronde.org.
Photo by R.A. Whiteside, NMAI
Jennifer O'Neal
repositories holding Native Ameri
can materials are often handled by
nonNatives or have been donated
without an individual's or Tribe's
knowledge, so the protocols were
drafted to create best practices on
how to care for these items and to
create collaborative relationships
between the repositories and Tribes.
The protocols are meant to inspire
and foster mutual respect and reci
procity." O'Neal says the most interesting
thing about her new position is see
ing the field notes of archaeologists
and anthropologists who visited
Native American Tribes in the late
19th and early 20th centuries.
"We have the collection of materi
als that were originally part of the
predecessor to this museum, which
was the Museum of the American
Indian in New York," she says.
"What's fascinating about that
collection are the details it has.
The records of all the expeditions
that were done for the museum.
George Gustav Heye sent all of
his anthropologists and archaeolo
gists to various parts of the United
States, South America, Canada,
the Northwest Territories. We have
many of the field notes from all the
expeditions that were done.
"It's fascinating to see those notes,
drawings and details because these
archival materials relate specifically
to the object collection. ... It sheds
light on those objects and gives
meaning to them. Moreover, they
can provide Native language and
customs that may have previously
thought to be lost."
O'Neal says being the head archi
vist is very important to her as a
Native American. She is descended
from the Shasta, Cow Creek and
Chinook Tribes.
"It has helped me realize how im
portant this work is, not only just
to Native Americans in general, but
to Grand Ronde's history as well,"
she says. "I know how important
it is to preserve our history for not
only the current time, but for future
generations.
"We need to document and tell our
history, not only in an archival way,
such as through written documents,
but also through oral history and
then making sure we tell our history
from generation to generation. It's so
easy to lose it. I know preserving our
history and preserving our way of life
is so important to ensuring that our
legacies and traditions go on.
"That's why archives, photos and
recordings are so important is be
cause they help to tell our story, and
if we do it, it helps to tell the story
the way we want to tell it. It's a way
to right the wrongs that have been
done to Native Americans through
out history."
O'Neal is the daughter of Al and
Tribal Elder Marta (Parazoo) Clif
ford of Springfield and Ron and Sue
O'Neal of Bend. D
r
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Home Energy Efficiency Program
The Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority's
newTEEPQ program provides energy edu
cation services, and funding for home
energy saving projects, and home energy
. generation projects
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