Part 7: Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Traditional Cultural Properties, National Register of Historic Places Bulletin (Nrb 38)

[graphic] National Park Service arrowhead and link to NPS.gov

[graphic] National Register Bulletin Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Traditional Cultural Properties

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service

Conclusion

The National Historic Preservation Act, in its introductory section, establishes that "the historical and cultural foundations of the Nation should be preserved as a living part of our community life in order to give a sense of orientation to the American people" (16 U.S.C. 470(b)(2)). The cultural foundations of America's ethnic and social groups, be they Native American or historical immigrant, merit recognition and preservation, particularly where the properties that represent them can continue to function as living parts of the communities that ascribe cultural value to them. Many such properties have been included in the National Register, and many others have been formally determined eligible for inclusion, or regarded as such for purposes of review under Section 106 of the Act. Federal agencies, State Historic Preservation Officers, and others who are involved in the inclusion of such properties in the Register, or in their recognition as eligible for inclusion, have raised a number of important questions about how to distinguish between traditional cultural properties that are eligible for inclusion in the Register and those that are not. It is our hope that this Bulletin will help answer such questions.

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