HELENA — The Helena Indian Alliance has a mission to advocate for Indigenous peoples in the Helena community, but one of their latest projects is bringing that mission to a group over 1,500 miles away.
"I never thought this job would take me the places it has," said Katelyn Griepp. "This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing to be a part of."
(Helena Indian Alliance helps return artifacts to their home 1,500 miles away)
She is the administration manager at Helena Indian Alliance (HIA).
"It's kind of been passed down to each person in the position," Griepp said.
She is spearheading HIA's effort to repatriate ceramics back to the Quapaw Nation in Arkansas.
Griepp said, "I kind of went down a rabbit hole."
HIA has had the artifacts in its archives for nearly 25 years, after a family donated them following their father's passing.
Griepp decided it was finally time to do something with them.
She said, "Once we started to unpack it, we realized what we had, and I think the initial reaction was 'Oh my god.'"
Some of the pieces predate the arrival of European settlers in the Americas, and with the help of records kept by the individuals who owned them and some trial and error, Griepp was able to determine which part of the United States they originated from.
That is when she contacted Arkansas archaeologist Juliet Morrow.
"We know what sites many of them are from in northeast Arkansas," said Morrow, who is a station archaeologist for the University of Arkansas System's Arkansas Archeological Survey.
While the original makers of the pieces are not known, the Quapaw are descendants of those who would have made them.
Morrow said, "They are already recognized as the group is responsible in the modern era for the sites that those pots come from."
She has previously repatriated pieces to the Quapaw Nation, and she shared what their reactions have been.
"Quiet," said Morrow. "They're very quiet."
After over two decades of holding onto the items, HIA is ready to see them returned home.
Griepp said, "When we take on the responsibility of something, we will see it to the end."
What should you do if you receive artifacts or find them outside?
Morrow says there are a couple of options.
If you find them in nature, Morrow advises against digging them up, as this could disrupt their historical environment.
Instead, cover them with rocks or leaves until you can contact a local archaeologist, such as those with the Montana Historical Society, so they can professionally examine the area.
"No digging," Morrow said. "Digging is going to destroy the context, and it could even destroy the thing itself."
She also recommends reaching out to the historical society for items that may be gifted or passed down.
