Native Orgs Call for Tribal Consultation Following Proposed Closing of National Archives

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On October 14, 2026, the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, Native Organizers Alliance, National Congress of American Indians, and Native American Rights Fund sent a joint letter to the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, expressing deep concern about the planned closures of the National Archives at Chicago, and the National Archives at San Francisco, located in San Bruno, California, without meaningful Tribal consultation.

For Indian boarding school survivors, descendants, Tribal Nations, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, Native researchers, and families searching for answers, these records are far more than historical documents. They can hold the names, experiences, correspondence, and stories that help families reconnect with relatives and communities understand what happened to generations of Native children and families.

Many of these materials are part of Record Group 75: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, including documentation related to federal Indian boarding schools, Indian agencies, education, enrollment, allotment, land, and other federal policies affecting Native people.

“Access to these records can be part of the healing process. For families and communities seeking answers about what happened to their relatives, these documents can help restore pieces of stories that were separated, hidden, or lost across generations. We have a responsibility to protect that access and to listen to the people whose histories these records hold.”, said Nikki Santos (Coeur d’Alene Tribe), Chief Executive Officer of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.

“To understand who Native people are today, we must understand the injustices our ancestors endured in the past,” said Judith LeBlanc, executive director of Native Organizers Alliance. “The closure of these archives is an act of book burning—a way to shield peoples’ eyes from the country’s true history. Not only do our Tribal nations have the right to meaningful consultation, we as Native peoples have a right to know the truth so we can begin healing.”

“The federal government has an obligation to preserve the records that document its relationship with Tribal Nations. These are not ordinary government files—they are the evidence of treaties, land transactions, federal decisions, and commitments that define the United States’ trust and treaty obligations to our Nations,” said Larry Wright Jr., Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians. “Closing NARA facilities and moving these records out of the communities and regions they serve risks making those records harder to access and less available to the Tribal Nations whose rights and history they document. The government cannot walk away from the historical record of its obligations to Indian Country. These records must be preserved, protected, and accessible to Tribal Nations for generations to come.”

“These archives hold documents and records that sovereign Tribal Nations rely on to vindicate the rights of Tribal members and to hold the federal government accountable for its trust and treaty obligations,” said John Echohawk, Executive Director of the Native Americans Rights Fund . “The United States’ proposed closure threatens the ability of Tribes to access these critical records.  This historical record of the United States relationship with Tribes, including its failure to meet its promises and obligations to Tribes must be made more, rather than less, accessible.”

As the National Archives and Records Administration considers the future of the Chicago and San Francisco facilities and the collections housed there, we ask that Tribal Nations and affected communities have an opportunity to be part of these conversations. Decisions about location, accessibility, and stewardship of federal Indian records have a direct impact on whose histories these records document.

The preservation of these records is ultimately about more than archives. It is about our relatives, families, communities, truth, and opportunity to heal.

Read the letter to NARA: boardingschoolhealing.org/nara-letter/

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About the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition: The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) is dedicated to advocating for Native peoples impacted by U.S. Indian boarding schools. NABS seeks truth through education and research, justice through activism and policy advocacy, and healing through programs and traditional gatherings, boardingschoolhealing.org.

About Native Organizers Alliance: Native Organizers Alliance builds the organizing capacity of Native leaders and groups to create grassroots power for change in Native communities. It serves as a forum for collaboration, sharing best practices, and promoting their work with national allies. The organization supports grassroots-driven social change, advancing the health and welfare of rural, urban, and reservation communities across Indian Country. For more information, visit https://nativeorganizing.org/.

About the National Congress of American Indians: Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country. NCAI advocates on behalf of Tribal governments and communities, promoting strong Tribal-federal government-to-government policies and a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people, and rights. For more information, visit www.ncai.org.

About the Native American Rights Fund: NARF is a non-profit 501c(3) organization dedicated to defending and asserting the legal rights of Native Americans. Since 1970, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) has provided specialized legal assistance to Tribal Nations, organizations, and individuals nationwide on the most important issues to Native Americans. In hundreds of major court cases, legislation and inter-governmental agreements, NARF has achieved significant results in critical areas such as Tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, natural resource protection, voting rights, and Indian education. Like us on Facebook and on Instagram and follow us on LinkedIn to learn about the latest fights to promote justice for Native Americans.