OSA Indian Advisory Council

The Office of the State Archaeologist interacts frequently with Native tribes and communities on matters of mutual interest and concern. The OSA Indian Advisory Council includes representatives from several communities descendant to Iowa. Through regular meetings and informal consultation, Indian Advisory Council members and OSA staff share information and address issues relating to ancient burial sites, human remains, repatriation, and other topics.

Indian Advisory Council members:

Joe Coulter - Potawatomi
Lance Foster - Iowa
Julie Martineau - Lakota
Jacki Rand - Choctaw
Suzanne Wanatee Buffalo - Meskwaki

The IAC through the Years

The Iowa laws for protecting ancient human remains, passed in 1976, also established an Indian Advisory Committee to the OSA. In the 1990s, the name changed to the Indian Advisory Council. The founding members were Maria Pearson (Yankton Sioux) and Don Wanatee (Meskwaki), along with State Archaeologist Duane Anderson.

Maria Pearson with then-Governor Robert D. Ray, Donald Wanatee, and Priscilla Lasley Wanatee

Eugene Rave (standing) and Doug Owsley at the Ancient Burials Conference in Des Moines, 1980

1989 OSA Indian Advisory Committee meeting, left to right: Eugene Rave, Maria Pearson, Bill Green

1989 Indian Advisory Committee at Grinnell, Iowa, Peace Institute; Maria Pearson, Alex Walker and Bill Green

1991 Indian Advisory Committee meeting in Polk County

Indian Advisory Council meeting at Meskwaki Tribal Museum, Don Wanatee, Shirley Schermer, Suzanne Wanatee-Buffalo and Jonathan Buffalo

OSA and SHPO staff with the Indian Advisory Council at OSA in 2018

Collaborative Project on Improving Tribal Consultation

OSA Indian Advisory Council members served as reviewers for the online resource, Understanding Section 106 Archaeology and Improving Tribal Consultation. One purpose of this resource is for Tribal Historic Preservation staff to use as an educational tool to distribute when they receive commonly asked questions and new inquiries from applicants, agencies, and the public.