INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE PROJECT WICA/MORU

This notice is a Sources Sought to supplement FAR Part 10 Market Research Efforts. This is not a solicitation. The National Park Service proposes to design and implement an integrated, Indigenous Knowledge (IK) centered methodology for fire and resource management to assess and protect park cultural resources by incorporating the knowledge and expertise of Tribal Nations traditionally associated with Black Hills parks.

The places, features, and resources protected by parks in the Black Hills have cultural significance and meaning that are tied to the history, religious practices, and cosmological world views of the Tribal Nations occupying the area since time immemorial. Many of the culturally significant and highly sensitive resources that are numerous in these parks have not yet been identified, nor are their significances well understood by land managers.

Evidence of human use is abundant but not always easy to recognize or interpret. The project purpose is to conduct field surveys led by Tribal Cultural Specialists (TCSs) to identify culturally significant sites and to establish appropriate management direction for these sites to supplement Resource Stewardship and Fire Management Plans at Wind Cave National Park (WICA) and Mount Rushmore National Memorial (MORU).

The project will also document a transferable co-stewardship process for acquiring and implementing IK. The methodologies for Tribal engagement will align with the Department of the Interior Manual on Indigenous Knowledge (301 DM 7) and the forthcoming Handbook: Procedures for the Inclusion and Application of Indigenous Knowledges in the activities of the Department.

Specific techniques and approaches from the Handbook that will be applied to government-Tribal interactions pertain to the concept of “Ethical Space”, which emphasizes the need to approach Indigenous Knowledge holders with respect and a recognition that their knowledge is part of a holistic worldview that is internally consistent, yet different from a Western worldview. Please see the attached Draft PWS and Sources Sought Response Template.

TO RESPOND TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT: If your firm is interested/capable of performing these services please complete the Sources Sought Response and email directly to Mr. Cole Johnson at Cole_Johnson@NPS.Gov by 17 September 2024 by 4PM ET. Either positive or negative responses are encouraged/acceptable.