Enduring Trails: An Internship with the Jicarilla Apache Tribal Historic Preservation Office

Abstract

The graduate internship and thesis option in American Indian Studies affords students a unique opportunity to directly apply their academic interests in a manner that address the contemporary needs of a Native nation. By engaging with tribes in this manner, students are assured that their academic efforts actively and positively contribute to ongoing and relevant tribal projects or programs, while the nation is assured that research concerning their community is being informed by a working experience with their community. This thesis documents my internship with the Jicarilla Apache Nation Tribal Historic Preservation Office in which I assisted the office in conducting oral history interviews and compiling a report for their project entitled: Rediscovering Trail Roots and Routes: The Jicarilla Apache and the Old Spanish National Historic Trail.