Archives

There are four stories that explain how Shayne Del Cohen got involved with tribal archives. Here are two of them.

1)      Through her economic development activities with the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada, she kept encountering tribal groups that did not do have their organizational documents, real property records, etc., which made it difficult and time consuming to move projects forward.

2)     She spent a lot of time on the Yomba Reservation, created as a result of IRA. The older people were members of the original families that settled there. They were always talking about how, at the beginning, their grazing rights went to x, they had x water rights, etc. but it all seemed to disappear. The BIA was unresponsive. Shayne’s response was, “It was government; it was done in triplicate. The information is somewhere. When I retire, I’ll piece it together.” And she did.

To hear the other two stories, which are just as compelling and make the case for strong archives, you need to ask her!

Shayne has forty years of experience in community development, public relations and program development. Since 1988, she has been a management and development consultant working with a wide number of tribal and non-tribal clients.

Here is a list of projects specific to tribal archives/libraries/museums:

Organized/Indexed/Described

	GRIC Claims Attorney Records, 2000-2004
	1965-1985 records of the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada, 1983-86

Design & Implementation

Great Basin Indian Archives (an electronic archive), 2004

Planning Consultant

	Zuni Museum & Archive, 1990
	Ak-Chin Him Dak Ecomuseum, 1988-1992

Evaluation Consultant

Catawba Tribe, 2000-2001, for archives development

Coordinator

	"Preserving Nevada's Documentary Heritage: A Plan for 1995-2005,” Nevada State Historical Records Advisory Board
	IMLS Five State Tribal Libraries Development Project, Nevada coordinator, 1999-2001

In addition, she has conducted research on various projects for legal cases. Her publications include: “Tribal Government Records Management Manual,” 1986; and, “Guide to Nevada Indian Records at San Bruno and Laguna Nigel, circa 1986.” She has been a member of the Nevada State Historical Records Advisory Board since 1996.

She received her B.A. in Community Development from Friends World College in New York; her M.A. in International Administration from the School for International Training in Vermont; and, her Ph.D. in International Law from Columbia Pacific University in California.

Email: shayne@sprintmail.com