Montana stands to lose an important piece of its American Indian heritage if the Museum of the Plains Indian in Browning is forced to close next year because of budget cuts.

Browning museum deserves help

The museum has been an important part of the Browning community since it was completed in 1941, and though little money has been available to upgrade the building through the decades, it continues to house a valuable collection of varied arts of the Northern Plains tribes. Closing its doors would be a shame.

In a worst-case scenario, the artifacts would be moved to the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. What a loss that would be to the Blackfeet Tribe and all Montanans.

The Browning facility is one of three museums (the others are in Oklahoma and South Dakota) whose funding will be sidelined starting in October 2007 so that the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, the administrator of the museums can use the money to crack down on Indian artifact counterfeiters. The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 mandated the federal government to restrain such counterfeiting.

The problem is, there's not enough money for both law enforcement and operation of the museums.

Thankfully, there is still time to look at other options for providing the $150,000 annual budget the Browning museum needs to stay open.

The newly organized Museum of the Plains Indian Artist Association is already working with Montana's congressional delegation and organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians and the Plains Anthropological Society to look at funding alternatives. Montana congressman Dennis Rehberg announced last week he'll do what he can to find money for the museum, and we expect Montana Sens. Conrad Burns and Max Baucus will be forthcoming with their support.

A spokesman for the Department of the Interior said regional meetings will be organized to discuss continued funding. He suggested a partnership with nearby Glacier National Park. That idea makes a lot of sense, especially with the proximity of Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier. Perhaps the museum could tap into the park's marketing and education programs for better public exposure.

The federal government also wants to give the Blackfeet Tribe opportunities for greater ownership and control of the museum. This relationship should certainly not be overlooked or underestimated. While the museum houses artifacts from many American Indian tribes, the Blackfeet should have a hand in determining the museum's future. The building sits on Blackfeet tribal land, and many of the artifacts were given to the museum by Blackfeet families.

An annual budget of $150,000 isn't an insurmountable amount of money. With the right mix of collaboration and commitments, the future could look bright for this very integral part of Montana's past.