The Importance of Protecting Cultural Resources During Construction Projects
(CASS LAKE, Minn.) Native American tribes have lived on lands across the United States for centuries, continuing to honor their cultural traditions and deep connection to the land and its resources.
As modern development increasingly encroaches on these areas, preserving cultural sites has become the driving mission for Jim Jones, founder and CEO of Dirt Divers CRM.
Jones, a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota, is also an anthropologist and archaeologist. He founded Dirt Divers CRM in 2018 and began consulting on projects the following year.
“Our history and our path has always been interpreted by somebody else: non-Native people, non-Indigenous people interpreting our history and our past without little or no understanding of our culture, our people, our history, our stories,” Jones explained.
The company’s name, Dirt Divers, was inspired by an Indigenous creation story involving muskrats diving through floodwaters to bring soil to the Turtle’s Back, forming the Earth.
Jones’s commitment to protecting cultural resources dates back to the 1980s.
“I have 30 years of experience working [on] this and protecting our sites, identifying and helping to make sure that these projects are protecting…these resources,” he said.
Enbridge was the first client to hire Dirt Divers CRM. Jones has since advised the energy company on projects in Kansas, Minnesota, and Michigan, offering cultural resource management with an Indigenous lens.
"I've had a positive experience working with Enbridge,” Jones added. “I understand the history there but I also understand that they're going to do the right thing."
Jones also highlights the critical role Indigenous archaeologists play in infrastructure and pipeline projects, especially those impacting watersheds, ecosystems, and sacred lands.
This involves “working side-by-side with these anthropologists and archaeologists and showing them what we know and how we look at the landscape differently, what's important to us, and then convincing a company like Enbridge [that] they have to move the line or avoid this site.”
When traditional archaeologists lack Indigenous training, important markers can go unnoticed, he noted.
“They're not trained to look at how you identify tapping scars on the maple tree. They're not trained to look at what wild rice looks like when it's in the floating stage back home. They're not trained to look at what a possible vision quest site might look like out in the plains,” Jones said. “You need to have those Indigenous voices and people…working with them to help interpret the landscape and help identify sites that they're not trained to look for.”
Jones also often speaks at colleges about the importance of incorporating culture into resource management.
When addressing anthropology and archaeology students, he often leaves them with a key reminder: "Culture is standing right in front of you here. There's nothing past about me."
Enbridge is a Native District Executive Benefactor of Verified News Network (VNN). Through this benefactor program, Enbridge provides financial support to help sustain Indigenous-led journalism and storytelling. However, VNN maintains full editorial independence, and this article was produced in alignment with our commitment to fair, accurate, and culturally responsible reporting. For more information about the Native District Benefactor Program, visit Verified News Network.
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