QUAPAW, Okla. (AP) – The Quapaw Tribe and the Arkansas National Guard have signed an agreement to protect the tribe’s cultural and historical resources.

The agreement will help the tribe protect and enhance sacred sites and resources of historical and cultural importance in the state of Arkansas. The Quapaw Tribe lived in Arkansas for hundreds of years prior to its statehood.

The tribe and the Arkansas National Guard signed the agreement during a ceremony Wednesday at Downstream Casino Resort.

Quapaw Chairman John L. Berrey says the agreement is important because the area was the tribe’s homeland before they were moved to northeast Oklahoma. Berrey says historical sites dating back hundreds of years that feature artifacts, villages, burial sites and more need to be protected.