In the process of searching for traditional manufacturing, cleaning, and mending techniques used by the native people of North America on their objects, the author discovered an ethical system and maintenance procedures which closely parallel (and of course precede) those used by conservators. These include certification of trained annual inspectors, pest control methods, and selection of treatment materials according to the compatibility of their chemical and physical properties with those of the object to be treated and its environment. This system serves as a reference in establishing contact with traditional native elders for information useful in the preservation of native North American artifacts.