Fewer than half of campuses in the California State University system have followed federal guidelines to repatriate Native American remains or cultural objects for more than three decades since the legislation took effect, according to a status audit released this week.
Of the 23 campuses in the university system, 21 have a collection of artifacts that are federally protected by the Native American Graves and Protection Act (NAGPRA) of 1990, which established a process by which Native American tribes could request the return of human remains and cultural objects. museums and government agencies, including federally funded universities. In 2001, California passed a state-level counterpart to the legislation called CalNAGPRA.
Of those 21 campuses, 12 have not completely overhauled their collections, despite being required to do so by NAGPRA by the end of 1995, according to a statement from California State Auditor Grant Parks. Only 6% of relevant collections from the university system have been repatriated to the tribes.
The review found that universities have not prioritized NAGPRA compliance and “generally lack the policies, funding, and personnel necessary to comply with the law and repatriate their collections,” Parks wrote. The California State University system, among the largest in the nation, does not have a system-wide restitution policy or has allocated funding, according to the report.
“While the Chancellor’s office has recently begun planning such efforts, it must finalize them and provide additional direction to ensure that CSU repatriates its collections of Native American remains and cultural artifacts as required by law and in a timely manner,” Parks wrote.
Most campuses do not have a full-time repatriation coordinator and instead have designated an employee to take responsibility in addition to their job. Two campuses that repatriated cultural remains and objects failed to follow NAGPRA guidelines during processes, the audit found, including a stipulation that requires schools to post a notice in the Federal Registerthe official journal of the US government, to allow other tribes to file claims.
“We recognize that there is still a lot of work to be done. CSU is committed to putting in place the critical infrastructure that will allow the repatriation to be accomplished in a timely manner and to demonstrate our deep respect, consideration, and alliance with Native American communities,” the Acting Chancellor of the State said. California State University, Jolene Koester, in a statement.
Last year, the US Department of the Interior initiated the process of NAGPRA review with Native American tribes in hopes of increasing its application. The National Park Service rewarded over $2 million to 20 U.S. museums and nine tribes in 2022 to aid repatriation efforts and strengthen NAGPRA enforcement.
