NAGPRA: UC Santa Barbara's Ongoing Commitment to Repatriation

NAGPRA: UC Santa Barbara's Ongoing Commitment to Repatriation

Since the University of California finalized its Policy on Native American Cultural Affiliation and Repatriation in 2022, UC Santa Barbara has remained dedicated to advancing repatriation and strengthening our partnerships with Native Nations. The policy fulfills our legal and ethical responsibilities under both the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (CalNAGPRA) and the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (collectively referred to as NAGPRA from here on out). I want to reaffirm our campus’s ongoing commitment to these laws and to the spirit of the UC policy, and to thank our entire campus community for playing a vital role in supporting NAGPRA compliance and the repatriation of Native American ancestors and belongings.

Key Points:

1. Systematic Review:
   The UC Office of the President has directed all UC campuses to conduct in-person reviews of all spaces at each campus to identify undiscovered NAGPRA-eligible Human Remains and Cultural Items. High risk areas must be reviewed in-person no later than June 2026, with all other spaces reviewed thereafter. Therefore, in the coming academic year we will be contacting Departments that have been historically engaged in studies that could result in the intentional or unintentional collection of such materials to coordinate space reviews.
   • Native American means of, or relating to, a tribe, people, or culture indigenous to the Unites States, including Alaska and Hawaii.
   • Cultural items mean a funerary object, sacred object, or object of cultural patrimony according to the Native American traditional knowledge of a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization. Cultural items are typically identified during consultation between a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization.
2. Restrictions:
   NAGPRA restricts the use of Native American human remains or cultural items in exhibitions, research, or teaching without Tribal approval. Examples of what is restricted without Tribal permissions include, but is not limited to:
   • Using Native skeletal remains for instructional purposes in biology courses.
   • Utilizing Native cultural materials, such as ceramics, stones, or animal bones, for research.
   • Showcasing Native basketry for instruction or exhibition.
3. Tribal Approval:
   Tribal permission is necessary for any Native American human remains or cultural items on campus, whether UC-controlled or on loan and brought to campus.

Resources:

• UC’s Native American Cultural Affiliation and Repatriation Policy: ucal.us/nagpra
• UC Santa Barbara NAGPRA Information: nagpra.ucsb.edu
• NAGPRA Repatriation of Human Remains or Cultural Items: 43 CFR Subpart C
• NAGPRA Duty of Care: 43 CFR 10.1(d)

We appreciate the campus community’s partnership in ensuring that Native American human remains and cultural materials are managed in accordance with NAGPRA and the UC Policy on Native American Cultural Affiliation and Repatriation. For questions or assistance with consultation or permissions processes, please contact our Repatriation Coordinator, Hugh Radde, at hradde@ucsb.edu or (805) 893-3525.

Garry Mac Pherson

Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services