Tribal Relations

The Native American Graves Protection & Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) requires Federal agencies and institutions that receive Federal funds (including museums, universities, state agencies and local governments) to repatriate or transfer Native American human remains and other cultural remains to the appropriate parties by: 

• Consulting with lineal descendants, Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations on Native American human remains and other cultural items; 

• Protecting and planning for Native American human remains and other cultural items that may be removed from Federal or tribal lands; 

• Identifying and reporting all Native American human remains and other cultural items in inventories and summaries of holdings or collections; and 

• Giving notice prior to repatriating or transferring human remains and other cultural items. 

(Source: National Parks Service) 

In 2001, the State Legislature passed AB-978, the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 2001 (CalNAGPRA) (Steinberg, 2001), requiring all state agencies and museums that receive state funding and that have possession or control over collections of human remains or cultural items to provide a process for the identification and repatriation of these items to the appropriate tribes. The bill also created a Repatriation Oversight Commission with oversight authority. The intent of the legislation was to cover gaps in the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (Udall, 1990) specific to the State of California. 

On September 25, 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB-275 (Ramos, 2020) into law, which amended CalNAGPRA and became effective on January 1, 2021. In AB-275, the State Legislature added additional Commission responsibilities, including maintaining a list of California Indian tribes and their state aboriginal territories, adopting mediation procedures and publishing notices of completion of preliminary inventories and summaries on the Commission website. 

(Source: CA Native American Heritage Commission) 

Cal Poly welcomes and honors requests from Tribal Nations and communities regarding ancestral remains, cultural items and other matters of shared concern. Please email requests to nagpra@calpoly.edu and include the following, when possible: 

• The name of the Tribal government, organization or authorized representative submitting the request. 

• A brief description of the request (for example: consultation, access to collections, repatriation, cultural affiliation information or collaborative project). 

• Contact information for follow-up communication. 

• Any supporting materials or documentation the Tribe wishes to share. 

Departments wishing to request a training session or presentation may contact the Cal Poly NAGPRA Office directly by email at nagpra@calpoly.edu or submit a written request to NAGPRA Coordinator Kent Spiers, Ph.D., at spiers@calpoly.edu 

Requests should include: 

• The name of the requesting department or program. 

• A description of the type of presentation or training requested (e.g., general overview, policy compliance, collections-specific guidance or cultural sensitivity training). 

• Preferred date(s), time(s) and format (in-person, virtual or hybrid). 

• Any specific questions, objectives or areas of focus. 

The goal of these sessions is to build shared understanding, promote cultural responsibility and ensure that all university activities involving Native American ancestors, cultural items or heritage align with Cal Poly’s ethical and legal obligations.