Respectful Care, Relationships, and the Return Home
The University of San Diego is committed to the mandate and spirit of NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA, the respectful and culturally appropriate care and timely repatriation of Native American Ancestors and cultural items. We seek to strengthen long-term relations and collaborations with Native American communities.
What is NAGPRA?
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), a Federal law enacted in 1990, provides a process for museums (including institutions of higher education) and Federal agencies to return Native American human remains and cultural items–funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony–to lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations.
What is CalNAGPRA?
Passed by the State Legislature in 2001, AB-978, the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (CalNAGPRA), requires the provision of a process for the identification and repatriation of human remains and cultural items to the appropriate Tribes, creates a Repatriation Oversight Commission, and seeks to cover gaps in the federal NAGPRA specific to the State of California.