San Bernardino Museum to Return 57 Sacred Native American Artifacts
Published Date: 4/18/2025
Notice
Summary
The San Bernardino County Museum plans to return 57 cultural items, including sacred and funerary objects, to Native American tribes starting May 19, 2025. These items, collected since 1949, include stone bowls, arrow points, and shell beads tied to local tribes. This repatriation honors Native heritage and respects tribal connections without any cost impact to the public.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Museum to Return 57 Cultural Items
The San Bernardino County Museum intends to repatriate a total of 57 cultural items (55 lots of objects of cultural patrimony and 2 lots of unassociated funerary objects) to affiliated tribes. Repatriation may occur on or after May 19, 2025; the items were collected as early as 1939 and 1949 and include stone bowls, shell beads, lithic points, and other artifacts.
Items Linked to San Manuel Nation
The museum determined there is a reasonable connection between the cultural items described and the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation (formerly San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, California). That determination supports repatriation of the listed items to that tribal nation.
Other Tribes or Descendants Can Request Items
Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not named in the notice may submit a written request for repatriation if they show by a preponderance of the evidence that they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. If competing requests are received, the San Bernardino County Museum must determine the most appropriate requestor before repatriation; joint requests are treated as a single request.
No Cost Impact to the Public
The notice states the repatriation honors Native heritage and will occur without any cost impact to the public. The museum bears responsibility for the determinations and for sending notice to identified tribes and consulting parties.
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