Sonoma State Ships Back Tribal Tools After Decades in Storage
Published Date: 11/17/2025
Notice
Summary
Sonoma State University plans to return 207 Native American cultural items, like obsidian tools, to the tribes they belong to starting December 17, 2025. These items were collected from several sites in Sonoma County and have been kept at the university since the late 1970s and early 1980s. This repatriation respects Native American heritage and follows important federal laws, with no costs mentioned for the public.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Return of 207 Native American Items
Sonoma State University intends to return 207 Native American cultural items (including obsidian tools, flakes, chert, groundstone tools, faunal bone, and historic material) to affiliated tribes. The items were collected from several Sonoma County sites between the 1970s and 1980s and have been housed at the university under accession numbers such as 78-03, 79-03, 81-01, 86-01, and 89-02.
Who Can Request Repatriation and How
Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization may submit a written request for repatriation and must show by a preponderance of the evidence that they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. If competing requests are received, Sonoma State University must determine the most appropriate requestor; joint repatriation requests are treated as a single request. Repatriation may occur on or after December 17, 2025.
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