191 Sacred Items Head Home: California Unis Honor Tribes
Published Date: 11/18/2025
Notice
Summary
Cal Poly Humboldt and Sonoma State University plan to return 191 Native American cultural items, including sacred and funerary objects, to the affiliated tribes starting December 18, 2025. These items were taken from a site in Sebastopol, California, decades ago and now will be respectfully sent back. This repatriation honors Native traditions and strengthens cultural connections without any cost to the public.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
191 Cultural Items Returned to Tribe
Cal Poly Humboldt and Sonoma State University plan to return 191 Native American cultural items — 141 unassociated funerary objects and 50 sacred objects — to affiliated tribes. The repatriation may occur on or after December 18, 2025, and the notice identifies a cultural connection to the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.
Who May Request Repatriation
Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not named in the notice may send a written repatriation request and must show by a preponderance of the evidence that they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. If competing requests are received, the universities must determine the most appropriate requestor, and joint requests are treated as a single request.
Some Site Items Held Privately
Records show that additional items from the Sebastopol site (CA-SON-712/P-49-000655) are held in the property owner's private collection and are not in the possession of Cal Poly Humboldt. Those privately held items are not listed as part of the 191 items addressed in this notice.
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