LA County Parks to Repatriate 1,700+ Native Hawaiian and American Items
Published Date: 12/16/2025
Notice
Summary
The County of Los Angeles Parks Department plans to return over 1,700 cultural items, including shells, bones, and pottery, to Native American tribes and Native Hawaiian groups starting January 15, 2026. This repatriation honors important cultural connections and respects tribal heritage. If you want to learn more or get involved, you can contact the department before the process begins.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation of 39 Lots and 1,750 Objects
The County of Los Angeles, Department of Parks and Recreation intends to return 39 lots of unassociated funerary objects (shells) and 1,750 objects of cultural patrimony (including bones, pottery, flaked stone, and other items) to affiliated Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations on or after January 15, 2026. The collections were excavated from CA-LAN-192 (Lovejoy Springs) between 1994–2005 and remain at the Antelope Valley Indian Museum.
Who Can Request Repatriation and How
Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not named in the notice may submit a written request for repatriation to Chester Kano, Deputy Director, Planning and Development Agency, County of Los Angeles, Department of Parks and Recreation, 1000 South Fremont Avenue, Unit #40, Alhambra, CA 91803, or email ckano@parks.lacounty.gov. Requests must show by a preponderance of the evidence that the requester is a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated; repatriation to a requester may occur on or after January 15, 2026, and if competing requests are received LA County Parks must determine the most appropriate requestor (joint requests count as a single request).
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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