Santa Barbara Museum Prepares to Repatriate 20,000 Native American Artifacts
Published Date: 12/17/2025
Notice
Summary
The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History has finished checking its collection and found human remains and over 20,000 related items connected to Native American tribes. Starting January 16, 2026, these remains and objects can be returned to the tribes that they belong to. If you want to claim any of these items, you need to contact the museum soon!
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Human remains linked to Santa Ynez Chumash
The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History identified human remains (at least one individual) and 20,667 associated funerary objects that it says are connected to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians. These remains and objects may be returned (repatriated) to the tribe on or after January 16, 2026; written claims must be sent to the museum.
Who may file repatriation claims
Written requests for repatriation may be submitted by any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in the notice, or by any lineal descendant, tribe, or organization not identified that shows by a preponderance of the evidence they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. If competing requests are received, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History will decide the most appropriate requestor; joint requests are treated as a single request.
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