San Diego University Returns Native Remains to Tribes
Published Date: 12/18/2025
Notice
Summary
San Diego State University has finished checking and listing Native American human remains and over 500 related items found during a 1979 dig in San Diego County. These remains and objects are linked to local tribes and could be returned starting January 20, 2026. If you want to request the return, now’s the time to reach out to SDSU—no money changes hands, just respect and care for history.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation starts Jan 20, 2026
San Diego State University has determined the collection includes the physical remains of 56 Native American individuals and 62 lots of associated funerary objects. Those remains and objects may be repatriated to affiliated Tribes or eligible requestors on or after January 20, 2026; written repatriation requests must be sent to Jaime Lennox at San Diego State University (5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182; email in the notice).
Who may request repatriation
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 or tribe/organization not identified who shows by a preponderance of the evidence a cultural affiliation. If competing requests are received, SDSU will determine the most appropriate requestor; joint repatriation requests are treated as a single request.
Some items show adhesive treatment; hazards unknown
The notice states it is unknown whether potentially hazardous substances were used to treat many of the human remains and associated funerary objects; one portion of ancestral remains is documented as partially soaked with "Elmer's Glue-All" and partially mended with "Scotch Super Strength Adhesive."
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The Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, MA plans to return a special Hawaiian feather cape to Native Hawaiian groups starting January 20, 2026. This sacred object was gifted to the museum over a century ago, but now it’s clear it belongs back with its original cultural community. No money changes hands, but this is a big step in respecting Native traditions and history.