California Hands Back Sacred Items to Native Groups
Published Date: 12/22/2025
Notice
Summary
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) plans to return 175 important cultural items, like bones and stone tools, to Native American tribes connected to the Fresno and Kern County areas. This repatriation can start on or after January 21, 2026, and involves items found during a 1993 archaeological project. No costs or hazards are expected, just a respectful handover of these special artifacts.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
175 Cultural Items Planned for Repatriation
You (if you are an affiliated Indian Tribe or a lineal descendant) should know that Caltrans intends to return 175 cultural items—including faunal bone, flaked stone, and miscellaneous lithics—found at CA-KER-3558 and CA-KER-3559. The collection is curated at the University of California, Riverside (Accession #225) and repatriation may occur on or after January 21, 2026.
Who Can Request Repatriation and How
You can submit a written request for these items if you are a lineal descendant, an Indian Tribe, or a Native Hawaiian organization that can show by a preponderance of the evidence you are culturally affiliated. Send requests to the Caltrans District 6 contacts listed in the notice; if competing requests arrive, Caltrans will decide the most appropriate requestor, and joint requests count as a single request.
No Hazards or Special Treatments Reported
You should know that Caltrans reports there are no known or documented potentially hazardous substances used to treat any of the 175 cultural items, so recipients should not expect contamination or hazard-related handling requirements.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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