Berkeley Returns Old Bones and Treasures to Tribes
Published Date: 2/23/2026
Notice
Summary
The University of California, Berkeley has finished checking its collection and found Native American human remains and 13 special objects linked to them. These items, taken from San Diego County long ago, will be returned to the right Native American tribes starting March 25, 2026. If you want to request the return, you can contact the university soon to make it happen.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation to Pala Band of Mission Indians
The University of California, Berkeley has determined that one Native American individual and 13 associated funerary objects taken from Puerta La Cruz, Warner's Ranch in San Diego County (removed in 1907) are affiliated with the Pala Band of Mission Indians. These remains and objects may be repatriated to the affiliated tribe on or after March 25, 2026.
Who Can Request Repatriation and How
Written requests for repatriation must be sent to the University of California, Berkeley and may be submitted by any one or more Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in the notice, or by a lineal descendant or tribe/organization not identified who shows by a preponderance of the evidence that they are affiliated. Requests for joint repatriation count as a single request, competing requests must be resolved by the university, and repatriation may occur on or after March 25, 2026.
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