UC Santa Barbara Prepares Native American Remains and Pottery for Repatriation
Published Date: 3/2/2026
Notice
Summary
The University of California, Santa Barbara finished checking their collection and found human remains and pottery linked to Native American tribes. Starting April 1, 2026, these items can be returned to the right tribes or Native Hawaiian groups. If you want to request repatriation, you can contact UCSB by email or mail—no money changes hands, just respect and care for history.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Pascua Yaqui–affiliated remains identified
The University of California, Santa Barbara identified human remains representing at least one Native American individual (Accession 823.Yaqui) and 31 associated funerary objects (ceramic pottery fragments) that are culturally affiliated with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona. The materials were labeled “Yaqui” at donation and portions of the collection were donated to UCSB in 1995.
Repatriation available beginning April 1, 2026
Repatriation of the identified human remains and 31 associated funerary objects may occur on or after April 1, 2026. Written requests must be sent to Hugh Radde, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, or by the email address listed in the notice; requests may be submitted by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, other Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in the notice, or any lineal descendant or organization that demonstrates cultural affiliation by a preponderance of the evidence. If competing requests are received, UCSB will determine the most appropriate requestor; joint requests are treated as a single request.
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