Caltrans lists Native funerary objects from road digs
Published Date: 7/31/2026
Notice
Summary
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has completed an inventory of associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation Eligible to Tribes and Descendants
You can request return of the 16 lots of associated funerary objects starting on or after August 31, 2026. Requests may be sent by any of the named Indian Tribes in this notice or by a lineal descendant or other tribe that shows by a preponderance of the evidence they are affiliated; competing requests must be resolved by Caltrans before repatriation.
Collections Held by Caltrans/SDSU Subject to Repatriation
Caltrans completed an inventory of 16 lots now accessioned at San Diego State University (SDSU) under Caltrans control: 210 items from CA‑SDI‑16653 (SDSU‑0188), 162 items from CA‑SDI‑8121 (SDSU‑0189), and 34 items from CA‑SDI‑10143 (SDSU‑0191). Four items from the collections are identified as missing; repatriation may also include objects later found or uncatalogued.
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Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2026-15512, Notice of Intended Repatriation: California Department of Transportation, San Diego, CA
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of sacred objects/objects of cultural patrimony and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Next: 2026-15514, Notice of Inventory Completion: Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Denver Art Museum (DAM) has completed an inventory of associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.