ASU Evolution School Ships Out Cultural Treasures
Published Date: 8/31/2026
Notice
Summary
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Center for Archaeology and Society Repository (acting in place of the Arizona State University School of Human Evolution and Social Change) intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, and/or objects of cultural patrimony and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
ASU plans to return 19 cultural lots
Arizona State University’s repository intends to repatriate 19 lots of cultural items — 14 lots of unassociated funerary objects (10 lots of faunal bone, one lot of botanicals, three lots of shell) and five lots of sacred objects/objects of cultural patrimony (one ceramic object and four lots of shell). The items were removed in November 1988 from a site in Maricopa County, Arizona, and ASU identifies a cultural affiliation with the Ak-Chin, Gila River, Salt River Pima‑Maricopa, and Tohono O'odham communities (together described as O'Odham).
Repatriation can occur after Sept 30, 2026
Repatriation of the cultural items described may occur on or after September 30, 2026. If competing requests are received, ASU CASR must determine the most appropriate requestor, and joint requests are treated as a single request.
How other tribes or descendants may request items
Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in the notice may submit a written request for repatriation to ASU CASR by showing, by a preponderance of the evidence, that they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. Requests must be sent to the ASU authorized representative named in the notice.
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Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2026-17712, Notice of Inventory Completion: Arizona State University, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Tempe, AZ
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Arizona State University, Center for Archaeology and Society Repository (CASR) acting in place of the Arizona State University, School of Human Evolution and Social Change (SHESC), has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Next: 2026-17714, Notice of Intended Repatriation: Arizona State University, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Tempe, AZ
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Center for Archaeology and Society Repository (CASR) acting in place of the Arizona State University (ASU) School of Human Evolution and Social Change (SHESC) intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, and/or objects of cultural patrimony and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.