UC Davis Returns 1,000+ Native Items Including Human Remains
Published Date: 9/9/2026
Notice
Summary
UC Davis has finished checking and listing Native American human remains and related items found at an old site in California. They’ve identified two individuals and over a thousand objects connected to them. Starting October 9, 2026, these remains and items can be returned to the Native tribes or groups they belong to, with no cost involved.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation Eligible After October 9, 2026
You can request the return of human remains and associated funerary objects listed by UC Davis. UC Davis identified human remains representing at least two individuals and a total of 1,836 objects, and these remains and objects may be repatriated on or after October 9, 2026. UC Davis determined a cultural affiliation between these remains/objects and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, California.
Who May Request Repatriation
Requests for repatriation may be submitted by any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice, or by any lineal descendant or Tribe/organization not identified that shows by a preponderance of the evidence cultural affiliation. UC Davis must decide the most appropriate requestor if competing requests are received, and joint requests for repatriation are treated as a single request.
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Key Dates
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Previous: 2026-18336, Notice of Inventory Completion: Putnam Museum and Science Center, Davenport, IA
The Putnam Museum and Science Center in Davenport, IA, has finished checking its collection and found six Native American funerary objects linked to specific tribes. Starting October 9, 2026, these items can be returned to the rightful Native communities. This is a respectful step to honor Native heritage and follows important laws protecting these cultural treasures.
Next: 2026-18339, Notice of Inventory Completion: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Princeton University has finished checking its collection and found human remains and two special items linked to Native American tribes. These remains and objects can be returned to the tribes starting October 9, 2026. If you want to request the return, contact the Princeton University Art Museum soon!