CSU reports major progress on NAGPRA inventories, releases systemwide policy timeline

The Committee on Governmental Relations heard an update Thursday on the California State University's progress implementing the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and the state's complementary Cal NAGPRA process, including revised inventory totals and a timeline to finish a systemwide policy.

The update, delivered by Samantha Seiprit, executive director of the Office of Tribal Relations, and Rafiq Mohammed, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Cal State San Bernardino, said campuses have increased searches and inventories and that a draft systemwide NAGPRA policy will be revised and shared for further comment before a planned presentation for adoption in July 2025.

Systemwide overview and why it matters: The Provost and the new executive director said the chancellor's office has been building an Office of Tribal Relations, hiring staff, retaining three contractors and coordinating outreach with the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) and California Indian tribes. The presenters tied the work to the 2023 state audit and to AB 389, which mandates inventory reviews and other compliance actions.

Most campuses have moved to fill dedicated NAGPRA roles, the chancellor's office reported. As of November 2024, each campus had hired a full-time campus NAGPRA coordinator and the chancellor's office is working with the state auditor's office to provide documentation that will mark earlier audit recommendations complete. The next audit report is due to the state auditor in June 2025.

Inventory totals and repatriation progress: The presenters described changes in inventory counts from the auditor's 2023 report to the updated November 2024 figures. The 2023 state audit reported 5,804 ancestral remains and about 692,400 cultural items across 21 campuses. The CSU reported that campus inventories completed in 2024 identified 2,245 ancestral remains and more than 1,900,000 cultural items systemwide. Presenters and trustees framed the increase in items as evidence that campus searches are working and yielding previously undocumented holdings.

Chico State was highlighted for a major repatriation: Chico State facilitated repatriation and reburial of 2,567 ancestral remains and more than 97,000 cultural items for a tribal consortium of six tribes; presenters said that represented roughly 94% of the ancestral remains and 86% of the cultural items in that case. The presenters noted that project required more than five years of work.

Committees, outreach and a policy schedule: All 23 CSU campuses are working to assemble seven-person campus NAGPRA committees. Per state law, each campus committee must include four tribal representatives (three federally recognized and one nonfederally recognized) and three campus representatives. The chancellor's office said it provided template letters to university presidents and asked the NAHC to begin a systemwide committee selection process in advance of policy adoption.

The chancellor's office circulated an initial draft of a systemwide NAGPRA policy to the NAHC and to California Indian tribes, then incorporated feedback into a second draft presented to the NAHC on Jan. 17. The office said it will hold six outreach sessions (four in person across Northern, Central, Southern and Eastern California and two virtual sessions, including one on a Saturday) and accept comments via a form on the chancellor's office website. The office expects a revised draft in April, another comment period, and final recommended amendments before presenting the policy for adoption in July 2025; it acknowledged that additional appendices and revisions will likely be needed after initial adoption.

Operational and capacity concerns raised: Trustees and presenters acknowledged that returning artifacts poses logistical challenges. Rafiq Mohammed and others noted that some tribal communities lack the facilities or resources to receive or house repatriated items, obliging campuses to store items according to tribal expectations while continuing dialogue and support to build tribal capacity. Trustees also asked about inconsistent counting methods across campuses (for example, whether a beaded necklace is counted as one item or many beads), and presenters said a forthcoming systemwide inventory software and standardized guidance will help create consistent counts.

Next steps and oversight: The chancellor's office said it is working with campuses and the NAHC to finish remaining inventories (three campuses remained in progress as of November and two campuses reported they do not hold NAGPRA collections), to fill campus and system committee vacancies, and to provide the documentation requested by the state auditor. The office invited continued trustee engagement and promised the systemwide policy will include clear direction on inventories and repatriation procedures.

Ending: Trustees praised the staff and new executive director and thanked presidents and campus teams for the expanded searches. Presenters reiterated timelines for additional drafts, outreach and a proposed July 2025 policy adoption.