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Tribal leaders: UC progress insufficient; 2024 federal rule leaves unrecognized tribes blocked, lawmakers urged to act
Summary
Multiple tribal leaders told lawmakers that repatriation remains slow, threatened by inconsistent campus practices and a 2024 federal regulation that limits avenues for unrecognized California tribes; they urged legislative and federal fixes, including a California-specific carve‑out to restore direct pathways.
Tribal representatives pressed the committee to demand faster, enforceable action from universities and to address a regulatory change tribes say blocks unrecognized groups from direct repatriation.
Charlene Nizhme, chairwoman of the Muwekma Ohlone, described long‑running efforts and said the auditor’s findings validate decades of tribal claims. “We are still the 1st peoples of the San Francisco Bay Area since time immemorial,” she said, and warned that a 2024 federal regulation change had removed practical pathways for non‑federally recognized California tribes to receive ancestors directly.
She and other witnesses urged the legislature to press for federal relief or a California‑specific carve‑out to restore CalNAGPRA’s force. Tribal witnesses also called for standardized campus processes, funding to cover tribal participation and transparent records so consultations are meaningful rather than bureaucratic hurdles.
