Native American University Collections 

CSULB consultation on Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (CalNAGPRA) are guided by Federal NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA and applicable Federal and State laws and policies as well as CSU Policy. 

California State University NAGPRA / CalNAPGRA Information

Additional information on California State University collections are made available here.

Native American University Collections Management  

California State University, Long Beach recognizes the ethical and legal necessity of preserving the rights of Native American tribes and communities regarding the Native American human remains and artifacts which the University holds or may hold in the future. The University also has as a central part of its mission the obligation to provide education and enlightenment about the past.  

The University is committed to conducting its scholarly and scientific inquiries in a manner that supports the preservation of the cultural identity of peoples and groups. Research and teaching involving Native American human remains and artifacts will only be conducted with the documented permission of the living descendants or, if unavailable, the tribal authorities of the Native American communities identified as the rightful owners of those remains and artifacts.  

CSULB maintains a confidential Collections Management facility for culturally sensitive curation and oversight of Native American human remains and artifacts under campus stewardship. The goal of the Office of Tribal Relations is the complete inventory and repatriation of Native American Burial Remains, Associated and Unassociated Funerary Objects, Sacred Objects, and Other Cultural Patrimony already within the Native American University Collections.

National NAGPRA Notices

Notice Type 

Published Date 

Statement Date 

Link 

Notice of Inventory Completion (NIC) 

09/11/2002 

 

Notice of Inventory Completion (NIC) 

06/01/2005 

 

Notice of Inventory Completion (NIC) 

09/10/2014 

 

Notice of Inventory Completion (NIC) 

12/17/2025 

01/16/2026 

Notice of Inventory Completion (NIC) 

03/02/2026 

04/6/2026 

Notice of Intended Repatriation (NIR) 

09/10/2014 

 

All Federal Register Notices can be found here. 

Inventories and Summaries

National Park Service Inventories 

National Park Service Summaries 

California Native American Heritage Commission Inventories and Summaries 

Per the CSU Repatriation policy: Tribal requests for research, testing, or temporary custodial services must be submitted in writing by the authorized Tribal representative(s) and submitted to the NAGPRA Coordinator, Miztla Aguilera, the Director of Tribal Relations, Thalia Gomez, and the President's designee, Chris Reese.  

All requests for research and testing must align with the federal NAGPRA provisions of the duty of care requirements. Any request for research or testing must have free, prior and informed consent from lineal descendants, federally recognized Indian Tribes, or NHOs. Any new or additional research or testing requested by a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or NHO should be conducted after repatriation is completed and the transfer of control to the lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or NHO has occurred.  

 

As stated in the policy, CSULB must not create, accept, or acquire new holdings or collections that contain or may contain Human Remains or Cultural Items. However, CSULB will consider Tribal requests that include temporary custody of collections for the following purposes: 

  • The collection is under a custody agreement as agreed upon by the consulting parties (agencies, Tribes, CSULB). 
  • Pending repatriation. 
  • Reunification of accessions or sites. 
  • Testing, analysis or research. 
  • Education or training. 
  • Other temporary custodial purposes. 

In these instances, CSULB must be provided with written agreements that includes explicit permission and approval from the requestor(s) before taking physical custody.  

 

Following repatriation, and at the request of the lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or NHO to whom legal control has transferred, the campus may continue to house and care for Human Remains or Cultural Items until physical transfer is feasible. In such cases, the campus shall execute a formal Held-in-Trust agreement in consultation with the relevant lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or NHO.  

At any time, allegations of noncompliance may be submitted directly to the CSU Chancellor’s Office of Tribal Relations, NAHCand/or the National NAGPRA Program.

An appeal of a campus's decision or determination regarding the identification or repatriation of Human Remains or Cultural Items may be submitted for review and consideration. An appeal may be initiated by either or both of the following options: 

Submitted to the President's designee, Chris Reese at christopher.reese@csulb.edu. 

  • A receipt of an appeal will be sent within five business days. 
  • Within 20 business days of receipt of an appeal, the President’s Designee will decide to uphold, reverse, or modify the determination, provided that all applicable legal and policy requirements are met, and provide the appealing party with a written explanation and basis for approving or denying the appeal. 
  • The President’s Designee may decide to elevate an appeal to the Campus Committee for review and recommendation at the next committee meeting. The President’s Designee will send a follow-up communication to the appealing party to provide a status and, if applicable, an invitation to attend the committee meeting. 
  • If the appealing party decides the matter is still unresolved, the appeal may be sent directly to the Systemwide Committee or the National NAGPRA Program Manager as addressed below. 

Submitted to the Systemwide Committee at nagpra@calstate.edu and/or the National NAGPRA Program Manager. 

  • A receipt of an appeal will be sent within five business days with a copy to the campus President and the President's designee. 
  • The Systemwide Committee will review the appeal at their next committee meeting but no later than 45 business days from receipt of the appeal. 
  • Depending on the nature of the appeal, the Systemwide Committee may request the associated information pertaining to the matter of the appeal from the campus President or the President's designee and/or request the appealing party to attend a committee meeting. 
  • Within 20 business days after the committee meeting, the Systemwide Committee will provide a recommendation to the President who will make the decision to uphold, reverse or modify the initial determination, provided that such decision is based on a determination that all applicable legal and policy requirements are met, and provide the appealing party with a written explanation and basis for approving or denying the appeal. 

If a resolution of the matter cannot be made at the campus or system level, third-party mediation services may be sought. Pursuant to federal NAGPRA 43 C.F.R. §10.12, a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or NHO with potential cultural affiliation to the Human Remains or Cultural Items may request the assistance of the National NAGPRA Program Manager or the Review Committee. 

At any time, concerns about campus personnel may be submitted directly to the Office of Equity and Compliance via the Assistant Vice President of Equity & Compliance Larissa Hamada Larissa.Hamada@csulb.edu, (562) 985 – 7030.