It is the policy of the University of California to assure the respectful and dignified treatment of human remains and the consideration of living descendants of those deceased. The university recognizes that individuals and communities have cultural and religious concerns that must be considered in determining the treatment and disposition of human remains in its collections. The university maintains these collections as a public trust and is responsible for preserving them according to the highest standards while fulfilling its mission to provide education and understanding about the past and present through continued teaching, research and public service.
The general principles of this policy, as stated above, apply to all human remains in the university’s collections. The remainder of this policy pertains to Native American and Native Hawaiian human remains and “cultural items.” “Cultural items,” as used throughout this policy, refers to associated and unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony, as defined by the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (“NAGPRA;” P.L. 101-601). This policy is intended to ensure both adherence to the above statement of principles and compliance with NAGPRA.
UC policy
UC Santa Cruz is committed to the guiding principles and procedures of UC’s Native American Cultural Affiliation and Repatriation Policy. This policy:
- Articulates principles that the repatriation of Native American and Native Hawaiian human remains is a fundamental objective and value of the university.
- Requires campuses to proactively review existing collections or other holdings that may potentially contain Native American or Native Hawaiian human remains or cultural items.
- Prohibits the use of Native American or Native Hawaiian human remains or cultural items in research or instruction activities without tribal approval.
- Requires the university to consult with tribes regarding traditional care practices.
- Provides mechanisms for tribes to file appeals and complaints if they disagree with campus actions or decisions under the policy.
- Provides a mechanism for members of the campus community to report Native American human remains and cultural items that are not being properly maintained or properly reported.
- Requires each campus to perform a review of all departments and units historically engaged in studies with human remains or cultural items and all departments or units identified by department deans, chairs, or unit heads as potentially holding human remains or cultural items, in order to identify previously unreported human remains or cultural items.
NAGPRA contact
Questions about the UCSC collections or requests for repatriation should be sent to orca@ucsc.edu.
NAGPRA links
UC’s Native American Cultural Affiliation and Repatriation Policy