Native American Cultural Affiliation and Repatriation
In AY 2021-22 UC Merced disseminated the first annual UC NAGPRA policy awareness letter. In accordance with UC NAGPRA policy, a survey to identify Native artifacts and human remains on the UC Merced campus was created and distributed in late Fall 2021 semester (for academic units) and early Spring 2022 semester (for non-academic units). The survey instructed unit heads and department directors to announce this reporting responsibility to all members of their area, and then report any Native artifacts and human remains in UC Merced’s possession. Organized Research Unit (ORU) and remote research facility directors also received a notice to complete the survey. The results of the search are that UC Merced does not have Native American holdings. We will continue to raise campus awareness about the UC NAGPRA policy.
For more information regarding UC Merced’s NAGPRA reporting responsibilities, please contact Dr. Robin DeLugan at rdelugan@ucmerced.edu
Here is the link to the UC NAGPRA policy: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/2500489/NAGPRA
The UC campuses will implement the Federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and California NAGPRA (CalNAGPRA). The purpose of NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA is to protect the Native American graves and requires repatriation of Native American human remains and cultural items.
