NAGPRA-Eligible Items and Introduction of Repatriation Coordinators
Sonoma State University (SSU) is beginning a campus-wide inventory of items that may be eligible for Native-American Tribal repatriation under the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and CalNAGPRA (the California analog), informed by results from a campus survey sent in Fall 2025. This annual campus survey and subsequent inventory process will be an ongoing effort to ensure that no NAGPRA-eligible items or ancestors are on campus. The plan is to do a campus review every two years and include all campus spaces as needed. The recent survey identified areas where cultural items, human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, or objects of cultural patrimony might be present.
Based on these findings, SSU’s Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) will conduct a comprehensive inventory throughout campus and our collections to ensure compliance with federal law and to support respectful consultations and repatriation processes. Main criteria for NAGPRA-eligible items may include, but are not limited to: pestles, groundstones, obsidian, chert, soil samples, regalia, pottery, art, shells, beads, baskets, etc. Any and all human remains or replicas that lack proper documentation must be reported to your department chair and OTR to comply with CSU policy supporting NAGPRA legislation. Ideally, any individual who self-identified in the Fall 2025 survey as possessing a NAGPRA-eligible item should be present during the physical inventory process conducted by OTR staff. The inventory process will only consider places/departments that have indicated they may have an item based on the survey.
To lead and coordinate this work will be SSU’s Director of OTR, Elise Green. The scheduling procedure includes the college dean, the individual who identified that they have NAGPRA-eligible items, and the individual’s department chair to schedule times in April and May 2026. Our two campus Repatriation Coordinators: Kirsten Twork and Stephanie Laurencell, will also assist.
Stephanie joins the team after her time as a NAGPRA/CalNAGPRA Project Specialist at CSU Fullerton. The coordinators will oversee campus searches, coordinate documentation and reporting, and work collaboratively with campus stakeholders and Tribal representatives as required under NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA.
Additional information about the inventory process, timelines, and opportunities for campus engagement will be shared as this work moves forward. Questions or relevant information related to NAGPRA-eligible items may be directed to the NAGPRA Program at [email protected].
Sonoma State University appreciates the campus community’s cooperation and commitment to stewardship, accountability, and respect for Tribal Nations.