2025 Message to Campus Regarding NAGPRA Campus Search

Dear Campus Community,

Action Required:

To ensure NAGPRA/CalNAGPRA compliance, every employee needs to physically inspect all areas under their control and/or management for all human remains and Native American cultural items and report their findings using the online Physical Survey for Human Remains and Native American Cultural Items Results Form by December 1, 2025.

Context:

As we begin Native American Heritage Month, we acknowledge the deep and continued connections Native American Tribes have with the land, as well as our collective responsibility to respect, protect and learn from that legacy. This month is not only a time for celebration — it is a time for reflection and renewed commitment to ethical stewardship of Native American cultural heritage.

One of the ways we uphold this commitment is through full compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (CalNAGPRA). NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA provide a legal and moral framework for the respectful return of Native American, Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native ancestral remains and cultural items to their descendant communities. Compliance with NAGPRA is not just a regulatory requirement; it is an act of recognition and reconciliation. It honors tribal sovereignty, affirms Indigenous rights to cultural self-determination, and helps heal the historical harms caused by the collection and possession of Native American ancestors and cultural items.

The CSU Systemwide Interim NAGPRA Policy requires each campus to conduct an annual physical search to identify any Native American human remains and all Native American cultural items in its possession, and we need your help in support of this effort.

A short guidance video and helpful documents can be accessed on CPP’s NAGPRA website.

Physical inspections of department/college/division spaces include faculty and staff offices, workspaces, common areas, lobbies, classrooms, labs, storage rooms, basements and ancillary structures that are controlled, managed and/or maintained by CPP (on and off-campus). All closets, cabinets, drawers, boxes and storage containers within those spaces should be opened and physically examined.

Human remains and Native American cultural items are not limited to items recovered from archaeological excavations. They may be from purchases made with CPP funds and/or gifts to the campus, departments, college, staff and faculty. Identification of human remains and Native American cultural items may not always be straightforward. Therefore, it is important to use visual inspections and the information available to you to assess an item’s potential for Native American origins. If records cannot provide conclusive information, please err on the side of caution and report the items. Desireé Martinez, NAGPRA/Cal NAGPRA Director, will review and verify all reported findings.

A list of contacts for each college and division is provided below, each of whom will track and verify that each department/college/division has completed the physical search of all spaces and has submitted their results. For questions, reach out to your college/division point of contact and/or Desireé Martinez.

Following cultural protocols and NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA requirements, please do not move and minimize the handling of human remains and Native American cultural items. If items are found to be improperly secured or stored and/or are exposed to harmful environments, immediately relocate them to a safe location and contact Martinez as soon as possible.

If you have questions about NAGPRA, CalNAGPRA and/or the Chancellor’s Office compliance efforts, please go to the CSU NAGPRA/CalNAGPRA webpage. You can also contact Desireé Martinez by email at drmartinez2@cpp.edu or via phone at (909) 869-4205. Thank you for your support in this important effort.

Sincerely,

Dr. Iris S. Levine
Interim President