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The Repatriation Database Data from Jan. 6, 2025

California

Institutions reported making 74% of the more than 26,200 Native American remains taken from California available for return to tribes under NAGPRA.

remains of 19,572 Native Americans made available for return to tribes
remains of at least 6,709 Native Americans not made available for return

There are 86 institutions located in California that reported Native American remains taken from across the country.

InstitutionRemains Not Made Available for ReturnRemains Made Available for Return% of Remains Made Available for Return
University of California, Berkeley4,7947,18960%
San Francisco State University35725542%
Los Angeles County Natural History Museum33720237%
California Department of Parks and Recreation27894777%
Sonoma State University26732055%
University of California, Davis16727062%
California State University, Long Beach14027566%
Autry Museum of the American West1237638%
California State University, Chico11254783%
Los Angeles County10300%
U.S. Department of Agriculture1039749%
California Department of Transportation8883690%
Filoli Center8500%
San Diego State University765442%
Bowers Museum7011%
California State University, East Bay6600%
U.S. Department of Defense5114774%
Museum of Us4750091%
California State University, Northridge, Center for Public Archaeology3800%
Stanford University Heritage Services361225%
Foothill-De Anza Community College District3500%
San Bernardino County Museum355059%
Oakland Museum of California2827%
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History2400%
University of California, Santa Barbara, Department of Anthropology2441795%
California State University, Bakersfield191442%
East Bay Municipal Utility District193162%
The Discovery Museum - Science and Space Center1100%
San Diego Mesa College1000%
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, M.H. de Young Memorial Museum900%
Cal. Polytechnic State Univ., San Luis Obispo800%
California State University, Monterey Bay700%
City of Oxnard700%
San Mateo County Community College District700%
California State University, Dominguez Hills600%
California State University, Fullerton61875%
California State University, Stanislaus600%
Richmond Museum of History500%
Triton Museum of Art500%
Columbia College, Yosemite Community College District400%
Eastern California Museum4343%
West Valley College400%
Museum of Riverside33993%
Santa Clara University, de Saisset Museum300%
California State University, Fresno, Department of Anthropology216099%
City of Oakland Rotary Nature Center200%
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History21,049100%
U.S. Department of the Interior224299%
University of California, Los Angeles, Fowler Museum of Cultural History22,069100%
University of California, Riverside24195%
California State University, Sacramento11,707100%
City of Santa Clara, Headen-Inman House100%
Crocker Art Museum100%
Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo1150%
Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology1889%
University of the Pacific13297%
Antelope Valley College013100%
California Academy of Sciences01100%
California State University, Los Angeles06100%
Catalina Island Museum Society, Inc.0369100%
Clarke Historical Museum01100%
Coachella Valley History Museum05100%
Cosumnes River College02100%
Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos01100%
Diablo Valley College016100%
Folsom History Museum01100%
Lindsay Wildlife Museum04100%
Los Angeles Pierce College018100%
Los Rios Community College District04100%
Monterey Peninsula College01100%
Museum of the American Indian015100%
Ojai Valley Historical Society and Museum0180100%
Placer County Museums06100%
Pomona College, Montgomery Gallery05100%
San Bernardino County Sherriff-Coroner02100%
San Diego Archaeological Center019100%
San Jose State University, Department of Anthropology0479100%
San Luis Obispo County Archaeological Society02100%
Sierra Mono Museum01100%
Southwestern College02100%
State Center Community College District - Fresno City College022100%
State Center Community College District - Reedly College018100%
Univ. of Southern California01100%
University of California, San Diego0486100%
University of California, Santa Cruz029100%
University of San Diego03100%

There are 139 institutions that reported Native American remains taken from California.

InstitutionRemains Not Made Available for ReturnRemains Made Available for Return% of Remains Made Available for Return
University of California, Berkeley4,3507,11862%
San Francisco State University34125543%
Sonoma State University26732055%
California Department of Parks and Recreation22494381%
U.S. Department of Defense17369680%
Los Angeles County Natural History Museum15116753%
University of California, Davis14826965%
Los Angeles County10300%
U.S. Department of Agriculture1039749%
California Department of Transportation8883690%
Filoli Center8500%
California State University, Chico7754788%
California State University, East Bay6600%
Autry Museum of the American West637153%
Harvard University6327281%
American Museum of Natural History361327%
Foothill-De Anza Community College District3500%
California State University, Northridge, Center for Public Archaeology3100%
Oakland Museum of California2514%
Museum of Us2028293%
University of California, Santa Barbara, Department of Anthropology2041795%
East Bay Municipal Utility District193162%
California State University, Bakersfield181444%
Bowers Museum1716%
University of Indianapolis, Archeology and Forensics Lab1500%
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, M.H. de Young Memorial Museum900%
Cal. Polytechnic State Univ., San Luis Obispo800%
Field Museum82273%
San Bernardino County Museum84284%
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology8538%
California State University, Monterey Bay700%
City of Oxnard700%
San Mateo County Community College District700%
California State University, Fullerton6225%
Dartmouth College, Hood Museum of Art500%
Illinois State Museum5229%
Triton Museum of Art500%
Missouri Historical Society400%
Stanford University Heritage Services41275%
The Discovery Museum - Science and Space Center400%
Wayne State University400%
West Valley College400%
California State University, Dominguez Hills300%
Charleston Museum300%
Columbia College, Yosemite Community College District300%
Eastern California Museum3350%
Hastings Museum3125%
Nevada State Museum3125%
Rochester Museum and Science Center3770%
Santa Clara University, de Saisset Museum300%
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History300%
California State University, Fresno, Department of Anthropology216099%
Carnegie Museum of Natural History200%
Indiana University200%
Peabody Essex Museum200%
Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology, Phillips Academy200%
Speed Art Museum200%
U.S. Department of the Interior224399%
University of Akron200%
University of Tennessee, Knoxville200%
University of Texas at San Antonio, Center for Archaeological Research200%
Yale University, Peabody Museum of Natural History21387%
California State University, Sacramento11,707100%
Case Western Reserve University100%
City of Santa Clara, Headen-Inman House100%
Discovery Place100%
Earlham College100%
Lackawanna Historical Society100%
Mercyhurst Univ.100%
Minnesota Indian Affairs Council100%
Natural History Museum of Utah100%
Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo100%
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History11,035100%
St. Joseph Museums, Inc.100%
University of Arizona, Arizona State Museum1267%
University of California, Los Angeles, Fowler Museum of Cultural History12,011100%
University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology100%
University of New Mexico, Maxwell Museum of Anthropology100%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill100%
University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History110799%
University of Texas, El Paso, Centennial Museum100%
Antelope Valley College013100%
Beloit College, Logan Museum of Anthropology08100%
Bernice P. Bishop Museum01100%
California State University, Long Beach0275100%
California State University, Los Angeles04100%
Catalina Island Museum Society, Inc.0369100%
Clarke Historical Museum01100%
Coachella Valley History Museum05100%
Colorado State University01100%
Cosumnes River College02100%
Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos01100%
Denver Museum of Nature and Science08100%
Diablo Valley College016100%
Folsom History Museum01100%
Fort Collins Museum of Discovery01100%
Gilcrease Museum02100%
Grand Rapids Public Museum05100%
History Colorado01100%
Klamath County Museum03100%
Lindsay Wildlife Museum04100%
Los Angeles Pierce College018100%
Los Rios Community College District04100%
Michigan State University01100%
Milwaukee Public Museum01100%
Monterey Peninsula College01100%
Museum of Riverside035100%
Museum of Science Boston01100%
Museum of the American Indian015100%
Mutter Museum, College of Physicians of Philadelphia01100%
New York University, College of Dentistry096100%
Ojai Valley Historical Society and Museum0180100%
Oregon State University02100%
Palmer Foundation for Chiropractic History02100%
Pennsylvania State University, Matson Museum of Anthropology018100%
Pittsburg State University019100%
Placer County Museums05100%
Princeton University01100%
Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology07100%
San Diego Archaeological Center019100%
San Diego State University049100%
San Jose State University, Department of Anthropology0479100%
San Luis Obispo County Archaeological Society02100%
Southwestern College02100%
Springfield Science Museum01100%
State Center Community College District - Fresno City College022100%
State Center Community College District - Reedly College018100%
Texas A and M University01100%
University of California, Riverside038100%
University of California, San Diego08100%
University of California, Santa Cruz029100%
University of Colorado Museum01100%
University of Denver, Museum of Anthropology02100%
University of Iowa, Office of the State Archaeologist06100%
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Department of Anthropology02100%
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Department of Anthropology05100%
University of Puget Sound, Puget Sound Museum of Natural History02100%
University of South Florida01100%
University of the Pacific032100%
Under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, when an institution establishes a connection between tribes and remains, it must publish a list of the tribes eligible to make a repatriation claim. The remains are then made available for return to the tribe(s). Once a tribal claim is made, physical transfer may occur. Many remains have been physically returned to tribes, but data on this is spotty because the law does not require institutions to report when these transfers occur.

Institutions made Native American remains taken from California available for return to 174 tribes.

Institutions often make remains available for return to multiple tribes, so the amount of remains listed below may be counted for more than one tribe.
TribeRemains Made Available for Return to Tribe
Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California7,455
Wilton Rancheria, California7,401
Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Shingle Springs Rancheria (Verona Tract), California7,392
Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California7,355
Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California7,236
Jackson Band of Miwuk Indians7,122
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians of the Santa Ynez Reservation, California6,898
Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of the Tuolumne Rancheria of California6,055
Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria, California5,994
Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of California5,912
Table Mountain Rancheria5,900
Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation, California5,900
California Valley Miwok Tribe, California5,756
Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California4,697
Guidiville Rancheria of California4,557
United Auburn Indian Community of the Auburn Rancheria of California2,712
Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, California978
Pechanga Band of Indians844
Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians735
Pauma Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pauma and Yuima Reservation, California734
Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria, California696
Round Valley Indian Tribes of the Round Valley Reservation, California517
Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, California508
San Pasqual Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of California492
Cachil DeHe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community of the Colusa Rancheria, California489
Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California484
Campo Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Campo Indian Reservation, California481
Jamul Indian Village of California480
Capitan Grande Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of California479
Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians, California479
Inaja Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Inaja and Cosmit Reservation, California479
La Posta Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the La Posta Indian Reservation, California479
Manzanita Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Manzanita Reservation, California479
Mesa Grande Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Mesa Grande Reservation, California479
Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, California478
Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation478
Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California407
Kletsel Dehe Wintun of the Cortina Rancheria405
Enterprise Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California402
El Dorado Miwok Rancheria371
Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians of California361
Nashville-El Dorado Miwok320
Grindstone Indian Rancheria of Wintun-Wailaki Indians of California249
Klamath Tribes235
Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California216
Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of California203
Big Sandy Rancheria of Western Mono Indians of California195
Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians, California194
Redding Rancheria, California193
Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria, California192
Pala Band of Mission Indians191
Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians of California189
Elem Indian Colony of Pomo Indians of the Sulphur Bank Rancheria, California187
La Jolla Band of Luiseno Indians, California186
Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation176
Modoc Nation174
Morongo Band of Mission Indians, California132
Pit River Tribe, California118
Wiyot Tribe, California114
Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, California96
Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians, California86
Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation, California85
Cahuilla Band of Indians81
Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians, California81
Ramona Band of Cahuilla, California81
Cabazon Band of Cahuilla Indians80
Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria, California77
Blue Lake Rancheria, California73
Washoe Tribe of Nevada & California65
Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians, California64
Greenville Rancheria64
Susanville Indian Rancheria, California62
Timbisha Shoshone Tribe54
Tejon Indian Tribe42
Alturas Indian Rancheria, California39
Yurok Tribe of the Yurok Reservation, California36
Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes of the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, Nevada and Oregon30
Amah Mutsun Tribal Band29
Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of the Fallon Reservation and Colony, Nevada29
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of the Pyramid Lake Reservation, Nevada29
Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Nevada29
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon28
Walker River Paiute Tribe of the Walker River Reservation, Nevada28
Yerington Paiute Tribe of the Yerington Colony and Campbell Ranch, Nevada28
Quartz Valley Indian Community of the Quartz Valley Reservation of California27
Fernandeno Tataviam Band of Mission Indians26
Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, California and Arizona26
Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon24
Resighini Rancheria, California22
Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians of California21
White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation, Arizona21
Bishop Paiute Tribe20
Cherokee Nation20
Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town, Oklahoma19
Apache Tribe of Oklahoma19
Big Lagoon Rancheria, California19
Bridgeport Indian Colony19
Caddo Nation of Oklahoma19
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Oklahoma19
Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma19
Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Reservation, New Mexico19
Muscogee (Creek) Nation19
Osage Nation19
Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco and Tawakonie), Oklahoma19
Pinoleville Pomo Nation, California17
Chemehuevi Indian Tribe of the Chemehuevi Reservation, California16
Cloverdale Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California16
Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians of California16
Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, California16
Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, California16
Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria, California16
Koi Nation of Northern California16
Lytton Rancheria of California16
Manchester Band of Pomo Indians of the Manchester Rancheria, California16
Muwekma Ohlone Tribe16
Potter Valley Tribe, California16
Redwood Valley or Little River Band of the Redwood Valley Rancheria California16
Robinson Rancheria16
Colorado River Indian Tribes of the Colorado River Indian Reservation, Arizona and California14
Fort Independence Indian Community of Paiute Indians of the Fort Independence Reservation, California14
Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe14
Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians of the Big Valley Rancheria, California13
Lineal Descendant13
Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, California12
Sherwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California12
Eastern Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming11
Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe of the Benton Paiute Reservation, California11
Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah9
Wukchumni Tribe of Yokut Indians9
Yowlumne Tejon Indians9
Cahto Tribe of the Laytonville Rancheria8
Cedarville Rancheria, California8
Fort Bidwell Indian Community of the Fort Bidwell Reservation of California8
Karuk Tribe8
San Fernando Band of Mission Indians8
Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada8
Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley7
Hoopa Valley Tribe, California6
Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians of the Las Vegas Indian Colony, Nevada6
Moapa Band of Paiute Indians of the Moapa River Indian Reservation, Nevada6
Tinoqui-Chalola Council of Kitanemuk6
Burns Paiute Tribe5
Fort Mojave Indian Tribe of Arizona, California and Nevada5
Lovelock Paiute Tribe of the Lovelock Indian Colony, Nevada5
Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah5
Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, Nevada5
Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation5
Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma4
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon4
Elk Valley Rancheria, California4
Ely Shoshone Tribe of Nevada4
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Arizona4
Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians of the Kaibab Indian Reservation, Arizona4
Summit Lake Paiute Tribe of Nevada4
Yomba Shoshone Tribe of the Yomba Reservation, Nevada4
Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, Nevada and Utah3
Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation, Nevada3
Nez Perce Tribe3
Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah3
Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota2
Coleville Onadika (Salt Eaters) in Antelope Valley1
Comanche Nation, Oklahoma1
Institution could not determine a culturally affiliated tribe and remains were transferred or reinterred according to state or other law1
Mono Lake Kutzadika Indian Community1
Nisqually Indian Tribe1
None1
Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona1
Puyallup Tribe of the Puyallup Reservation1
San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians1
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation1
Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation, Washington1
Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona1
Tubatulabals of Kern Valley1
Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada1

Institutions reported Native American remains taken from 55 counties in California.

CountyRemains Taken From County Not Made Available for ReturnRemains Made Available for Return% of Remains Made Available for Return
Sacramento County1,4881,79755%
San Joaquin County94184347%
Kern County44422834%
Los Angeles County4112,55886%
Contra Costa County4061,91182%
Solano County33211526%
Yolo County2937019%
Alameda County2212,52492%
Santa Barbara County1653,27095%
San Mateo County15311944%
Calaveras County1379240%
Tehama County12421063%
Napa County1225832%
Santa Clara County11431573%
Lassen County10633%
Ventura County901,06492%
Tuolumne County887847%
Monterey County841918%
Shasta County736447%
Sonoma County735643%
Fresno County5418678%
Tulare County496657%
Plumas County4324%
Butte County4174295%
Inyo County405257%
San Luis Obispo County3913978%
Colusa County349874%
Orange County235571%
Stanislaus County231743%
El Dorado County22929%
Humboldt County2212385%
Amador County188282%
Marin County1486998%
Mariposa County141958%
San Diego County1446497%
Siskiyou County1120095%
Mendocino County87190%
Merced County72779%
Santa Cruz County74687%
San Francisco County65390%
Glenn County48596%
Kings County46494%
Madera County41882%
Trinity County4233%
Lake County317998%
Modoc County35194%
San Benito County3240%
San Bernardino County34894%
Imperial County26597%
Mono County2467%
Riverside County211398%
Del Norte County1150%
Placer County14498%
Yuba County18199%
Sutter County050100%
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About the Data

This tool presents a dataset maintained by the National Park Service containing all the Native American human remains and associated funerary objects that institutions have reported to the federal government under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The dataset includes information about the state and county where remains and objects were taken from, which institutions hold them and whether they have been made available for return to tribes.

The data is self-reported by institutions. The amount of unrepatriated Native American remains reported by institutions is a minimum estimate of individuals and institutions frequently adjust these numbers when they reinventory groups of remains. Some institutions that are subject to NAGPRA have also entirely failed to report the remains in their possession. As a result, the numbers provided are best taken as estimates. The actual number and geographic scope of what’s held by publicly funded institutions is larger than what is presently documented.

ProPublica supplemented this dataset with information about cultural affiliation and disposition to specific tribes by systematically parsing the text of Notices of Inventory Completion published in the Federal Register. An additional dataset from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Tribal Directory Assessment Tool, was used for the section on remains not made available for return from counties that each tribe has indicated interest in to the federal government.

Institution location and tribal headquarters location information was provided by National NAGPRA. The location of some groups that are not federally recognized was provided through research by ProPublica.

Institutions that are part of a larger entity are grouped. (For example, the Mesa Verde National Park is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior.)

Institutions that have not submitted information to the federal government are not listed. The Smithsonian Institution is not listed because its repatriation process falls under the National Museum of the American Indian Act and it is not required to publicly report its holdings with the same detail as institutions subject to NAGPRA.

If you work for an institution and would like to provide comment on your institution’s repatriation efforts, please email [email protected]. If you think the data is incorrect or have a data request, please get in touch. We are aware of some issues with the accuracy of location information and tribes mistakenly being identified for disposition of Native American remains in published notices.

If you want to share something else with ProPublica, we’d like to hear from you.

If you have questions about implementing or complying with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, get in touch with National NAGPRA or the NAGPRA Community of Practice.

We use the word “tribes” to refer to all groups that institutions made Native American remains available to under NAGPRA. This includes tribes, nations, bands, pueblos, communities, Native Alaskan villages, Native Hawaiian organizations and non-federally recognized groups.

Data sources from Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National NAGPRA Program, the Federal Register, Department of Housing and Development, Tribal Directory Assessment Tool