“Change comes with action, not words.”
This sentiment, shared by Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla in Sacramento, guides UC San Diego’s commitment to honoring the Indigenous people on whose ancestral homeland the university currently resides.
On August 4, Chancellor Khosla testified before California’s Select Committee on Native American Affairs and Joint Legislative Audit Committee alongside representatives from the University of California. The hearing focused on the system’s efforts to align with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and CalNAGPRA.
The California State Legislature has committed to repatriation - the return of Native American human remains and cultural items to their tribe or Native Nation - through 2020’s AB 275 and 2023’s AB 226 and AB 389. These bills require the University of California and California State University systems to comply with stronger repatriation requirements and annual reporting and accountability measures.
UC San Diego’s Commitment to Repatriation
In his testimony, Khosla relayed the high-priority areas on which UC San Diego is concentrating its efforts:
- Expanding Operations: Adding experienced personnel to support the university’s existing Repatriation Coordinator Eva Trujillo ’20 (Siny 'Iipay, Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians)
- Comprehensive Reviews: Conducting 40 extensive in-person reviews of faculty labs and storage spaces to identify and report any previously undiscovered items that are potentially cultural
- Direct Consultation: Proactive outreach to tribes, Native Nations and the UC San Diego community
UC San Diego’s commitment to expeditious repatriation has led to enormous progress. Since 2021, UC San Diego has repatriated 73 percent of Native American human remains in total, including 713 ancestors, and approximately 53 percent of cultural items (525 associated funerary objects, 12,675 unassociated funerary objects, 347 objects of cultural patrimony and four sacred objects).
Khosla emphasized that UC San Diego intends to build upon its progress while recognizing that change is a continuous process. He shared, “I remain committed to supporting and strengthening our repatriation efforts so that we can honor the ancestors and cultural items by returning them to the rightful Native American Nations.”