California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) acknowledges the long history of institutional and systematic collection of tribal culture without the consent of tribal and descendant communities. The collection of indigenous material and intangible culture continues to benefit academic and governmental institutions. Since the 1960s, tribal and descendant communities have voiced criticisms over the excavation, collection, and display of material culture. Recognizing this fact, repatriating the collections held by these institutions is the beginning toward being accountable to tribal and descendant communities. CSUSB recognizes California Assembly Bill No. 275 is a step forward in challenging the systematic alienation of indigenous material culture by non-collaboratively minded institutions.
Many of the archaeological practices emerging from a colonial and settler context in the 19th and 20th centuries created a long-overdue need for the federal legislation referred to as NAGPRA (25 USC 3001, 1990), and later, CalNAGPRA (California AB 978, 2001). Anthropological extractive practices went in tandem with increasing encroachment on tribal land, policies of assimilation, and demographic decline. Many mainstream scholars and popular media outlets further misrepresented native cultural identity as vanishing, leaving limited platforms for contemporary efforts of survival and resilience. Even well-meaning researchers and museum professionals often failed to understand how settler colonialism created the structures of systemic inequality which would subject tribal peoples to intergenerational violent assaults on their sovereignty. This general attitude was not limited to tribal communities of the United States, but was applied broadly to indigenous and descendant communities globally. As a result, numerous institutions are in possession of items that have been acquired through problematic processes. As an institution of higher education, CSUSB is committed to evaluating the power dynamics which inform the attitudes (both past and present) and associated practices that do not involve consent from descendant communities. By doing so, we will enable ourselves to move towards equitable, affirming, and strength- based partnerships. As outlined in CSUSB’s land acknowledgement, we too, are part of the settler system and must re-evaluate our position, relationships, and policies to align with local tribal sovereignty and descendant communities globally. These aspirational values include the following:
- We assert that our goals as an institution are to work in a manner that goes beyond consultation with tribal groups, and that aspires to achieve coordination with these communities in mutual undertakings. Our choices in such interactions should be guided by values that align with the CSU mission to provide an inclusive environment for learning, research, outreach, and community engagement.
- We seek to establish relationships that are tailored to the particular values of specific tribal and descendant communities through a process of direct and reciprocal engagement applied consistently across projects.
- We hold that respect for the diverse concerns of communities will be at the forefront of our partnership and process.
- We acknowledge the relationships between the academy, descendant, and stakeholder communities must change when managing and interpreting heritages that serve the ancestral knowledge and practices of contemporary tribal and descendant communities. A cooperation framework with tribal and descendant communities decentralizes the power institutions have over the interpretation of indigenous history.
- We acknowledge diverse ways of knowing the past and how these knowledge systems strengthen future directions of tribal sovereignty and responsive education. The knowledge thus produced can aid in the deconstruction of the more traditional historical/archaeological narrative and its reformulation in an inclusive practice.
The University commits to developing mechanisms for faculty and staff to be trained in current ethical standards of research and community engagement with tribal and descendant communities. Specific tools and resources can facilitate such improvements to the work of research, teaching, and outreach. The University commits to developing oversight measures to foster greater institutional engagement through protocols and standards. This process will apply to all tribal and descendant communities with no exemptions or special circumstances either excluding or preferentially including any particular interest group or tribe. It is imperative that the processes established by our institution be uniform across campus units, academic disciplines, and that no portion of the University structure be excluded from the requirement for engaging with tribal and descendant communities in the process of NAGPRA, AB 275, or any additional policies or regulations that mandate such relationship building. The standards laid out by this (and future iterations of said) committee should be upheld by all departments and University administrative units.
This statement exists in tandem with other state and federal regulations, and does not supersede the jurisdiction of Federal or State Agencies, who would be consulted along with the Tribal communities in any undertakings falling under their authority.