Hearing will discuss CSU, UC's efforts to return Native American remains

SACRAMENTO – State tribal leaders and lawmakers will hear from California State University and University of California administrators on Tuesday about efforts to return Native American human remains and objects.

The California State Auditor has conducted three audits in the last five years over how remains should respectfully be returned to tribes.

On Tuesday, there will be a news briefing with tribal leaders and lawmakers and an oversight hearing by the Select Committee on Native American Affairs and the Joint Committee on legislation.

The CSU audit revealed collections of more than 700,000 remains, although not all collections were accounted for.

UC Berkeley's campus had a sizeable collection.

Native Americans have long sought to have human remains returned to appropriate tribes for decent and proper reburial.

The human remains are frequently stored in boxes on shelves.