Honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Holding the CSU Accountable to Proper Reburials

CFA and our members honor our Native and Indigenous colleagues, students, and community members on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, October 13. The holiday celebrates Indigenous peoples who have lived on this land since time immemorial and commemorates their histories and cultures. 

For decades, Native Americans have advocated for Indigenous Peoples’ Day to replace Columbus Day, which glorifies Christopher Columbus’ landing in the Americas, an event that led to centuries of colonial oppression and genocide of Indigenous peoples. More than a dozen states and a hundred cities have adopted Indigenous Peoples’ Day, choosing to honor the resilience of Native Americans, their invaluable contributions, and their stewardship of the land.  

In our commitment to anti-racism and social justice, CFA start meetings and events with a Land Acknowledgment drafted by the Native and Indigenous Peoples Caucus (NAIPC) written with the blessing of California Indian elders. Land Acknowledgments not only honor the land but seek to recognize and uplift the California Indian people and tribes. To begin relationship building and to better understand the traditional people of the land on which you are living, please visit this resource site: Native-Land.ca.  

Members of our (NAIPC) lead in our advocacy for and address issues affecting Native and Indigenous faculty, students, and staff across the CSU system and in higher education.  

The caucus has drawn attention to the failures of the CSU administration to return ancestral remains and cultural items held on many campuses. They have emphasized how a June 2023 audit revealed that at least 21 of the CSU’s 23 campuses possess nearly 700,000 sacred artifacts. The audit also found that 12 of the 21 CSU campuses with collections, some of which include ancestral remains, had not completed the required reviews of the 2001 California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (CalNAGPRA).   

Lawmakers passed CalNAGPRA in response to the slow pace of repatriation in compliance with the federal law, NAGPRA. CalNAGPRA was designed to close loopholes in the federal statute and allow tribes to claim ancestral remains and cultural items regardless of whether they have federal recognition.  

This legislative cycle, CFA members sponsored Assembly Bill (AB) 977 which is a vital step toward fulfilling long overdue obligations under CalNAGPRA. Gov. Newsom approved the bill on September 26, 2024, and it will require the CSU to identify and designate three burial sites on CSU-owned land, in consultation with California Indian tribes, for the proper reburial of Native American ancestral remains.  

This Indigenous Peoples’ Day, CFA and our members reaffirm our commitment to holding CSU administrators accountable to CalNAGPRA. The day also serves as a reminder to continuously educate ourselves on the lived experiences, cultures, traditions, and contributions of Indigenous peoples, as well as their visions for the future.  

The Native American and Indigenous Peoples Caucus has compiled a list of relevant articles, books, and websites.