Cultural Heritage Office

Mission

Established to cultivate an environment that honors and uplifts the voices of Tribal communities and Native American students, ensuring the preservation of cultural heritage and the fundamental rights of Indigenous peoples through compliance with and commitment to the principles of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and CalNAGPRA.

CSUMB is dedicated to returning Native American human remains and cultural items within its possession back to the Native American Tribes.

CSUMB's Cultural Heritage Collections

From 1995 to approximately 2015, CSUMB archeology faculty and students engaged in architectural excavations of local colonial sites. The purpose of the architectural excavations was to locate the site’s original structures, foundations, walls, and buildings associated with the structure (e.g. Neophyte housing, blacksmith’s workshop, etc.). As of 2023, the collections are in the care of the Cultural Heritage Office. 

CSUMB is in possession of Native American Ancestral Remains and other culturally affiliated items. In compliance with State and Federal laws, CSUMB will begin to respectfully process, catalog, and properly maintain the Ancestral Remains and cultural objects until they can be returned in accordance with State and Federal laws. 

If you have any questions concerning CSUMB's Cultural Heritage Collections, please contact CSUMB’s CalNAGPRA Coordinator, Jordan Leininger who can be reached at (831) 582-3479 or by email at nagpra@csumb.edu.

CSUMB Land Acknowledgment

Cal State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) resides on the indigenous homeland of the Amah Mutsun, Esselen, Ohlone, Rumsen, Salinan people and territories. It is on these rich homelands, where CSUMB not only thrives as an institution of higher education, but also provides an education abundant with service and experience to a diverse community of learners. As our students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members explore the university’s campus, remember to respect the land and take note of the natural beauty. Remember that ancestors rest below pathways and in other less traveled areas on campus. We Are Here - Let Ka Lai

References:

California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center and CSUSM American Indian Studies (n.d.). Land Acknowledgement: You’re on California Indian Land, Now What?. Retrieved January 8, 2024, from https://www.csusm.edu/cicsc/land.pdf
Monterey County Historical Society
State of California - Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) Website
Native Land Digital 

If you would like to learn more about Native American Tribes in Monterey County, please visit:


*This Land Acknowledgement was originally developed by Dr. Browning Neddeau, Dr. Shantel Martinez, and Chairwoman Louise J. Miranda Ramirez (Tribal Chairwoman of the Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation). This statement was revised to include all of our campus sites, including CSUMB @Ryan Ranch, the National Steinbeck Center @CSUMB, CSUMB @North Salinas, the Marine Science collaboration with Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, and the Teacher Pathway Program, a dual program between Hartnell and CSUMB in King City. As the boundaries of our university may shift and along with it new information about the people and territories in our region, we will continue to review the Land Acknowledgement at our annual Tribal-University Convenings in collaboration with tribal leaders.

The revised statement was updated in consultation with Monterey County tribal leaders and CSUMB’s Native American Council. The statement was confirmed at the February 2024 University-Tribal Convening, and signed by CSUMB President Quinones on March 11, 2024.