What to Do Instead
Greetings. Our program is frequently contacted by well-intentioned individuals hoping to donate found or inherited cultural items (e.g., arrow points, etc.). Under no circumstances can we accept such items. The reasons for this are moral, ethical, practical, and legal. Read Artifacts, Cultural Items, and Indigenous Belongings.
We invite you to learn more about the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), and Portland State’s actions towards compliance. NAGPRA is a federal law meant to protect Native American, Alaska Native, and Kānaka Maoli / Native Hawaiian rights, ancestral remains, and funerary items.
Please contact nagpra@pdx.edu if you have inadvertently uncovered such items or are interested in support with returning items to their rightful place.
More guidance on artifacts and human remains is available for PSU employees.