On November 17, 1990, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was signed into law by the United States Congress. This act mandates the return of specific kinds of items to Native Americans, makes illegal their trafficking across state lines, and establishes the processes and procedures for archaeological excavations. Five categories of items are identified in the law: human remains, associated funerary items, unassociated funerary items, items of cultural patrimony, and sacred items. The law covers any institution that receives federal funds and has possession of or control over Native American cultural items. Pomona College is one such institution.
The first requirement of the act was an inventory of human remains and associated funerary items and written summaries of unassociated funerary items, sacred items, and items of cultural patrimony. The museum contracted with a NAGPRA specialist, Amy Simmons, to meet the first requirement, and an inventory was completed and submitted in 1993.
The next requirement was to directly consult with appropriate tribal representatives to more accurately identify the geographical and cultural affiliation of each item on the 1993 inventory. Pomona College completed this process in 1995, and the information was published in the Federal Register on September 12, 2002.
An on-site consultation with Barnaby V. Lewis, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Gila River Indian Community, in August of 2012 identified and confirmed 57 items that met the requirements for repatriation. A formal claim by the Gila River Indian Community and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community followed on July 29, 2013.
Arrangements for repatriation of these items was scheduled to take place in April of 2020 The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic required a postponement of these plans, which will soon be rescheduled. With the guidance and permission of the tribal representatives, Steve Comba, who was given permission to handle these items through the consultation in 2012, moved the items to a separate area of the new museum to await their eventual return.