VivirLatino

The practice many universities and museums have of destroying and pilfering native peoples burial grounds in the name of “knowledge” is a long, disgusting and obscene practice. It is one that stems from the belief that Native bodies are extinct and “of the world.” That is, Native peoples are a rare species that never polluted, used every part of the buffalo, and cried at all the garbage the rest of us left all over their land. Not quite human. A morally superior species, yes–the Nobel Savage. But still a savage.

And when you combine the nobel savage mythology with the idea that “Indians are all dead,” you get a whole bunch of anthropologists, archeologists, and every other “ist” out there thinking that they’d better study these odd beings before they all disappear. By any means necessary.

Native peoples have demanded the practice of removing bodies from burial grounds be ended–to little avail. Now, they are working on getting the stolen family members and loved ones back. Please, if you’re in the Cali area, support this protest in any way you can!

COME JOIN US AND TELL THEM THAT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!
35 YEARS IS TOO LONG TO BE PLAYING WITH THE REMAINS OF OUR FAMILY!!

The university knows that keeping these remains prevents the local native tribes from sending their students here, as a result native students are lined itemed as 0% of the school population
This is disrespectful and an outrage!!
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Did you know?
The University property west of North Torrey Pines Road is well known to local Indians as a gravesite to be left undisturbed forever. The Kumeyaay today continue to recognize this area as an ancestral burial ground.

The Kumeyaay Cultural Repatriation Committee (KCRC) was formed to communicate with anyone that is in possession of human remains or as otherwise necessary to deal with these issues.
Over the past 80 years, countless Kumeyaay remains have been removed from the site, remaining under the authority of UCSD and, from a Kumeyaay perspective, inappropriately shipped across the country.

The KCRC has made many attempts to enter dialogue with UCSD regarding these collections. In the past, UCSD took no action on the issue and was not forthcoming about the existence of its collection of human remains.

Recently UCSD formed an ad hoc committee to determine the cultural affiliation of two sets of human remains removed from UCSD property. Beyond that, the University has made no noticeable effort to resolve the rights of the KCRC in the case of any other remains removed in the past.

In keeping with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) of 1990, the committee’s responsibility is to determine the cultural affiliation of the two sets of human remains in question. The committee has no Native representation on the ad hoc committee to assist with this process.
Kumeyaay cultural perspective locates their people in the San Diego County area from time immemorial and suggest there is no scientific reason to believe that a cultural die off or burn out occurred based off of cultural and anthropological data- this evidence supports that the human remains located on UCSD property are indeed Kumeyaay.
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Dear Chancellor Marye Anne Fox,

As a representative of the UCSD community, I want UCSD to deal fairly, compassionately, and within the spirit of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. I recognize the significance of the views of the Kumeyaay Cultural Repatriation Committee and feel that the valid claim of Native people takes precedence over the claim of researchers. All human remains should be afforded dignity and respect. UCSD has a responsibility to the greater San Diego community and to the tribes that have been forced off the lands the university now occupies.