Yale, Harvard Return Ancestors and Artifacts to Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians

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The repatriation process took four years to complete, involving many visits to the East Coast by Chumash representatives. It was the culmination of years of consultation and collaboration between the tribe and both institutions, said Marshall, who is the tribe’s NAGPRA representative.

“I promised my ancestors that I was gonna bring them back, and it took a while, but we did it,” she said. There were many difficult conversations, and turnover of staff at Harvard forced Marshall to retell her story repeatedly. The scale of the repatriation also prolonged the process.

Ultimately, though, Marshall said they created a relationship with both institutions that was transparent and genuine. 

“They learned from us; they listened. It did not come without conflict and hard conversations, but ultimately, they did the right thing,” Marshall said. “The people who are in place now respect cultural knowledge, and it ended up with our ancestors and their belongings coming home in a positive way, leaving behind respectful relationships.”