BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
X-WR-CALNAME:www.indybay.org
PRODID:-//indybay/ical// v1.0//EN
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:Indybay-18448963
SEQUENCE:18466964
CREATED:20070921T225800Z
DESCRIPTION:Immediate Release:  September 20, 2007\n\nContact: Reno Franklin 
 707-591-0580 Ext 105; Lalo Franco 559-925-2831;\nRadley Davis 530-917-6064; 
 James Hayward 530-410-2875; Morning Star\nGali 510-827-6719; Corbin Collins 
 510-652-1567; Mark LeBeau\n916-801-4422\n\nNative Americans & Social 
 Justice Allies to Rally at UC Berkeley to\nProtect Native Ancestral Remains 
 & Sacred Objects\n\nWhere:  Sproul Plaza at UCB\n\nWhen:  October 5, 2007 
 at High Noon\n\n\nBerkeley, CA―All Native American people and social 
 justice allies are\nurged to attend and bring signs to a vocal and peaceful 
 demonstration\ndesigned to protect Native ancestral remains and sacred 
 objects\ncurrently housed at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB). 
 UCB\nis attempting to terminate the critically important 
 Tribal\nconsultation and Native American Graves Protection and 
 Repatriation\nAct (NAGPRA) program at the university. This 
 tribally-supported NAGPRA\nprogram was developed in accordance with federal 
 and state laws and is\na semi-autonomous unit within the Hearst Museum. 
 NAGPRA is a federal\nlaw that mandates federally funded museums to conduct 
 an inventory of\nand identify Native human remains and cultural items in 
 their\ncollections. In addition the museum is charged to consult 
 with\nculturally affiliated Indian tribes, Alaska Natives, and 
 Native\nHawaiians regarding repatriation. The NAGPRA program at UCB 
 is\nresponsible for insuring the museum complies with the Act 
 and\nrepatriate items when appropriate.\n\nThe Native NAGPRA Coalition has 
 been calling for a meeting with UCB\nChancellor Birgeneau for months to 
 resolve the problem. Staff of\nGovernor Schwarzenegger's Office have also 
 been attempting to assist\nin scheduling the meeting. Yet, the highest 
 ranking UCB official\nrefuses to meet.\n\n"Although the long-standing 
 program has completed a number of\nNAGPRA-required tasks, there is still a 
 great deal to be\naccomplished," said Reno Franklin, Member of the NAGPRA 
 Coalition and\nKashia Pomo Tribe. "The decision to cut the program was 
 based on a\nbiased report written by two archeologists who represent 
 research\ninterests that often conflict with tribal claims on the 
 museum's\ncollection of ancestral remains," he added.\n\n"Prior to the 
 decision to cut the tribally-supported NAGPRA program at\nUCB proper and 
 timely notice was not afforded to the tribes," said\nRadley Davis, Member 
 of the Coalition and Pit River Nation. "This act\nof tribal exclusion is 
 intolerable and demonstrates the overall\nmuseum's and Vice Chancellor's 
 significant lack of commitment to and\nrespect for the living tribal people 
 of the Americas and their\ndeceased," he added.\n\n"The progressive NAGPRA 
 program supported by the tribes is being\nreplaced with a substandard 
 service more to the liking of the\narchaeologists whom wrote the report," 
 said James Hayward, Member of\nthe Coalition and Redding Rancheria. "If the 
 substandard service is\nallowed to be implemented, UCB and tribes will lose 
 the only qualified\nprogram for fair and objective consultation and 
 documented research on\nrepatriation issues," he added.\n\n"The UCB is a 
 public institution that is obliged to adhere to the\nhighest standards of 
 non-discrimination," said Lalo Franco,\nRepresentative of the Coalition and 
 Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi Yokut\nTribe. "When a decision has an extremely 
 negative impact on a specific\ncommunity; when that community is 
 deliberately excluded from the\ndecision process; and when that same 
 process heavily favors opposing\nstakeholders, internal management 
 perogatives must give way to\nconcerns of public justice," he 
 added.\n\n"The reorganization must be stopped and the review process must 
 be\nreopened to include Natives," said Morning Star Gali, Member of 
 the\nCoalition and Pit River Nation. She continued, "UCB must: 
 1)\nacknowledge that while the Hearst Museum may temporarily 
 control\nancestral remains and sacred objects, control does not 
 constitute\nownership; 2) recognize the importance of the traditional 
 and\nspiritual significance of ancestral remains and sacred objects 
 to\ntribes; 3) strike a just balance between the interests of Natives 
 and\nscientists; 4) acknowledge that the goals of NAGPRA and the goals 
 of\nthe Museum are distinct and should not be confused; and 5) 
 understand\nthat NAGPRA is not just one more Museum "activity" that can be 
 blurred\nwith other priorities in ways that trivialize its profound 
 importance\nto Natives."\n\nNAGPRA became Law on 11/16/90. It applies to 
 any institution or State\nor Local government agency that receives Federal 
 funds and has\npossession of Native American cultural items, including 
 human remains.\n\nXXXX\n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/09/21/18448963.php
SUMMARY:Native Americans Rally At UCB over. Ancestral Remains
LOCATION:Sproul Plaza at UCB (Bancroft and Telegraph)\n\nNative Americans & Social 
 Justice Allies to Rally at UC Berkeley to\nProtect Native Ancestral Remains 
 & Sacred Objects
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/09/21/18448963.php
DTSTART:20070921T190000Z
DTEND:20070921T200000Z
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR