The National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution plans to repatriate the
following to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
Stephen Bowers collected human remains of a minimum of 106 individuals and 4,415 funerary
objects from Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties, California in 1876-77.
Bowers acquired these human remains and objects through excavations carried out along the
Santa Barbara coast, in nearby river valleys (including the Santa Ynez, Cuyama, and Sisquoc
Rivers), and on San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz islands. Bowers’ excavations focused
on villages and associated burial grounds that predominantly date to the Late Holocene (3500 cal
BP – present), with many dating to the Late Period (1380-1782 AD) and into the early 19 th
century. The human remains and funerary objects have been found to be culturally affiliated
with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
For more information, please contact Matthew Sanger (646-670-6644) by September 18th , 2026,
Repatriation Office, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, NMNH, MRC 138, Washington,
D.C. 20013-7012.