Two East Coast museums have returned some Chumash human remains and cultural items in their collections to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
The repatriation was the result of years of discussion.
The items were returned by Harvard's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology and the Yale Peabody Museum.
Tribal officials say the return of the items is the result of several trips to the East Coast and years of talks with the museums. A federal law established a process for tribes to seek the repatriation of human remains and cultural artifacts from institutions that receive federal funding.
