"Righting Historical Wrongs!" Cindi Alvitre Interview

Cindi Alvitre (Tongva/Gabrieleno) is a professor of American Indian Studies at California State University, Long Beach, where she is also the university’s coordinator for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Alvitre has dedicated her life to cultural and historical preservation through her tribe, the Ti’at Society, and California Indian Heritage Center. She has been a leader in protecting Puvunga, an ancient village site located on the grounds of CSU Long Beach. In addition, she is the co-founder of Mother Earth Clan, an organization dedicated to preserving Native American culture, art, language, and history.

Interview of Cindi Alvitre

Alvitre’s interview included “Righting Historical Wrongs!” She discusses her experience working in the area of NAGPRA at California State University, Long Beach. Alvitre shares issues surrounding the preservation and protection of Puvunga, a sacred and ancient village site. She provides details of her involvement with NAGPRA on campus. She singles out the role of Anthropologists in the past that controlled NAGPRA in California and Arthur Sanger’s skull collection.