University Prepares to Repatriate Native Remains from Local Site
Published Date: 11/18/2025
Notice
Summary
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has finished checking and listing Native American human remains and related items found at a local archaeological site. These remains and objects are linked to specific Native tribes, and they can be returned to those tribes starting December 18, 2025. If you want to request the return, contact UTC before then—no money changes hands, just respect and care.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation Available December 18, 2025
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga completed an inventory showing human remains (at least two individuals) and 41 lots of associated funerary objects. Repatriation of these items may occur on or after December 18, 2025; contact Kylie Williamson at UTC (615 McCallie Avenue, Dept. 2101, Chattanooga, TN 37403 or [email protected]) to request return.
Who May Request Repatriation
Requests for repatriation may be submitted by the Cherokee Nation, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, The Muscogee (Creek) Nation (the tribes identified in this notice), or by any lineal descendant, tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization that can show by a preponderance of the evidence cultural affiliation. If competing requests are received, UTC must determine the most appropriate requestor; joint requests are treated as a single request.
Inventory Provenance and Safety Information
The materials came from site 40HA210 (Lupton Site) excavated in November 1984 and April 1985; ancestral remains were transferred from UTK to UTC on May 15, 2025. The notice states there are no known potentially hazardous substances used to treat the remains or associated funerary objects.
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