Mercyhurst Uni to Return Remains to Distant Tribes
Published Date: 12/17/2025
Notice
Summary
Mercyhurst University has finished checking its collection and found Native American human remains and some related items from Kentucky. These remains are linked to specific tribes, and starting January 16, 2026, they can be returned to their rightful communities. This is a respectful step to honor Native American heritage, with no costs or deadlines beyond the repatriation date.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation Opens on Jan 16, 2026
If you are an Indian Tribe, Native Hawaiian organization, or a lineal descendant, you may request repatriation of human remains and funerary objects described in this notice. Mercyhurst University identified human remains representing 17 Native American individuals and 19 associated funerary objects from sites in Christian County, Kentucky, and repatriation may occur on or after January 16, 2026.
Who Can Request Repatriation
Requests for repatriation may be submitted by any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in the notice, or by any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not identified who shows by a preponderance of the evidence that they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. If competing requests are received, Mercyhurst University must determine the most appropriate requestor; joint repatriation requests are treated as a single (non‑competing) request.
Determinations: 17 Remains, 19 Objects
Mercyhurst University determined the remains represent at least 17 Native American individuals and 19 associated funerary objects removed from Buzzard Cave, Dry Cave, and Glover's Cave on the Glover Farm in Christian County, Kentucky, with removal dates between about 1941 and the mid‑1960s. The university identified cultural affiliation with the Absentee‑Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma; Shawnee Tribe; The Osage Nation; and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.
Where to Send Repatriation Requests
Written requests for repatriation must be sent to Anne Marjenin at Mercyhurst University, 501 East 38th Street, Erie, PA 16546, or by the email address provided in the notice. Repatriation requests may be submitted by the identified tribes, by lineal descendants, or by other tribes/organizations that demonstrate cultural affiliation.
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