2025-23023Notice

Army Corps to Return Native Remains from Tulsa District Sites

Published Date: 12/17/2025

Notice

Summary

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Tulsa plans to return human remains and 90 related artifacts to Native American tribes or descendants starting January 16, 2026. If no one claims them by December 17, 2026, these items will be considered unclaimed. This is part of respecting Native heritage and following important laws protecting these remains.

Analyzed Economic Effects

4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.

Muscogee (Creek) Nation Has Disposition Priority

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District has determined that the Muscogee (Creek) Nation has priority for disposition of human remains representing one individual and 90 associated funerary objects recovered from the shoreline of Eufaula Lake in McIntosh County, Oklahoma.

Disposition May Occur Starting January 16, 2026

Disposition of the identified human remains and the 90 associated funerary objects may occur on or after January 16, 2026. The human remains and objects were recovered May 28, 1993, from the shoreline of Eufaula Lake, McIntosh County, Oklahoma.

Deadline: Claims Must Arrive by December 17, 2026

If no written claim for disposition is received by December 17, 2026, the human remains and the 90 associated funerary objects will be treated as unclaimed human remains and associated funerary objects.

Who May File Claims and How Competing Claims Are Handled

Written claims may be submitted by any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization; claimants not named in the notice may establish priority by a preponderance of the evidence. Competing claims must be resolved by USACE Tulsa, and joint disposition requests are treated as a single request.

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Key Dates

Published Date
Effective Date
12/17/2025
1/16/2026

Department and Agencies

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Independent Agency
Agency
Interior Department
National Park Service
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