Forest Service to Return 2,000 Ancient Items to Tribes in Arizona
Published Date: 4/16/2026
Notice
Summary
The Tonto National Forest in Arizona plans to return over 2,000 cultural items, including bones, beads, and pottery, to Native American tribes starting May 18, 2026. This repatriation honors tribal connections and respects sacred objects found on forest land. No money changes hands, but this is a big step in recognizing and respecting Native heritage.
Free Policy Watch
New rules are filed every week. Most people never see them.
Pick a topic. PRIA watches every federal rule and tells you when one hits your household.
Pick a topic to get started
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Planned return of 2,027 cultural items
The Tonto National Forest intends to repatriate a total of 2,027 cultural items (including 2,003 unassociated funerary objects and 24 sacred objects). Repatriation may occur on or after May 18, 2026.
Affiliation assigned to two tribes
The Tonto National Forest determined there is a reasonable connection between the cultural items and the Hopi Tribe of Arizona and the Salt River Pima‑Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt River Reservation, Arizona. Those named tribes are identified as culturally affiliated with the items in this notice.
How other claimants can request items
Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in the notice may submit a written request for repatriation and must show by a preponderance of the evidence that they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. If competing requests are received, Tonto National Forest will determine the most appropriate requestor; joint requests count as a single request.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this regulation affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this federal register document and every other regulation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Take It Personal
Get Your Personalized Policy View
Start a Free Government Policy Watch to see how policy affects your household, then upgrade to PRIA Full Coverage for year-round monitoring.
Already have an account? Sign in