Museum Returns Ancestral Remains to Tribes After Inventory Check
Published Date: 3/18/2026
Notice
Summary
The Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa has finished checking its collection of Native American human remains and burial items. They found these items belong to certain Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian groups. Starting April 15, 2026, these remains and objects can be returned to their rightful communities, with no cost to them.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Tribes Identified for Repatriation
The Gilcrease Museum determined human remains and associated funerary objects are culturally affiliated with the Quapaw Nation and The Chickasaw Nation. Repatriation to affiliated communities may occur on or after April 15, 2026.
Who May Request Repatriation
Requests for repatriation may be submitted by any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice, or by any lineal descendant or tribe/organization not identified that shows by a preponderance of the evidence cultural affiliation. Send written requests to Laura Bryant, Gilcrease Museum, 1400 N Gilcrease Museum Road, Tulsa, OK 74127, or the email address provided in the notice. If competing requests are received, the museum will determine the most appropriate requestor; joint requests are treated as a single request.
Quantity and Origins of Items Listed
The notice reports human remains representing 10 individuals and 87 associated funerary objects. The objects and remains came from archaeological sites in DeSoto County, Mississippi (Harris site 22DS504; Irby site 22DS516; Lake Cormorant site 22DS501; Walls Site).
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