Gila Forest Again Notices Repatriation of Remains and Funerary Stones
Published Date: 3/18/2025
Notice
Summary
The U.S. Forest Service in Gila National Forest, New Mexico, plans to return human remains and some funerary stones found on federal lands to Native American tribes or descendants starting April 17, 2025. If no one claims them by March 18, 2026, these remains will be considered unclaimed. This affects tribes and families connected to these remains and ensures respectful handling of these important cultural items.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Deadline to Claim Remains
If no written claim for disposition is received by March 18, 2026, the human remains and associated funerary objects will be declared unclaimed. Written claims must be sent to Camille Howes, GNF Forest Supervisor, 3005 Camino del Bosque, Silver City, NM 88061, telephone (575) 937-4878, email [email protected].
Repatriation of Native Remains
The Gila National Forest plans to return human remains and one lot of funerary stones to Native American lineal descendants or tribes. Disposition may occur on or after April 17, 2025, and the determinations state the remains represent two individuals of Native American ancestry.
Listed Tribes Have Priority
The Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma; Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Reservation, New Mexico; Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; and the Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico have priority for disposition of the human remains and associated funerary objects described in this notice.
Who May Submit Claims
Claims for disposition may be submitted by any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization identified in the notice, or by other such parties that show by a preponderance of the evidence they have priority. Joint disposition requests count as a single request and competing claims will be resolved by the Gila National Forest before disposition.
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Previous: 2025-04376, Notice of Intended Disposition: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Gila National Forest, Silver City, NM
The Gila National Forest in New Mexico plans to return human remains and special burial items found in a rock shelter to Native American tribes or descendants starting April 17, 2025. If no one claims them by March 18, 2026, these remains and items will be considered unclaimed. This affects tribes connected to the area and honors their heritage with respectful care.
Next: 2025-04378, Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Harvard’s Peabody Museum has finished checking its collection and found hair clippings from a Native American teen linked to the Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians and Round Valley Indian Tribes. These remains, collected long ago at the Sherman Institute in California, are ready to be returned starting April 17, 2025. This means the museum is taking important steps to respect Native communities and their heritage.