Harvard to Return Child's Hair from Indian School
Published Date: 3/19/2025
Notice
Summary
Harvard’s Peabody Museum has finished checking its collection and found some Native American hair from a young Bannock individual taken at the Flandreau Indian School in South Dakota. They’ve confirmed these remains belong to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and plan to return them starting April 18, 2025. This means the museum is doing its part to respect Native heritage and make things right.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Peabody Museum to Return Bannock Hair
If you are a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (PMAE) has determined that one set of hair clippings belongs to a 19-year-old identified as "Bannock" and has a cultural affiliation with your tribe; the museum plans for repatriation. The hair clippings were collected at the Flandreau Indian School between 1930 and 1933 and were donated to PMAE in 1935.
Repatriation Earliest Date Set
Repatriation of the human remains described in this notice may occur on or after April 18, 2025. That date is the earliest the Peabody Museum will transfer the remains to an approved requestor.
Who May Request Repatriation
You may submit a written request for repatriation if you are one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice, or if you are a lineal descendant or a tribe/organization not identified that shows by a preponderance of the evidence that you are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. If competing requests are received, PMAE must determine the most appropriate requestor; joint requests are treated as a single request.
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Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2025-04631, Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Harvard’s Peabody Museum has finished checking its collection of Native American human remains and found they belong to specific tribes and Native Hawaiian groups. These remains, mostly hair clippings from several individuals, were collected from places like Utah, California, and New Mexico. Starting April 18, 2025, the museum can begin returning these remains to the rightful communities, honoring their heritage and culture.
Next: 2025-04633, 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 four Native American hair samples from Utah’s Uintah and Ouray Agency. These remains are linked to local tribes, and they’re ready to be returned starting April 17, 2025. This means Native communities can reclaim their ancestors’ remains soon, with no cost or delays expected.