Tennessee Museum Ships Artifacts Back to Tribes
Published Date: 3/19/2025
Notice
Summary
The University of Tennessee’s McClung Museum has finished checking and identifying Native American human remains and artifacts from the Prater Site in Tennessee. These items are linked to specific tribes and will be returned starting April 18, 2025. This means important cultural treasures will soon go back to their rightful communities, honoring their history and heritage.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Return of 68 Native American Remains and 392 Artifact Lots
The University of Tennessee has identified human remains representing at least 68 individuals and 392 lots of associated funerary objects from three Tennessee sites. These items have been determined to be affiliated with the Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma; and Thlopthlocco Tribal Town and may be repatriated on or after April 18, 2025.
Who May Request Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation may be submitted by any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations named in this notice, or by any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not named that shows by a preponderance of the evidence that it is a lineal descendant or has cultural affiliation. Requests must be sent to the University of Tennessee Office of Repatriation as identified in the notice.
Process for Competing Repatriation Requests
If competing requests for repatriation are received, the University of Tennessee and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation - Division of Archaeology must determine the most appropriate requestor before repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation are treated as a single request and are not competing.
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Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2025-04635, Notice of Inventory Completion: Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Division of Archaeology, Nashville, TN
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation just finished checking and listing some Native American human remains and artifacts found in Blount County, Tennessee. These items are linked to local Indian Tribes, and they’re ready to be returned starting April 18, 2025. This means tribes can soon reclaim their ancestors’ remains and belongings, with no costs or risks involved.
Next: 2025-04637, Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA
The University of Pennsylvania Museum has finished checking its collection and found human remains linked to Native American tribes, especially the Penobscot. These remains, an adolescent’s skull found before 1840, can be returned to the tribes starting April 18, 2025. This means the museum is doing its part to respect Native heritage and follow important laws.