Buffalo Museum Returns 1891 Ceramic Pot to Alabama Native Tribes
Published Date: 4/18/2025
Notice
Summary
The Buffalo Museum of Science plans to return a special ceramic vessel linked to Native American tribes from Alabama, following a request under a law protecting Native American graves. This item, collected way back in 1891, will be repatriated starting May 19, 2025. This respectful act helps honor Native American heritage and strengthens cultural ties without any cost impact.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Museum to Return Ceramic Funerary Vessel
If you are a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma or an affiliated Muskogean-speaking Tribe, the Buffalo Museum of Science intends to repatriate one unassociated funerary ceramic vessel (catalog number C478) that was collected in 1891 from Mound D at Moundville, Hale County, Alabama. The repatriation may occur on or after May 19, 2025.
Who Can Request the Item and How
Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not named in the notice may submit a written request for repatriation if they show by a preponderance of the evidence that they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. If competing requests are received, the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences must decide the most appropriate requestor before repatriation; joint requests are treated as a single request. Repatriation may occur on or after May 19, 2025.
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