Museum Ships Death Moccasins Back to Cheyenne Tribe—Ghostly Giveaway
Published Date: 4/18/2025
Notice
Summary
The Shelburne Museum in Vermont plans to return seven important Native American cultural items, including death moccasins, sacred objects, and a ceremonial shirt, to the Cheyenne tribe starting May 19, 2025. These items were collected long ago and are being respectfully sent back under a special law protecting Native American heritage. No money changes hands, but this is a big step in honoring Native culture and history.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Shelburne Museum to Return Seven Cheyenne Items
The Shelburne Museum intends to repatriate seven Native American cultural items that are affiliated with the Tsitsitas/Suhtai (Cheyenne). The items include one pair of death moccasins (an unassociated funerary object) and six sacred objects (two umbilical cord cases, a war club, a ceremonial shirt, and two whistles). Repatriation may occur on or after May 19, 2025, and the museum found a reasonable connection between the items and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Oklahoma.
Who Can Request These Items and How
Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization 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. Requests must be sent to the authorized representative named in the notice, and repatriation to a requester may occur on or after May 19, 2025; if competing requests arrive, the Shelburne Museum must determine the most appropriate requestor, while joint requests are treated as a single request.
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