Museum Updates Tribal Connections in a Louisiana Repatriation Notice
Published Date: 6/16/2025
Notice
Summary
Louisiana State University’s Museum of Natural Science updated its list of Native American tribes connected to some human remains and artifacts. The Chitimacha Tribe now shares cultural ties with several other tribes, including the Caddo Nation and Choctaw groups. If other tribes think they’re linked, they should reach out by August 1, 2025, and repatriation can start after July 16, 2025.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation permitted after July 16, 2025
If you are an authorized requester, repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects described in the original notice may occur on or after July 16, 2025. The museum states repatriation will proceed after that date if no additional claimants come forward.
Museum recognizes shared tribal affiliations
The LSU Museum of Natural Science has determined there is a connection between certain human remains and the following tribes: Caddo Nation of Oklahoma; Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana; Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana; Jena Band of Choctaw Indians; Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; and the Tunica‑Biloxi Indian Tribe of Louisiana. This is an official amendment to the museum's earlier November 18, 2022 notice.
Deadline to claim cultural affiliation: August 1, 2025
Any other Indian Tribe that believes it is culturally affiliated with the human remains and associated funerary objects must contact Dr. Irene Martí Gil at the LSU Museum of Natural Science before August 1, 2025. If no additional claimants contact the museum by that date, repatriation may proceed after July 16, 2025.
Who may request repatriation and how competing claims are handled
Repatriation requests may be made by any of the tribes named in this notice or by any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization that shows by a preponderance of the evidence it is affiliated. If competing requests are received, the LSU Museum of Natural Science must determine the most appropriate requestor before repatriation; joint requests are treated as a single request.
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