Dartmouth Museum Prepares to Return Ancestors and Cultural Items
Published Date: 6/16/2025
Notice
Summary
The Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College has finished checking its collection and found Native American human remains and related items that belong to certain tribes. Starting July 16, 2025, these remains and objects can be returned to the tribes. This is a respectful step to honor Native American heritage and follows important laws protecting their ancestors.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Nine Native Ancestors and 108 Items Identified
The Hood Museum of Art has identified human remains representing at least nine Native American individuals and 108 associated funerary objects. These remains and objects are documented as eligible for repatriation and may be returned to affiliated tribes or claimants on or after July 16, 2025.
Tribes Identified as Culturally Affiliated
The notice names specific Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations as having a cultural affiliation with the identified remains and objects; the list includes the Ak-Chin Indian Community; Cocopah Tribe of Arizona; Colorado River Indian Tribes; Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation; Fort Mohave Indian Tribe; Fort Sill Apache Tribe; Gila River Indian Community; Havasupai Tribe; Hopi Tribe; Hualapai Indian Tribe; Jicarilla Apache Nation; Mescalero Apache Tribe; Navajo Nation; Ohkay Owingeh; Pascua Yaqui Tribe; multiple Pueblos of New Mexico (including Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, Jemez, Laguna, Nambe, Picuris, Pojoaque, San Felipe, San Ildefonso, Sandia, Santa Ana, Santa Clara, Taos, Tesuque, Zia); Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community; San Carlos Apache Tribe; Santo Domingo Pueblo; Southern Ute Indian Tribe; Tohono O'odham Nation; Tonto Apache Tribe; Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah & Ouray Reservation; Ute Mountain Ute Tribe; White Mountain Apache Tribe; Yavapai-Apache Nation; Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe; Ysleta del Sur Pueblo; and the Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico.
Who Can Request Repatriation and How Requests Are Handled
Repatriation requests may be submitted by any one or more of the tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations named in the notice, or by any lineal descendant, tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization (not named) that shows by a preponderance of the evidence a cultural affiliation. If competing requests are received, the Hood Museum of Art must determine the most appropriate requestor; joint repatriation requests are treated as a single request. Requests may be sent to the Hood Museum of Art beginning with the authorized representative listed in the notice.
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