Kentucky Anthropology Museum Completes Inventory for Tribal Repatriation
Published Date: 6/17/2025
Notice
Summary
The William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky has finished checking its collection and found human remains and objects linked to Native American tribes. Starting July 17, 2025, these remains and items can be returned to the tribes that they belong to. This is a respectful step to honor Native American heritage, with no costs or hazards involved.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
67 Native American Remains Eligible for Return
The William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology identified human remains for at least 67 Native American individuals and 232 associated funerary objects that may be returned to tribes or descendants. These remains and objects may be repatriated on or after July 17, 2025, and the notice names six affiliated Tribes in Oklahoma and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Who Can Request Repatriation and How
Written repatriation requests must be sent to the museum representative listed in this notice and may be submitted by any one or more of the six Tribes named in the notice. Requests also may be submitted by any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not named if they show by a preponderance of the evidence that they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated; competing requests must be resolved by the museum before repatriation.
Items Have No Known Hazards
The notice states that for each site and set of remains described, "No known hazardous substances are present." This applies to all listed sites and collections described in the notice.
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