Harvard Museum Prepares to Return Native American Remains to Tribes
Published Date: 9/12/2025
Notice
Summary
Harvard’s Peabody Museum just finished checking its collection of Native American and Native Hawaiian human remains and related items. They found clear cultural connections to certain tribes and groups, meaning these items can now be returned to their rightful communities. This update affects those tribes and sets the stage for respectful repatriation, with no costs or deadlines mentioned yet.
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Human Remains Eligible for Repatriation
If you are a member of an Indian Tribe or a Native Hawaiian organization, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard completed an inventory under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and determined cultural affiliation for human remains and associated funerary objects. Those remains and objects are identified as able to be returned to affiliated tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations; the notice does not list any dates, costs, or deadlines.
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