Baylor Museum Lists Unclaimed Native Remains for Return
Published Date: 12/17/2025
Notice
Summary
Baylor University's Mayborn Museum in Texas finished checking their collection and found some old human remains and related items with no known Native American group connected to them. Starting January 16, 2026, these remains and objects can be requested for return. This update affects museums, tribes, and anyone interested in repatriation, with no costs mentioned.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation Requests Open Jan 16, 2026
If you are a lineal descendant, an Indian Tribe, or a Native Hawaiian organization, you may submit a written request to Baylor University's Mayborn Museum for repatriation on or after January 16, 2026. Requests must show, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the requester is a lineal descendant or an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with cultural affiliation.
Inventory Found Two Individuals, 24 Objects
Baylor University's Mayborn Museum identified human remains representing two Native American individuals and 24 associated funerary objects. The items were donated to the museum in 1995 and include artifacts removed from Valley Mills, Coryell County, Texas, and from an unknown Texas location.
Competing Requests and Joint Claims Rules
If more than one eligible requester seeks repatriation, Baylor University's Mayborn Museum must determine the most appropriate requestor before repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation are treated as a single request, not competing requests.
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