Missouri College Returns 1970s Birdstone to Delaware Nation Ancestors
Published Date: 12/17/2025
Notice
Summary
Culver-Stockton College in Missouri plans to return a special Native American birdstone to the Delaware Nation and other affiliated tribes. This item, linked to Native American burial traditions, will be repatriated starting January 16, 2026. No money changes hands, but this respectful act honors Native culture and history.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Birdstone to be Returned to Tribes
Culver-Stockton College plans to return one unassociated funerary object (a popeye, pink granite birdstone) to groups with a cultural affiliation, including the Delaware Nation (Oklahoma), Delaware Tribe of Indians, and the Stockbridge Munsee Community (Wisconsin). The stone was taken from an unknown site in Sussex, New Jersey and was donated to the college in the mid-1970s by Paul Cory; repatriation may occur on or after January 16, 2026.
Who May Request Repatriation
Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not named in this notice may send a written request for repatriation if they show by a preponderance of the evidence that they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. If competing requests are received, Culver-Stockton College will decide the most appropriate requestor; joint repatriation requests are treated as a single request.
Repatriation Involves No Money Transfer
The notice states that no money changes hands for this repatriation; the college will return the cultural item as an act of repatriation without a monetary exchange. The return is described as a respectful act honoring Native culture and history and may occur on or after January 16, 2026.
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