Harvard's Peabody Museum repatriates West Coast tribal human remains
Published Date: 12/18/2025
Notice
Summary
Harvard’s Peabody Museum has finished checking its collection and found two Native American human remains linked to tribes in Oregon and California. Starting January 20, 2026, these remains can be officially returned to the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Elk Valley Rancheria, and Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation. If you want to request repatriation, you’ll need to contact the museum soon—no money changes hands, just respect and care.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Two Native American Remains Identified
The Peabody Museum identified human remains representing at least two Native American individuals from the Khustenete Site (Oregon State Site #35CU157) in Curry County, Oregon. The museum determined these remains are culturally affiliated with the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Elk Valley Rancheria (California), and the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation.
Repatriation Can Occur Starting January 20, 2026
Repatriation of the human remains described may occur on or after January 20, 2026. Written requests for repatriation must be sent to Jane Pickering at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, email [email protected].
Who May Request Repatriation and Competing Requests
Requests for repatriation may be submitted by any one or more of the tribes named in this notice, by any lineal descendant, or by any tribe or organization not named that shows by a preponderance of the evidence it is affiliated. If competing requests are received, the Peabody Museum must determine the most appropriate requestor before repatriation; joint requests are treated as a single request.
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