Army Engineers to Repatriate Ancient Pestle and Ancestral Remains
Published Date: 12/18/2025
Notice
Summary
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Walla Walla, WA, finished checking and listing Native American human remains and artifacts. They found a pestle and some remains linked to local tribes and are ready to return them starting January 20, 2026. This means important cultural items will soon go back to their rightful communities, with no costs or delays expected.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation Available Starting January 20, 2026
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, has completed an inventory and will permit repatriation of human remains and associated funerary objects on or after January 20, 2026. The notice covers nine Native American individuals and 41 associated funerary objects that have been identified for return to affiliated tribes.
Who May Request Repatriation
Repatiation requests may be submitted by any one or more of the five named affiliated Indian Tribes (Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation; Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation; Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation; Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon; and the Nez Perce Tribe) and, if joined, the Wanapum Band of Priest Rapids. Any lineal descendant or other tribe not named may also request repatriation if they show by a preponderance of the evidence that they are lineal descendants or culturally affiliated. Repatriation may occur on or after January 20, 2026, and the Corps will determine the most appropriate requestor if competing requests are received.
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