Tennessee Unearths Past: Cataloging Ancient Remains for Return
Published Date: 12/19/2025
Notice
Summary
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has finished listing human remains and artifacts from several Tennessee counties that belong to Native American tribes. Starting January 20, 2026, these remains and objects can be returned to the tribes connected to them. This process respects Native American heritage and involves no costs or hazards to the public.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Inventory Identifies 40 Native Remains
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation found human remains for at least 40 Native American individuals and 22 associated funerary objects from Carter, Claiborne, Greene, Hawkins, Sullivan, and Washington Counties, Tennessee. The remains and objects are identified as culturally affiliated with the Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; Thlopthlocco Tribal Town; and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.
Who Can Request Repatriation and When
The named Indian Tribes in this notice, any lineal descendant, or any other tribe or Native Hawaiian organization that shows, by a preponderance of the evidence, cultural affiliation may send written requests for repatriation to Phillip R. Hodge at TDEC-DOA. Repatriation may occur on or after January 20, 2026; if competing requests are received, TDEC-DOA will determine the most appropriate requestor, and joint repatriation requests are treated as a single request.
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