Michigan Office Returns Native Burial Objects to Tribes
Published Date: 12/19/2025
Notice
Summary
The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office has finished listing three old funerary objects found in Michigan and confirmed they belong to Native American tribes. Starting January 20, 2026, these items can be officially returned to the tribes. This process helps honor Native American heritage and involves no costs or risks to those handling the objects.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation allowed starting Jan 20, 2026
Three associated funerary objects may be officially returned to affiliated tribes on or after January 20, 2026. The objects are associated with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Michigan.
Who may request repatriation and how
Written requests for repatriation may be sent to Sarah Surface-Evans at the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office (300 N Washington Square, Lansing, MI 48913 or the listed email). Requests may be made by the tribes named in the notice, by lineal descendants, or by other tribes or organizations who show by a preponderance of the evidence that they are culturally affiliated.
Objects identified and handling safety noted
The inventory lists one lot iron axe head, one lot glass beads, and one lot ferrous knife fragment removed from the Fourteen Mile Point site (20ON84), discovered in 1983. The SHPO reported no record or knowledge of treatment with pesticides or preservatives that would pose a hazard to collections or people handling the items.
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