Notice of Intended Repatriation: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
Published Date: 2/2/2026
Notice
Summary
The State Museum of Pennsylvania plans to return 10 groups of Native American cultural items, like pottery and pipes, to the tribes connected to them. These items were collected decades ago from sites in New Jersey and have been at the museum for years. The repatriation can start on or after March 4, 2026, with no costs expected for the public.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Museum to Return 10 Native American Lots
The State Museum of Pennsylvania intends to repatriate 10 lots of unassociated funerary objects (including pottery, pipes, chipped stone, groundstone, faunal and botanical remains, pigment, and related items) that were removed from sites in Sussex County, New Jersey, and Pike County, Pennsylvania between about 1931 and 2010. The items have been housed at the museum under various accessions and the repatriation may occur on or after March 4, 2026.
Three Tribes Identified as Affiliated
The State Museum of Pennsylvania determined a connection between the cultural items and the Delaware Nation (Oklahoma); Delaware Tribe of Indians; and the Stockbridge Munsee Community, Wisconsin. Those named Indian Tribes are identified as culturally affiliated with the items in this notice.
Who May Request Repatriation and Process Rules
Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice may submit a written request for repatriation if they show by a preponderance of the evidence that they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. Joint requests are treated as a single request, and if competing requests are received the State Museum of Pennsylvania must determine the most appropriate requestor before repatriation.
No Public Costs Expected for Repatriation
The notice states that repatriation of the cultural items may begin on or after March 4, 2026, and that no costs are expected for the public related to this repatriation.
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The State Museum of Pennsylvania plans to return 11 groups of Native American cultural items, like tools and personal objects, to the tribes they belong to. This repatriation can start on or after March 4, 2026, and involves items collected from various Pennsylvania counties over the last century. No money changes hands, but this is a big step in respecting Native heritage and history.