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 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.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Museum to Return 11 Native Lots
The State Museum of Pennsylvania intends to repatriate 11 lots of Native American unassociated funerary objects (for example, pipes, pottery, personal adornments, groundstone, and chipped stone) to tribes. The museum has determined cultural affiliation with the Delaware Nation (Oklahoma), Delaware Tribe of Indians, and the Stockbridge Munsee Community (Wisconsin). Some items in specific lots are also noted as having connections to tribes including Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma; Shawnee Tribe; Cayuga Nation; Oneida Indian Nation; Oneida Nation; Onondaga Nation; Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe; Seneca Nation of Indians; Seneca-Cayuga Nation; Tonawanda Band of Seneca; and the Tuscarora Nation.
Repatriation Eligible Requests Allowed
Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization (including those not named in the 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. If competing requests are received, the State Museum of Pennsylvania must determine the most appropriate requestor; joint requests are treated as a single request.
Repatriation Will Involve No Payment
The notice states that repatriation involves returning the items to affiliated tribes and that no exchange of money occurs in the repatriation described in this notice. Repatriation may occur on or after March 4, 2026.
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Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2026-02020, Notice of Intended Repatriation: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
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.
Next: 2026-02022, Notice of Inventory Completion: New York State Museum, Albany, NY
The New York State Museum has finished checking its collection and found human remains linked to Native American tribes from Saratoga County, NY. Starting March 4, 2026, these remains can be returned to the tribes that are connected to them. This is part of a respectful effort to honor Native American heritage, with no costs or deadlines beyond the repatriation date.