Uncle Sam Returns Ancient Bones: Alabama University's Tribal Repatriation Notice
Published Date: 2/11/2026
Notice
Summary
The University of Alabama at Birmingham has finished checking and listing Native American human remains and related items found at an old village site in Alabama. These remains and objects are now officially linked to certain Native tribes, and they can be returned to those tribes starting March 13, 2026. If you want to request the return, contact the university’s anthropology department soon!
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Tribes May Request Return Starting March 13, 2026
If you are a member or lineal descendant of the Alabama‑Coushatta Tribe of Texas; Poarch Band of Creek Indians; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; or the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, you can request repatriation of one Native American individual's remains and 818 associated funerary objects from site 1Cu24 starting on March 13, 2026. Send written requests to Dr. Lauren Downs, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Anthropology, using the contact information in the notice.
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Key Dates
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The University of Alabama at Birmingham has finished checking and listing Native American human remains and related items found at an old village site in Alabama. These remains and objects will be returned to the right Native tribes starting March 13, 2026. If you want to request the return, contact the university’s anthropology department soon!