Museum to Return 19 Native Artifacts to Tribes
Published Date: 3/18/2026
Notice
Summary
Whitman College’s Maxey Museum plans to return 19 important Native American cultural items, including copper bracelets and sacred objects, to the tribes they belong to. This repatriation will start on or after April 17, 2026, honoring Native traditions and history. No money changes hands, but this is a big step in respecting Native heritage and keeping culture alive.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Museum to Return 19 Tribal Items
The Whitman College Maxey Museum intends to repatriate 19 Native American cultural items — 12 unassociated funerary copper bracelets and 7 sacred objects (including fan-shaped boards, a rectangular robe, a cedar stick, a bone hackler, a stone chisel, and a model baby and board) — with a cultural affiliation to the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe. The repatriation may occur on or after April 17, 2026, and the items date to pre-1900; no money changes hands in this transfer.
Who Can Request Repatriation
Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization may submit a written request for repatriation of these items to Whitman College. If competing requests are received, the Whitman College Maxey Museum must determine the most appropriate requestor before repatriation; joint requests are treated as a single request.
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