Rutgers University Repatriates Native Remains and Artifacts to Tribes
Published Date: 3/19/2026
Notice
Summary
Rutgers University has finished checking its collection and found one Native American ancestor’s remains along with 29 special items. These remains are linked to local Native tribes, and starting April 20, 2026, they can be returned to the rightful communities. This is part of a respectful effort to honor Native heritage and history.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Remains and Objects Eligible for Repatriation
Rutgers identified the physical remains of one Native American individual and 29 associated funerary objects (including a projectile point, red ochre nodules, a non-human bone awl, deer antler tip, turtle shells, small stones, and a tube of soil). These remains and objects may be repatriated to eligible requestors on or after April 20, 2026.
Tribes Identified as Affiliated
Rutgers determined there is a cultural affiliation between the remains/objects and the Delaware Nation, Oklahoma and the Delaware Tribe of Indians. That affiliation is the basis for repatriation decisions described in this notice.
Who May Request Repatriation and How
Written repatriation requests must be sent to Carol McCarty at Rutgers (85 Somerset Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08904) and may be submitted by: (1) any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice; or (2) any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not identified that shows by a preponderance of the evidence that it is a lineal descendant or has cultural affiliation. Repatriation may occur on or after April 20, 2026; if competing requests are received, Rutgers must determine the most appropriate requestor, and joint requests are considered a single request.
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