State Museum to Send New Jersey Native Remains Back to Tribes
Published Date: 5/5/2026
Notice
Summary
The State Museum of Pennsylvania has finished checking its collection and found Native American human remains and special burial items from sites in New Jersey. These items are linked to Native tribes and can be returned starting June 4, 2026. If you’re part of a tribe or interested, you can ask the museum to send these remains and objects back.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation Available Starting June 4, 2026
The State Museum of Pennsylvania says the human remains and associated funerary objects described in this notice may be returned starting on June 4, 2026. To request repatriation, you can send a written request to Cherilyn Gilligan, PHMC, State Museum of Pennsylvania, 400 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120 or email [email protected].
Who Can Request Repatriation
Repatriation requests may be submitted by any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations named in this notice, or by a lineal descendant or other tribe/organization that shows by a preponderance of the evidence they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. Competing requests will be resolved by the PHMC before repatriation.
Items Identified: Nine Individuals, 14 Lots
The PHMC identified human remains representing at least nine Native American individuals and 14 lots of associated funerary objects from multiple archaeological sites in New Jersey and Pennsylvania (including Davenport, Zierdt, Herring, Kutztown Boro Farm, Sandts Eddy, Zimmerman, and Pike County sites). Some accessions and potential missing items are noted by the museum.
Tribes Identified as Culturally Affiliated
The PHMC determined a cultural affiliation between the human remains/objects and the Delaware Nation (Oklahoma), Delaware Tribe of Indians, and the Stockbridge Munsee Community (Wisconsin). These named tribes are identified as affiliated parties in this notice.
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The State Museum of Pennsylvania has finished checking its collection and found human remains and burial items linked to Native American tribes. Starting June 4, 2026, these remains and objects can be returned to the tribes. This process affects the museum, Native communities, and anyone interested in cultural heritage, with no costs mentioned but important timing to note.