Pennsylvania Museum Ready to Repatriate Native Burial Items and Remains
Published Date: 5/5/2026
Notice
Summary
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.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation Allowed Starting June 4, 2026
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (State Museum of Pennsylvania) says the human remains and funerary objects listed in this notice may be returned to tribes or claimants on or after June 4, 2026. If you represent a listed tribe or are a potential descendant, you can submit a written request for repatriation to the museum contact named in the notice.
Which Parties May Request Repatriation
Requests for repatriation may be submitted by any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations named in the notice, or by any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not named that shows by a preponderance of the evidence they have cultural affiliation. Competing requests will be resolved by PHMC, and joint repatriation requests count as a single request.
Cultural Affiliation With Specific Tribes
The PHMC determined there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains/objects and the following groups: Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; Cayuga Nation; Delaware Nation (Oklahoma); Delaware Tribe of Indians; Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma; Oneida Indian Nation; Oneida Nation; Onondaga Nation; Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe; Seneca Nation of Indians; Seneca-Cayuga Nation; Shawnee Tribe; Stockbridge Munsee Community, Wisconsin; Tonawanda Band of Seneca; and the Tuscarora Nation.
Museum Finds 18 Native Individuals
The State Museum of Pennsylvania identified human remains representing at least 18 Native American individuals and 13 lots of associated funerary objects across multiple accessions. The items were removed from sites in Bucks, Luzerne, and possibly Pike Counties and were received by PHMC between 1947 and 2025.
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Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2026-08757, Notice of Inventory Completion: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
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.
Next: 2026-08759, Notice of Inventory Completion: Museum of Us, San Diego, CA
The Museum of Us in San Diego has finished checking its collection and found human remains and objects linked to Native American tribes. Starting June 4, 2026, these remains and items can be returned to the tribes that they belong to. This is a big step in respecting Native cultures and making sure their history is honored properly.