Alaska Office Completes Review of Burial Items
Published Date: 5/28/2026
Notice
Summary
The Bureau of Land Management in Alaska has finished checking and identifying Native American human remains and related burial items. These remains, linked to local tribes, are ready to be returned starting June 29, 2026. This means tribes can now request the return of these important cultural items, with no costs mentioned.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Ancestral Remains Identified for Return
At least 10 Native American individuals and 21 associated funerary objects held by the University of Pennsylvania Museum have been identified as culturally affiliated with the Native Village of Nanwalek (English Bay), Native Village of Port Graham, and the Seldovia Village Tribe. These human remains and objects are eligible for repatriation and may be returned on or after June 29, 2026.
Who May Request Repatriation
Written repatriation requests must be sent to the Bureau of Land Management contact listed in the notice and may be submitted by any one or more of the Indian Tribes named in the notice, or by any lineal descendant or Indian Tribe/Native Hawaiian organization that shows cultural affiliation by a preponderance of the evidence. If competing requests are received, the BLM will determine the most appropriate requestor; joint repatriation requests are treated as a single request.
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Key Dates
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Previous: 2026-10563, Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska State Office, Anchorage, AK
The Bureau of Land Management in Alaska has finished checking human remains found in 1964 and confirmed they belong to Native American ancestors linked to the Native Village of Ouzinkie. Starting June 29, 2026, these remains can be officially returned to the tribe. This is a respectful step to honor Native heritage with no costs involved for the public.
Next: 2026-10565, Notice of Intended Repatriation: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska State Office, Anchorage, AK
The Bureau of Land Management in Alaska plans to return a special cultural item—a prehistoric artificial bone eye—to Native American tribes connected to it. This item, found in a 1932 archaeological dig, will be repatriated starting June 29, 2026. This respectful return honors Native traditions and involves no cost to the public.