Reclamation Offers Remains With One-Year Claim Window
Published Date: 6/4/2026
Notice
Summary
The Bureau of Reclamation in Salt Lake City plans to return the remains of at least seven Native American individuals and their funerary items found near Navajo Reservoir to their rightful tribes or descendants starting July 6, 2026. If no one claims them by June 4, 2027, these remains and objects will be considered unclaimed. This action affects Native American tribes connected to these lands and honors their cultural heritage.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation begins July 6, 2026
The Bureau of Reclamation plans to return the human remains of at least seven Native American individuals and 11 associated funerary objects to lineal descendants or Indian Tribes starting July 6, 2026. The remains and objects were recovered as inadvertent finds near Navajo Reservoir in Colorado and New Mexico.
Unclaimed deadline: June 4, 2027
If no written claim for disposition is received by June 4, 2027, the human remains and associated funerary objects described in this notice will be considered unclaimed. Disposition may occur on or after July 6, 2026, if a claim is received before that deadline.
Named Tribes Have Disposition Priority
Reclamation has identified a list of Indian Tribes and pueblos (including the Hopi Tribe; Jicarilla Apache Nation; Navajo Nation; multiple Pueblo governments; Southern Ute; Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah & Ouray; Ute Mountain Ute; Zuni; and others) that have priority for disposition of these remains and funerary objects.
Who May Submit Claims and How
Written claims for disposition may be submitted by any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization identified in the notice or any such party who can show they have priority. Claims must be sent to the Bureau of Reclamation contact in Salt Lake City at the address or email provided in the notice.
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