Kentucky Museum to Repatriate 82 Native Cultural Items
Published Date: 6/11/2026
Notice
Summary
The William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky plans to return 82 Native American cultural items to their rightful tribes starting July 13, 2026. These items include tools, textiles, and other artifacts found in Kentucky during excavations in 1929. This respectful move honors Native American heritage and follows important federal laws, with no costs or hazards involved.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Return of 91 Native American Artifacts
The William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology intends to repatriate 91 Native American unassociated funerary objects to affiliated tribes. The items (including tools, textiles, projectile points, bone awls, and other artifacts recovered from Kentucky sites excavated in 1929, 1968, and 1969) may be returned on or after July 13, 2026. The museum identifies cultural affiliation with the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma; Shawnee Tribe; and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.
Who Can Request Repatriation and How
Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in the notice may submit an additional written request for repatriation by showing, by a preponderance of the evidence, that they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. Requests must be sent to Dr. Celise Chilcote-Fricker, William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology, University of Kentucky, 1020 Export Street, Lexington, KY 40504, or by email to [email protected]; repatriation may occur on or after July 13, 2026. If competing requests are received, the museum must determine the most appropriate requestor, and joint requests are treated as a single request.
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The William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky has finished checking its collection of Native American human remains and related items. They found a connection to certain tribes and are ready to return these remains and objects starting July 13, 2026. This means tribes can now ask to have their ancestors and belongings sent back, with no costs mentioned.
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The University of Missouri’s Museum of Anthropology has finished checking and listing Native American human remains and related items from several Arkansas sites. These remains and objects are linked to specific tribes and can be returned starting July 13, 2026. This means tribes can soon reclaim their ancestors and cultural items, with no cost mentioned for the process.