Tulsa Museum Returns Turtle Pipe and Chunkey Stone
Published Date: 7/2/2026
Notice
Summary
The Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa plans to return three Native American cultural items—a stone scraper, a turtle pipe bowl, and a chunkey stone—to the tribes connected to them. These items, linked to burial ceremonies, were taken from sites in Mississippi and will be repatriated starting August 3, 2026. This respectful move honors Native traditions and involves no cost to the public.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Museum to Return Three Funerary Items
If you are affiliated with The Chickasaw Nation, the Gilcrease Museum has determined three unassociated funerary objects (a stone scraper, a turtle effigy pipe bowl, and a chunkey stone) are culturally connected to the Nation and intends to repatriate them. The repatriation may occur on or after August 3, 2026.
Who Can Request Repatriation and How
Lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations may submit written requests for repatriation to Laura Bryant at Gilcrease Museum, 1400 N. Gilcrease Museum Road, Tulsa, OK 74127, or by email at [email protected]. Requestors must show by a preponderance of the evidence that they are lineal descendants or culturally affiliated; competing requests will be resolved by the Gilcrease Museum and joint requests count as a single request. Repatriation may occur on or after August 3, 2026.
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