Missouri Museum Lists Nearly 10,000 Items for Repatriation
Published Date: 7/2/2026
Notice
Summary
St. Joseph Museums, Inc. has finished checking and listing Native American human remains and nearly 9,600 related artifacts. These items are linked to certain tribes, and they can be returned starting August 3, 2026. If you want to request the return, contact the museum soon—this is a big step in respecting Native heritage!
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Museum IDs remains and 9,586 artifacts
St. Joseph Museums, Inc. completed an inventory and determined the human remains of at least two Native American individuals and 9,586 associated funerary objects are culturally affiliated with the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska. The objects come from collections tied to the Leary Site (25RH1 and 25RH2) with collection dates noted in 1956, 1961, 1962, 1967, and the 1970s (one note indicating 1977).
Who may request repatriation and timing
Repatriation may be requested by any Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in the notice, or by lineal descendants or other tribes/organizations that show by a preponderance of the evidence they are affiliated. Repatriation to an approved requestor may occur on or after August 3, 2026; the museum must resolve competing requests and treats joint requests as a single request.
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