New York-Linked Pottery Set for Tribal Return
Published Date: 7/8/2026
Notice
Summary
The Denver Art Museum has finished checking some old pottery pieces linked to Native American tribes from New York. Starting August 7, 2026, these items can be returned to the Haudenosaunee tribes, who are connected to the objects. This is a respectful step to give back important cultural items without any cost or danger involved.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Three Pottery Sherds Returned to Haudenosaunee
The Denver Art Museum will return three associated funerary pottery sherds (accession numbers 1934.121–1934.123) to the Haudenosaunee tribes connected to them. These objects were removed in 1903 from the Silverheels Site on the Cattaraugus Reservation in Erie County, New York, and repatriation may occur on or after August 7, 2026.
Who May Request Repatriation
Written repatriation requests may be submitted to the Denver Art Museum by any one or more of the listed Haudenosaunee tribes, a lineal descendant, or another tribe/organization that shows cultural affiliation by a preponderance of the evidence. If competing requests are received, the Denver Art Museum must determine the most appropriate requestor before repatriation; joint requests are treated as a single request.
Objects Identified as Safe to Return
The Denver Art Museum reports there are no known hazardous materials used to treat these three objects, indicating no known safety or contamination barriers to repatriation. The museum has determined the objects are associated funerary objects connected to the listed Haudenosaunee tribes.
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