Harvard Museum to Repatriate Native American Remains
Published Date: 7/8/2026
Notice
Summary
Harvard’s Peabody Museum has finished checking its collection of Native American human remains and burial items. They found ties to specific tribes and Native Hawaiian groups, and these items can be returned starting August 7, 2026. This means tribes can now ask for their ancestors and belongings back, with no money involved—just respect and care.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Inventory Identified Remains and Objects
The Peabody Museum completed its inventory and identified the physical remains of 13 Native American individuals and 46 associated funerary objects. These remains and objects have been determined to have cultural affiliation and are available for repatriation starting August 7, 2026.
Who Can Request Repatriation
Written repatriation requests may be submitted starting August 7, 2026 by the named Indian Tribes (Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma), any one or more of those tribes, a lineal descendant, or another tribe or Native Hawaiian organization that shows cultural affiliation by a preponderance of the evidence. Send requests to Jane Pickering, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 or the email address listed in the notice.
Museum Decision Rules for Competing Requests
If competing repatriation requests are received, the Peabody Museum must determine the most appropriate requestor before repatriation. Requests submitted jointly are treated as a single request and not competing requests.
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