Texas Parks Returns Gulf Coast Remains: Polite Procedure
Published Date: 8/31/2026
Notice
Summary
The University of Texas at Austin and Texas Parks and Wildlife have finished checking their collections and found Native American human remains and items linked to tribes from the Texas Gulf Coast. Starting September 30, 2026, these remains and objects can be returned to the tribes. This is a respectful step to honor Native American heritage, with no costs or deadlines beyond the repatriation date.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Cultural Affiliation Found for 193 Remains
The University of Texas Austin (TARL) and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department determined that human remains representing 193 Native American individuals and 1,320 associated funerary objects are culturally affiliated with a set of named Tribes. The notice lists affiliated Tribes including the Alabama-Coushatta Tribes of Texas; Apache Tribe of Oklahoma; Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Oklahoma; Comanche Nation, Oklahoma; Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas; Kiowa Tribe; Mescalero Apache Tribe; Thlopthlocco Tribal Town; Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; and the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, Oklahoma.
Repatriation Eligibility and Process Rules
Repatriation of these items may occur on or after September 30, 2026. Requests for repatriation may be submitted by any one or more of the Tribes named in the notice, by any lineal descendant, or by an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization not named that shows cultural affiliation; TARL will determine the most appropriate requestor if competing requests are received, and joint repatriation requests are treated as a single request.
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