Mississippi Archives Lists Native Remains, Free to Taxpayers
Published Date: 8/31/2026
Notice
Summary
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History finished checking and listing Native American funerary objects tied to certain tribes. Starting September 30, 2026, these items can be returned to the tribes that they belong to. This update affects tribes connected to these objects and helps honor their cultural heritage without any cost to the public.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
22 Lots Identified for Repatriation
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History identified 22 lots of associated funerary objects that are culturally affiliated with The Chickasaw Nation. These 22 lots include items like fired clay, beads, ceramics, lithics, soil samples, ochre, and faunal bone awls, and no human remains are present.
How and When Tribes Can Request Items
Repatriation may occur on or after September 30, 2026. Requests for repatriation may be made by the Indian Tribes identified in the notice or by lineal descendants or other tribes who show cultural affiliation by a preponderance of the evidence; competing requests will be resolved by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and joint requests are treated as a single request. The notice states the repatriation honors cultural heritage and occurs without any cost to the public.
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Previous: 2026-17704, Notice of Intended Repatriation: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
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