Flagstaff Museum Returns Yavapai Ancestors and Artifacts
Published Date: 9/23/2026
Notice
Summary
The Museum of Northern Arizona has finished checking its collection and found human remains linked to the Yavapai tribe from the late 1800s to early 1900s. Starting October 23, 2026, these remains and some funerary objects can be returned to the tribe. This is a respectful step to honor Native American heritage and history.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Yavapai Ancestral Remains Identified for Return
The Museum of Northern Arizona identified human remains of at least three Native American individuals and two associated funerary objects (ground stone manos) from a late 1800s–early 1900s Yavapai habitation (NA10946) and nearby Orme School grounds, excavated in 1970–1971 in Yavapai County, Arizona. The museum determined cultural affiliation with the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation; Yavapai-Apache Nation of the Camp Verde Indian Reservation; and the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe, and these remains/objects may be repatriated on or after October 23, 2026.
Who Can Request Repatriation and How
Repatriation requests may be submitted by any one or more of the three named Yavapai tribes, by any lineal descendant, or by another Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization that shows by a preponderance of the evidence that it is a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. Requests must be sent to Anthony Thibodeau, Director of Research and Collections, Museum of Northern Arizona (3101 N Fort Valley Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001; email [email protected]); repatriation may occur on or after October 23, 2026, and if competing requests are received the museum will decide the most appropriate requestor (joint requests count as a single request).
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