Another Auburn notice: Bones and artifacts for Native return
Published Date: 9/23/2026
Notice
Summary
Auburn University at Montgomery has finished checking and listing Native American human remains and artifacts found in Alabama. These items are linked to local Indian Tribes, and they can be returned starting October 23, 2026. If you want to request the return, contact the university soon—no money changes hands, just respect and care for history.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Named Tribes Identified for Repatriation
If you are a member of one of the listed Indian Tribes, Auburn University at Montgomery has determined a cultural affiliation and those Tribes may request repatriation. The notice explicitly names the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas; Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town; Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana; Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma; Jena Band of Choctaw Indians; Kialegee Tribal Town; Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; Poarch Band of Creek Indians; Seminole Tribe of Florida; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma; and the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town as culturally affiliated.
Who May Request and When
You may request repatriation by sending a written request to Kimberly Pyszka at Auburn University at Montgomery (P.O. Box 244023, Montgomery, AL 36124) or by the email listed in the notice. Repatriation may occur on or after October 23, 2026, and requests may be submitted by (1) any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in the notice, or (2) any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not identified who shows by a preponderance of the evidence that they are culturally affiliated. If competing requests are received, Auburn University at Montgomery must determine the most appropriate requestor; requests for joint repatriation are treated as a single request.
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Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2026-19477, Notice of Inventory Completion: Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN
Indiana State University has finished checking and identifying Native American human remains and a funerary object found in Dearborn County, Indiana. These remains belong to two Native American individuals, and the university is ready to return them to the affiliated tribes starting October 23, 2026. If you want to request the return, contact ISU soon—no money changes hands, just respect and care for these important cultural items.
Next: 2026-19479, Notice of Inventory Completion: Auburn University at Montgomery, Montgomery, AL
Auburn University at Montgomery has finished checking its collection of Native American human remains and burial items. They found these items belong to certain Native tribes and plan to return them starting October 23, 2026. If you want to request the return, contact the university soon—this is a big step in respecting Native heritage with no cost involved.