Auburn lists more burial items for no-cost Native return
Published Date: 9/23/2026
Notice
Summary
Auburn University at Montgomery has finished checking and listing Native American human remains and burial items found in Alabama. These remains and objects are linked to specific Native tribes and can be returned starting October 23, 2026. If you want to request the return, contact the university soon—no money changes hands, but respect and history do!
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation available starting October 23, 2026
Auburn University at Montgomery has determined the collection includes the physical remains of 17 Native American individuals and 863 associated funerary objects, and these items may be repatriated on or after October 23, 2026. The university identified a cultural affiliation between these remains/objects and 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 Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma; and the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town.
Who may request repatriation
Requests for repatriation may be submitted by any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations named in the notice, or by any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not named in the notice that shows cultural affiliation by a preponderance of the evidence. Written requests must be sent to the Auburn University at Montgomery representative listed in the notice.
How competing or joint requests are handled
If competing requests for repatriation are received, Auburn University at Montgomery must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation are treated as a single request and not competing requests.
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Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2026-19483, Notice of Inventory Completion: Auburn University at Montgomery, Montgomery, AL
Auburn University at Montgomery has finished checking and listing Native American human remains and a funerary object found at a historic site in Alabama. These items are linked to local Indian Tribes and 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 these important cultural items.
Next: 2026-19485, Notice of Inventory Completion: Auburn University at Montgomery, Montgomery, AL
Auburn University at Montgomery has finished checking and listing Native American human remains and artifacts found in Alabama. These items are linked to local tribes and could be returned 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.