University of Minnesota Returns 40 Groups of Tribal Items
Published Date: 9/23/2026
Notice
Summary
The University of Minnesota plans to return 40 groups of Native American cultural items, like tools and pottery, to the tribes they belong to. These items were collected in the 1940s and may be repatriated starting October 23, 2026. This respectful move honors Native American traditions and involves no costs or hazards.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Return of 40 Native American cultural lots
The University of Minnesota intends to repatriate 40 lots of unassociated funerary objects (including lithic material, ground stone, ceramics, charcoal, soil samples, shell, faunal material, and historic material) that were collected in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota in the 1940s. The University has determined these items have a cultural affiliation with the Upper Sioux Community, and repatriation may occur on or after October 23, 2026.
Who can request repatriation and how
Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization may submit a written request for repatriation by showing, by a preponderance of the evidence, that they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. Requests must be sent to Dylan Goetsch, University of Minnesota, Office of Native American Affairs (address and email provided in the notice); competing requests will be resolved by the University, and joint requests are treated as a single request.
Items reported safe from hazardous substances
University records indicate that the 40 lots of cultural items contain no known hazardous substances. The notice explicitly states the University's records show no known hazardous substances associated with these items.
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