Chicago's Field Museum Prepares to Return 96 Cultural Items
Published Date: 10/22/2026
Notice
Summary
The Field Museum in Chicago plans to return 96 Native American cultural items, including baskets, tools, and sacred objects, to the tribes connected to Kern County, California. This repatriation will start on or after November 23, 2026, honoring Native American heritage and respecting their cultural treasures. No money changes hands, but this is a big step in righting history and strengthening relationships.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Return of 96 Native items
The Field Museum intends to return 96 Native American cultural items (4 unassociated funerary objects, 8 sacred objects, and 84 objects of cultural patrimony) that were removed from sites in Kern County, California. The museum identified a connection to the Tejon Indian Tribe and repatriation may occur on or after November 23, 2026. No money changes hands in this repatriation.
Who may request repatriation
Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in the notice may submit a written request for repatriation by showing, by a preponderance of the evidence, that they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. If competing requests are received, the Field Museum must determine the most appropriate requestor; joint requests are treated as a single request. Requests are to be sent to the Field Museum (attention June Carpenter) and repatriation may occur on or after November 23, 2026.
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