BIA Notice Moves Ancestral Skull Toward Return to Yankton Sioux
Published Date: 10/22/2026
Notice
Summary
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has finished checking and identified an ancestral skull linked to the Yankton Sioux Tribe from South Dakota. This skull, found among family belongings, can be returned to the tribe starting November 23, 2026. If you want to request the return, contact the BIA soon—this is a respectful step toward honoring Native heritage.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
BIA Identifies Native American Ancestral Remains
The Bureau of Indian Affairs identified human remains representing at least one Native American individual and determined they are culturally affiliated with the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. The skull was reported to have been removed from the Fort Randall Dam area in Gregory County and Charles Mix County during work on the dam between 1945 and 1947.
Earliest Date for Repatriation Set
The notice states that repatriation of the human remains may occur on or after November 23, 2026. Written requests should be sent to Tamara Billie, U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1001 Indian School Road NW, Mailbox 44, Albuquerque, NM 87104, or by email at [email protected].
Who Can Request Repatriation and How Conflicts Are Resolved
The notice allows repatriation requests from any of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in the notice, and from any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not identified who shows by a preponderance of the evidence that they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. If competing requests are received, the BIA will determine the most appropriate requestor; joint repatriation requests are treated as a single request.
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