2026-05044Notice

University of Michigan to return Native American remains to tribe

Published Date: 3/16/2026

Notice

Summary

The University of Michigan has finished checking its collection and found one Native American individual connected to the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. Starting April 15, 2026, the university can return these remains to the tribe. This process follows important laws to respect Native American heritage, with no costs or risks involved.

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

University to Return One Native Remains

The University of Michigan identified the physical remains of one Native American individual that it determined are culturally affiliated with the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Michigan. The university may repatriate (return) the remains to the tribe on or after April 15, 2026, and requests must be sent to Dr. Ben Secunda, NAGPRA Office Managing Director, University of Michigan (address and email provided in the notice).

Who May Request Repatriation

Written repatriation requests may be submitted by any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in the notice, or by any lineal descendant or tribe/organization not listed who shows by a preponderance of the evidence that they are a lineal descendant or culturally affiliated. If competing requests are received, the University of Michigan must determine the most appropriate requestor, and joint requests are treated as a single request.

No Hazardous Treatment Found

The University of Michigan reports it has no record or knowledge that the Native American individual was treated with pesticides, preservatives, or other substances that would pose a potential hazard to the individual or to persons handling the remains.

Your PRIA Score

Score Hidden

Personalized for You

How does this regulation affect your finances?

Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this federal register document and every other regulation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to start

Key Dates

Published Date
Effective Date
3/16/2026
4/15/2026

Department and Agencies

Department
Independent Agency
Agency
Interior Department
National Park Service
Source: View HTML

Related Federal Register Documents

Previous / Next Documents

Back to Federal Register

Take It Personal

Get Your Personalized Policy View

Start a Free Government Policy Watch to see how policy affects your household, then upgrade to PRIA Full Coverage for year-round monitoring.

Already have an account? Sign in