Civil & Administrative

Notice of Intended Repatriation: Field Museum, Chicago, IL

🇺🇸United States··Notice·Medium Impact·View source ↗

AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.

🇬🇧 English

The Field Museum in Chicago is set to return select cultural items to Native American groups, as required by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). This includes items such as baskets, sacred objects, and tools that were collected in 1901 from Native American tribes in California. Affected groups can request the return of these items before the repatriation date in May 2026.

AI-generated summary. May contain errors. Refer to official sources for legal decisions.

Key Changes

  • Repatriation of cultural items to Native American tribes
  • Field Museum's compliance with NAGPRA
  • Items will be returned starting May 18, 2026

Obligations

What this law requires

high

The Field Museum must repatriate certain cultural items to the Tejon Indian Tribe as per the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

museums
Repatriation can occur starting May 18, 2026.
operational
high

Lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations must submit written requests for the repatriation of cultural items to the authorized representative identified in the notice.

lineal descendantsIndian TribesNative Hawaiian organizations
before the repatriation date
reporting
medium

The Field Museum must send additional written requests for repatriation of cultural items to June Carpenter, as specified in the notice.

lineal descendantsIndian TribesNative Hawaiian organizations
reporting
medium

The Field Museum must determine the most appropriate requestor for repatriation if competing requests are received.

Field Museum
operational
medium

All requests for repatriation must be submitted with evidence that the requestor is a lineal descendant or a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.

lineal descendantsIndian TribesNative Hawaiian organizations
reporting

Affected Parties

Field MuseumTejon Indian Tribe

Tags

repatriation,cultural heritage,indigenous rights