Chickasaw Tribe Requests Human Remains Returned For Ceremonial Reburial

Wednesday, the Tulsa City Council will vote whether or not to release Native American human remains and artifacts back to their respective tribes.

Inventory has been taken of all Native American artifacts stored at the Gilcrease Museum, and workers there found some things tribes would like back.

"It is extremely important for the tribal citizens to maintain their cultural heritage," said community member Cheryl Cohenour.

In 1990, the federal government passed the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act - the law requires museums to catalog Native American artifacts.

Cohenour said, "Any ceremonial, religious artifacts, or human remains."

"And to offer them back to the tribes for repatriation, to hand them back," said Tulsa City Attorney Mark Swiney.

While many tribes requested their artifacts remain stored at the Gilcrease, two local tribes requested some things back.

Cohenour said, "The first one is burial remains, and an actual skeleton."

The Chickasaw Nation wanted back the human remains for a ceremonial reburial.

"It's respectful, and it corrects some of those injuries that were done to Native Americans," Swiney said.

The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma wanted meeting minutes recorded between 1830 and 1911 returned, now that they have their own museum and can house them appropriately.

City leaders said they are proud to have been allowed to display the artifacts at the Gilcrease.

"It helps to identify all of those good things about Native American history to Americans," Swiney said.

Gilcrease Museum still has a lot Native American artifacts stored and displayed in Tulsa.