Overview
- The Speed completed a formal repatriation ceremony and handed 24 objects to Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho representatives on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
- The group includes three ceremonial items—a rattle, a beaded pipe bag, and a beaded turtle amulet—and 21 cultural objects such as beaded pouches, moccasins, a cradleboard, a coup stick, and a lance.
- Most items entered the Speed’s collection in 1930 via donor Frederick Weygold, and Speed staff first opened consultations with the tribes in 2023 followed by a 2024 site visit that identified the 24 eligible objects.
- Tribal representatives began transporting the returned items to Oklahoma after the ceremony and said they will keep them in tribal offices until dedicated, culturally appropriate storage is secured.
- The repatriation follows 2024 NAGPRA guidance that strengthened tribal authority, a wave of high-profile returns and new federal grant support, a shift that is prompting museums to update inventories and accelerate returns.