Here are the replies to a series of questions that I asked the Office of Army Cemeteries at the end of August regarding the return of the remains of students who died at the Carlisle Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. My apologies for taking so long to post this: I received these answers in mid-September. Many thanks to Olivia Van Den Heuvel, public affairs specialist at Arlington National Cemetery, for facilitating this communication.
Northwest Collector: The supplementary information [in the Federal Register of March 3, 2025]* indicates that the disinterments are at the request of family members of the deceased students. Are the family members responsible for taking possession of the remains and reinterring them?
Office of Army Cemeteries: Families and tribes participate throughout the disinterment and return process by making key decisions on where the child will be returned to and permanently buried, as well as conducting cultural ceremonies and prayers, and formatting the final interment headstone. The Army funds the disinterment, transportation, and reinterment of the children.
Q: Can tribes request that remains be returned, or must the requests come from family members?
A: The Office of Army Cemeteries requires a notarized affidavit from the closest known living relative, often identified with tribal input, to comply with Army regulation regarding the disinterment of named remains in an Army cemetery. Determining a child’s closest living relative is at the discretion of the family and tribe. Kinship relations vary greatly across tribal nations and the Army does not dictate how families or tribes make that determination.
Q: How many other students’ remains have been returned so far, and how many graves remain?
A: As of October 2024, the Army has returned 41 children to their families and tribes. The Army is committed to this program and will continue to engage with tribes and families that request the return of their children from the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery.
Prior to this year’s disinterment program, the cemetery contained 135 graves with Native American or Alaskan Native names, 34 graves belonging to military service members and their families, and 19 graves that are reasonably believed to contain the remains of unknown Native American or Alaskan Native children.
Q: Does the Office of Army Cemeteries have a procedure by which it reaches out to tribes to offer the return of remains?
A: The Army conducts robust nationwide in-person consultation with federally recognized tribes and families whose children are buried in the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery.
Q: Do tribes or families ever prefer not to have remains returned or don’t respond, e.g., out of respect for the dead or because the decedent’s family can’t be notified or can’t take possession of the remains?
A: There are a handful of tribes that have requested their loved ones remain in the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery at this time. Out of respect and privacy for those tribes and individuals, we will not provide further details.
The Office of Army Cemeteries stands ready and willing to assist tribes and families requesting the respectful and dignified disinterment of their loved ones from the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery.
Q: Is there anything that the general public can do to help?
A: The Army is grateful to have the support of the public and the tribes throughout this program. We encourage the public to reach out to Dickinson College or Cumberland County Historical Society if they’d like to learn more about the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.
“The Army is honored to conduct the Carlisle Barracks Disinterment Program once again,” said Karen Durham-Aguilera, executive director of Army National Military Cemeteries and the Office of Army Cemeteries. “We are deeply grateful to the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes for their brave commitment to bring their loved ones home.”
Renea Yates, director of the Office of Army Cemeteries, added: “The Office of Army Cemeteries team truly appreciates each of these tribes for the kindness, courage and devotion they’ve shown throughout their journey to bring their children home. We recognize that this is no small undertaking, and we hope that our skilled team can assist in bringing a sense of peace and closure that these families deserve.”
* See “Notice of Intended Disinterment from Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery,” https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/03/03/2025-03357/notice-of-intended-disinterment-from-carlisle-barracks-post-cemetery.
