From an archaeological dig, to the complicated work of returning ancestral remains, WYSO covered a wide range of issues related to Indigenous affairs this year.
WYSO is one of the only publications in Ohio with a reporter focused on covering Indigenous affairs. We focus on issues related to the state's removed tribes and other related news topics.
Here are our top three stories on Indigenous issues from this year.
1. An Ohio nonprofit holds 6,500 Indigenous remains. Tribal leaders want to rebury them
As of March, Ohio History Connection possessed around 6,500 Native American human remains from Ohio’s removed tribes that the Ohio History Connection possesses — one of the largest such collections in the nation.
Updates to the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act — known as NAGPRA — have the Ohio History Connection and tribes on a countdown to identify and decide what to do with those remains.
2. Over 2,000 artifacts recovered in West Dayton archaeological investigation
Thousands of artifacts have been recovered in Dayton after an archaeological investigation of a former Native American settlement.
In the spring of 2025, the city of Dayton concluded an archaeological investigation on the historic Lichliter Village to assess if the surrounding area is suitable for future development. This yielded artifacts that will now be in the care the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.
3. Broken treaties, heavy hearts: New Ohio historic marker details the Wyandot Removal Trail
The Wyandot were the last American Indian tribe to leave the state. In 1843, more than 600 Wyandots made the arduous passage on foot from Upper Sandusky to Cincinnati to board steamboats heading west.
To memorialize the loss the Wyandot peoples endured, the first of 13 historic markers was unveiled in Upper Sandusky. The other markers will be placed over the next seven years across Ohio.
