Cemetery Restoration Program

Cemetery Restoration

Provides services for locating, preserving and protecting abandoned and historic Choctaw cemeteries within the Choctaw Nation service area.

Eligibility

  • Cemetery must be a Choctaw cemetery that includes tribal member burial(s)
  • Relatives must complete a NAGPRA form
  • If cemetery or burial site is located on private property, please submit landowners contact information; once contact is made with the landowner, two agreements must be signed prior to any work: (1) Assessment and Inspection Agreement, (2) Cemetery and Clean-Up Agreement
  • If ground penetrating radar (GPR) is needed to locate unmarked burial(s), an additional form must be signed by the family or landowner
  • If all parties agree, work will begin with an initial assessment report and photo documentation of the site's original condition

How to Apply

Complete and submit application; additional forms may be required.

Additional Information

Provides services for locating, preserving and protecting abandoned and historic Choctaw cemeteries within the Choctaw Nation service area. The Cemetery Restoration team can remotely sense underground features and locate unmarked graves without causing any disturbance to the burials using ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Due to a high level of demand, burial sites services are eligible only once provided through the Cemetery Restoration Program.