Notice2025-04191

Notice of Intended Repatriation: Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL

Primary source

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Published
March 17, 2025

Issuing agencies

Interior DepartmentNational Park Service

Abstract

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Illinois State Museum intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 50 (Monday, March 17, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 50 (Monday, March 17, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Page 12349]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04191]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0039407; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Intended Repatriation: Illinois State Museum, 
Springfield, IL

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and 
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Illinois State Museum intends to 
repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of 
unassociated funerary objects and that have a cultural affiliation with 
the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.

DATES: Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice may occur on 
or after April 16, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Dr. Brooke M. Morgan, Illinois State Museum Research & 
Collections Center, 1011 East Ash Street, Springfield, IL 62703, 
telephone (217) 785-8930, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6321110c0c08064d2e0c1104020d230a0f0f0a0d0c0a104d040c15"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="76340419191d13583b1904111718361f1a1a1f18191f0558111900">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is published as part of the 
National Park Service's administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA. 
The determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of the 
Illinois State Museum, and additional information on the determinations 
in this notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in 
the summary or related records. The National Park Service is not 
responsible for the determinations in this notice.

Abstract of Information Available

    A total of 19 cultural items have been requested for repatriation. 
The 19 unassociated funerary objects are five cuprous coils, one 
copper-stained leather wrap with a lock of human hair, one leather wrap 
with many strands, one native gun flint, one blue glass faceted bead 
fragment, one cuprous tinkler cone with fabric tie, two pieces of bison 
hide with fur, three copper-stained pieces of leather, one lot of 
ferrous metal fragments, one lot of unidentified hair or fur, one lot 
of sediment, and one small unidentifiable bone fragment. On an unknown 
date, likely 1929-1931, these objects were removed from either the Fort 
Clark site in Mercer County, ND, or the Greenshield site in Oliver 
County, ND. The items were collected by Alfred Bowers, then later 
stored at the University of Chicago. They were transferred from the 
University of Chicago to the Illinois State Museum sometime prior to 
1973 with materials from the Greenshield site. Based on their 
similarity to funerary objects from other Arikara sites, these 19 items 
are reasonably believed to be unassociated funerary objects from the 
late-18th century Arikara occupation of either the Fort Clark or 
Greenshield sites. The objects are consistent with those found from 
burial contexts at other Arikara sites. Today the Arikara are part of 
the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North 
Dakota.

Determinations

    The Illinois State Museum has determined that:
    <bullet> The 19 unassociated funerary objects described in this 
notice are reasonably believed to have been placed intentionally with 
or near human remains, and are connected, either at the time of death 
or later as part of the death rite or ceremony of a Native American 
culture according to the Native American traditional knowledge of a 
lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization. The 
unassociated funerary objects have been identified by a preponderance 
of the evidence as related to human remains, specific individuals, or 
families, or removed from a specific burial site or burial area of an 
individual or individuals with cultural affiliation to an Indian Tribe 
or Native Hawaiian organization.
    <bullet> There is a reasonable connection between the cultural 
items described in this notice and the Three Affiliated Tribes of the 
Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota.

Requests for Repatriation

    Additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural items 
in this notice must be sent to the authorized representative identified 
in this notice under ADDRESSES. Requests for repatriation may be 
submitted by any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian 
organization not identified in this notice who shows, by a 
preponderance of the evidence, that the requestor is a lineal 
descendant or a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian 
organization.
    Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice to a requestor 
may occur on or after April 16, 2025. If competing requests for 
repatriation are received, the Illinois State Museum must determine the 
most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint 
repatriation of the cultural items are considered a single request and 
not competing requests. The Illinois State Museum is responsible for 
sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian 
organizations identified in this notice and to any other consulting 
parties.
    Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 
25 U.S.C. 3004 and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.9.

    Dated: January 23, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2025-04191 Filed 3-14-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on March 17, 2025.

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