Notice2025-08473
Notice of Intended Repatriation: American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 14, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the American Museum of Natural History 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 92 (Wednesday, May 14, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 92 (Wednesday, May 14, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20495-20496]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-08473]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0040119; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: American Museum of Natural
History, New York, NY
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 American Museum of Natural History
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 June 13, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Nell Murphy, American Museum of Natural History, 200 Central
Park West, New York, NY 10024, telephone (212) 769-5837, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#16787b6364667e6f56777b787e38796471"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2c4241595e5c44556c4d41424402435e4b">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is published as part of the
[[Page 20496]]
National Park Service's administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA.
The determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of the
American Museum of Natural History, 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 five cultural items have been requested for
repatriation. The five unassociated funerary objects are a pebble, a
stone scraper, an arrowpoint, a glass ring, and a pottery sherd. The
items were excavated from Will County, IL, by George Langford between
1902 and 1913. The AMNH received the items in 1919 as a gift from
George Langford. They were accessioned the same year. The collection
dates to approximately A.D. 800-1400 and the late 17th century.
While it no longer does so, in the past, the Museum applied
potentially hazardous pesticides to items in the collections. Museum
records do not list specific objects treated or which of several
chemicals used were applied to a particular item. Therefore, those
handling this material should follow the advice of industrial
hygienists or medical personnel with specialized training in
occupational health or with potentially hazardous substances.
Determinations
The American Museum of Natural History has determined that:
<bullet> The five 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 Absentee Shawnee Tribe of
Indians of Oklahoma; Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Oklahoma; Eastern
Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma; Forest County Potawatomi Community,
Wisconsin; Hannahville Indian Community, Michigan; Ho-Chunk Nation of
Wisconsin; Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska; Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma;
Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas; Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the
Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas; Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma; Match-e-be-
nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan; Miami Tribe of
Oklahoma; Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota (Fond du Lac Band and
Mille Lacs Band); Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, Michigan;
Omaha Tribe of Nebraska; Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, Oklahoma;
Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; Pokagon Band of Potawatomi
Indians, Michigan and Indiana; Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation; Sac &
Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska; Sac & Fox Nation,
Oklahoma; Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa; Shawnee Tribe;
and the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.
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 June 13, 2025. If competing requests for
repatriation are received, the American Museum of Natural History 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 American Museum of
Natural History 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: April 30, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2025-08473 Filed 5-13-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 14, 2025.
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