Notice2025-14257
Notice of Inventory Completion: University of California, Merced, Merced, CA
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
July 29, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of California, Merced (UC Merced) has completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 143 (Tuesday, July 29, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 29, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35731-35732]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-14257]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6355; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0040611; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: University of California, Merced,
Merced, CA
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 University of California, Merced (UC
Merced) has completed an inventory of human remains and has determined
that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and
Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
DATES: Repatriation of the human remains in this notice may occur on or
after August 28, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains
in this notice to Robin Maria DeLugan, University of California, 5200
Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c4b6a0a1a8b1a3a5aa84b1a7a9a1b6a7a1a0eaa1a0b1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="55273130392032343b1520363830273630317b303120">[email 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 UC
Merced and additional information on the determinations in this notice,
including the results of consultation, can be found in its inventory or
related records. The National Park Service is not responsible for the
determinations in this notice.
Abstract of Information Available
Human remains representing two individuals have been identified. No
associated funerary objects are present. The crania of an adult and a
youth, likely Native American per observation by two UC Merced
biological anthropologists, were found in a house off Hwy. 49,
Oakhurst, CA, when the deceased owner's home was cleared out. The human
remains were brought to a UC Merced professor of archaeology sometime
after 2010. Only after the professor's retirement did campus become
aware of these human remains. They are in the wooden crate and in the
same condition as found in the house. The person who brought the crania
to campus told us that the homeowner had found the crania on his
property. There are no funerary or other associated objects. They
continue to be held in a safe and secure location on campus.
Based on geographical location and information provided during
consultation, the human remains are affiliated to Miwok, Mono, and
Yokut Tribes. The following federally recognized Miwok, Mono, and Yokut
Tribes have an interest in Madera County, CA: Big Sandy Rancheria of
Western Mono Indians, California Valley Miwok Tribe, Chicken Ranch
Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians,
Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, Tule River Indian Tribe, and
Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians.
Cultural Affiliation
Based on the information available and the results of consultation,
cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical
location or acquisition history of the human remains described in this
notice.
Determinations
The UC Merced has determined that:
[[Page 35732]]
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of two individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> There is a connection between the human remains described
in this notice and the Big Sandy Rancheria of Western Mono Indians of
California; California Valley Miwok Tribe, California; Chicken Ranch
Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California; Northfork Rancheria of Mono
Indians of California; Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of
California; Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation,
California; and the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of the Tuolumne
Rancheria of California.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the human remains in this
notice must be sent to the authorized representative identified in this
notice under ADDRESSES. Requests for repatriation may be submitted by:
1. Any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations identified in this notice.
2. 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 an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with
cultural affiliation.
Repatriation of the human remains described in this notice to a
requestor may occur on or after August 28, 2025. If competing requests
for repatriation are received, the UC Merced must determine the most
appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint
repatriation of the human remains are considered a single request and
not competing requests. The UC Merced is responsible for sending a copy
of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations
identified in this notice.
Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.
Dated: July 9, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2025-14257 Filed 7-28-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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