Notice2025-14276
Notice of Inventory Completion: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, 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 Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History 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 35726-35727]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-14276]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6356; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0040613; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural
History, Santa Barbara, 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 Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
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 Luke Swetland, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural
History, 2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara, CA 93105, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#107c636775647c717e745063727e7164656275223e7f6277"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="325e414557465e535c567241505c5346474057001c5d4055">[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
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 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, at least, one individual have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The human
remains include a cranium and mandible. They were removed from an
unprovenienced prehistoric cemetery on one of the Channel Islands,
Santa Barbara County, CA, in the 1930s and subsequently donated or sold
to the U.S.C. Dental School. The head of the U.S.C. Dental School later
gave them to Dr. J.D. Lowry, a family friend of John Nusser. Dr. Lowry
gave Mr. Nusser the cranium and mandible sometime around 1995, when Mr.
Nusser was in medical school. Mr. Nusser donated them to the Museum in
2001.
Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The human
remains include an acromion process of a right scapula. The human
remains were anonymously mailed to the Museum in an envelope with a
postmark of April 17, 2010, sent from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Inside the envelope was a handwritten note that read, ``This bone
fragment along with some beads (that are lost) (??? white) were taken
from the Channel Islands Hillsides more than 30 years ago by a
relative. I would like to return them to where they belong. I am sure
they are Chumash origin. Thank you.'' No other information was
provided.
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 Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History has determined that:
<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 in this
notice and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians of the Santa
Ynez Reservation, California and the Tejon Indian Tribe.
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 Santa Barbara Museum of Natural
History 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 Santa
Barbara Museum of Natural History is responsible for sending a copy of
this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native
[[Page 35727]]
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. 2025-14276 Filed 7-28-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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