Notice2025-14372

Notice of Intended Repatriation: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA

Primary source

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Published
July 30, 2025

Issuing agencies

Interior DepartmentNational Park Service

Abstract

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of objects of cultural patrimony 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 144 (Wednesday, July 30, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 144 (Wednesday, July 30, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35919-35920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-14372]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[N6374; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0040660; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Intended Repatriation: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 
Richmond, VA

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 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts intends to 
repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of objects 
of cultural patrimony 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 August 29, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the 
cultural items in this notice to Siera Hyte, Virginia Museum of Fine 
Arts 200 N Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23220, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d9aab0bcabb8f7b1a0adbc99afb4bfb8f7b4acaabcacb4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7a09131f081b5412030e1f3a0c171c1b54170f091f0f17">[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 
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts 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 three cultural items have been requested for 
repatriation. The three objects of cultural patrimony are baskets made 
of willow, sedge root, bulrush, feathers, clamshell disk beads, and 
ferns. One basket is dated ca. 1897 and was acquired by the museum as a 
gift from Katherine B. Wallace in 2011. Ms. Wallace acquired the basket 
as a gift from Helen Hannon, who inherited it from her father, Reverend 
John Hannon. Museum records indicated that Reverend Hannon acquired the 
basket while working as a pastor in Ukiah, California around 1897. The 
other two baskets are dated ca. 1900 and were acquired by the museum as 
a part of a gift/purchase agreement with Robert and Nancy Nooter of 
Washington, DC in 2017 and 2018. The basket acquired in 2017 is 
labelled ``Coiled Gift Basket'' and was purchase by the Nooters from 
Gene Quintana in 1986, but beyond that date no further provenance 
information is known. The other basket, acquired in 2018, has no known 
provenance. Results of consultation with the Shabaldano Kai/Sherwood 
Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California's Tribal Historic 
Preservation Office representatives confirm that these three baskets 
are objects of cultural patrimony. To our knowledge, no potentially 
hazardous substances were used to treat the baskets.

Determinations

    The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has determined that:
    <bullet> The three objects of cultural patrimony described in this 
notice have ongoing historical, traditional, or cultural importance 
central to the Native American group, including any constituent sub-
group (such as a band, clan, lineage, ceremonial society, or other 
subdivision), according to the Native American traditional knowledge

[[Page 35920]]

of an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.
    <bullet> There is a reasonable connection between the cultural 
items described in this notice and the Sherwood Valley Rancheria of 
Pomo Indians of California.

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 August 29, 2025. If competing requests for 
repatriation are received, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts 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 Virginia Museum of Fine 
Arts 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: July 15, 2025.
Mariah Soriano,
Acting Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2025-14372 Filed 7-29-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on July 30, 2025.

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