Notice2025-22881
Notice of Intended Disposition: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Forests in Mississippi, Jackson, MS
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
December 16, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Forests in Mississippi intends to carry out the disposition of human remains and associated funerary objects removed from Federal or Tribal lands to the lineal descendants, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization with priority for disposition in this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 239 (Tuesday, December 16, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 239 (Tuesday, December 16, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Page 58269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-22881]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6603; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041337; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Disposition: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service, National Forests in Mississippi, Jackson, MS
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 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service, National Forests in Mississippi intends to carry out the
disposition of human remains and associated funerary objects removed
from Federal or Tribal lands to the lineal descendants, Indian Tribe,
or Native Hawaiian organization with priority for disposition in this
notice.
DATES: Disposition of the human remains and associated funerary objects
in this notice may occur on or after January 15, 2026. If no claim for
disposition is received by December 16, 2026, the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice will become unclaimed human
remains and associated funerary objects.
ADDRESSES: Send written claims for disposition of the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice to William MacNeill,
Heritage Program Manager, National Forests in Mississippi, 6425
Lakeover Road, Suite A, Jackson, MS 39213, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#72051b1e1e1b131f5c1e5c1f13111c171b1e1e32070116135c151d04"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="582f31343431393576347635393b363d313434182d2b3c39763f372e">[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
National Forests in Mississippi, and additional information on the
human remains and associated funerary objects in this notice, including
the results of consultation, can be found in the related records. The
National Park Service is not responsible for the identifications in
this notice.
Abstract of Information Available
Based on the information available, human remains representing at
least three individuals have been reasonably identified. The 10 boxes
of associated funerary objects include ceramic sherds, lithic flakes,
and projectile points. These were recovered from the Little Spanish
Fort Site/22Sh522 on the Delta National Forest in Sharkey County,
Mississippi. This is a large site with a mound, earthen ditch, and bank
that has documented cultural components including the Archaic, Middle
and Lake Woodland (Marksville, Baytown, and Deasonville), and
Mississippian periods. The human remains and funerary objects were
removed during a University of Southern Mississippi field school in
1993. The Little Spanish Fort is located within the historical and
ancestral lands of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Mississippi Band of
Choctaw Indians, and the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians.
Determinations
The National Forests in Mississippi has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of three individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The 10 boxes of objects described in this notice are
reasonably believed to have been placed intentionally with or near
individual human remains at the time of death or later as part of the
death rite or ceremony.
<bullet> The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and The Choctaw
Nation of Oklahoma have priority for disposition of the human remains
and associated funerary objects described in this notice.
Claims for Disposition
Written claims for disposition of the human remains and associated
funerary objects in this notice must be sent to the appropriate
official identified in this notice under ADDRESSES. If no claim for
disposition is received by December 16, 2026, the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice will become unclaimed human
remains and associated funerary objects. Claims for disposition may be
submitted by:
1. Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian
organization 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 they have priority for disposition.
Disposition of the human remains and associated funerary objects in
this notice may occur on or after January 15, 2026. If competing claims
for disposition are received, the National Forests in Mississippi must
determine the most appropriate claimant prior to disposition. Requests
for joint disposition of the human remains and associated funerary
objects are considered a single request and not competing requests. The
National Forests in Mississippi is responsible for sending a copy of
this notice to the lineal descendants, 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. 3002, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.7.
Dated: November 17, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2025-22881 Filed 12-15-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on December 16, 2025.
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