Notice2025-22919
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Primary source
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Published
December 16, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University (PMAE) intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, and 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 239 (Tuesday, December 16, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 239 (Tuesday, December 16, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58270-58271]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-22919]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6644; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041378; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Peabody Museum of Archaeology
and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
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 Peabody Museum of Archaeology and
Ethnology, Harvard University (PMAE) intends to repatriate certain
cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary
objects, sacred objects, and 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 January 15, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the
cultural items in this notice to Jane Pickering, Peabody Museum of
Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue,
Cambridge, MA 02138, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#264c564f454d43544f484166404755084e47545047544208434253"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a5cfd5ccc6cec0d7cccbc2e5c3c4d68bcdc4d7d3c4d7c18bc0c1d0">[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
PMAE, 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 30 cultural items has been requested for repatriation.
Unless otherwise noted, all items were likely removed by Frank Hamilton
Cushing between 1886 and 1889 as part of the Hemenway Southwestern
Archaeological Expedition.
The one lot of unassociated funerary objects from the Casa Blancas
in Maricopa County, AZ, consists of shell fragments, ceramic beads, and
ceramic fragments.
The one lot of sacred objects from the Casa Blancas in Maricopa
County, AZ, consists of stone pendants, stone discs, stone projectile
points, ceramic fragments, and faunal remains.
The one lot of unassociated funerary objects from the Ciudad de la
Mesa site in Maricopa County, AZ, consists of ceramic, stone, obsidian,
and shell items.
The one lot of sacred objects from the Ciudad de la Mesa site in
Maricopa County, AZ, consists of shell items.
The one lot of unassociated funerary objects from the La Ciudad de
los Pueblitos site in Maricopa County, AZ, consists of bone faunal
remains and ceramic items.
The one lot of sacred objects from the La Ciudad de los Pueblitos
site in Maricopa County, AZ, consists of stone and ceramic items.
The one lot of unassociated funerary objects from the Las Acequias
site in Maricopa County, AZ, consists of ceramic, shell, bone,
turquoise, wood, and obsidian items, fiber basket fragments, corn and
other floral remains, and faunal remains.
[[Page 58271]]
The one lot of sacred objects from the Las Acequias site in
Maricopa County, AZ, consists of stone, ceramic, obsidian, and wood
items.
The one lot of unassociated funerary objects from the Los Guanacos
site in Maricopa County, AZ, consists of ceramic, bone, shell, adobe,
quartz, turquoise, stone items, cloth and pigment fragments, and corn.
The one lot of sacred objects from the Los Guanacos Site in
Maricopa County, AZ, consists of clay, ceramic, stone, sandstone, and
wood items.
The one lot of unassociated funerary objects from the Los Hornos
site in Maricopa County, AZ, consists of wood, bone, metal, ceramic,
shell, quartz and stone items, turquoise fragments, charcoal and floral
and faunal remains.
The one lot of sacred objects from the Los Hornos site in Maricopa
County, AZ, consists of wood, ceramic and stone items.
The one lot of unassociated funerary objects from the Los Muertos
site in Maricopa County, AZ, consists of shell, ceramic, clay, stone,
turquoise, terracotta, bone, quartz items, floral and faunal remains,
and pigment and mineral fragments.
The one lot of sacred objects from the Los Muertos site in Maricopa
County, AZ, consists of stone, ceramic, shell, bone, obsidian items,
and mineral fragments.
The one lot of objects of cultural patrimony from the Los Muertos
site in Maricopa County, AZ, consists of cardium shell disks.
The one lot of unassociated funerary objects from the Pueblo de las
Canopas site in Maricopa County, AZ, consists of ceramic, shell, wood,
and stone items, and corn and floral remains.
The one lot of sacred objects from the Pueblo de las Canopas site
in Maricopa County, AZ, consists of ceramic, stone and shell items.
The one lot of unassociated funerary objects from the Pueblo del
Patricio site in Maricopa County, AZ, consists of stone and ceramic
items.
The one lot of sacred objects from the Pueblo del Patricio site in
Maricopa County, AZ, consists of ceramic, stone and shell items.
The one lot of unassociated funerary objects from the Pueblos
Aribas site in Maricopa County, AZ, consists of shell items.
The one lot of sacred objects from the Pueblos Aribas site in
Maricopa County, AZ, consists of shell items.
The one lot of unassociated funerary objects from Gila Bend in
Maricopa County, AZ, consists of shell items.
The one of lot of unassociated funerary objects from Phoenix,
Maricopa County, AZ, consists of stone items.
The one lot of sacred objects from Casa Blanca, Pinal County, AZ,
consists of ceramic items.
The one lot of sacred objects from Maricopa County, AZ, consists of
ceramic items.
The one lot of objects of cultural patrimony from Maricopa County,
AZ, consists of wood items.
The one lot of sacred objects from Maricopa County, AZ, with
unknown provenance consists of stone items.
The one lot of sacred objects from Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ,
consists of stone and obsidian items that were likely removed by J.H.
Woods and Dr. Warren King Moorehead.
The one lot of unassociated funerary objects from Tempe, Maricopa
County, AZ, consists of stone and slag items that were likely removed
by J.H. Woods and Dr. Warren King Moorehead.
The one lot of sacred objects from Tempe, Maricopa County, AZ,
consists of stone items that were likely removed by J.H. Woods and Dr.
Warren King Moorehead.
Determinations
The PMAE has determined that:
<bullet> The 13 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> The 15 sacred objects described in this notice are
specific ceremonial objects needed by a traditional Native American
religious leader for present-day adherents to practice traditional
Native American religion, according to the Native American traditional
knowledge of a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian
organization.
<bullet> The two 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 of
an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.
<bullet> There is a connection between the cultural items described
in this notice and the Ak-Chin Indian Community; Gila River Indian
Community of the Gila River Indian Reservation, Arizona; Hopi Tribe of
Arizona; Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt River
Reservation, Arizona; Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona; and the Zuni
Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico.
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 January 15, 2026. If competing requests for
repatriation are received, the PMAE 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 PMAE 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: November 20, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2025-22919 Filed 12-15-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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