Notice2026-00069
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, Pacific Grove, 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
January 7, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of sacred objects 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 91 Issue 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 526-527]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-00069]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6838; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041699; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Pacific Grove Museum of Natural
History, Pacific Grove, 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 Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition
of sacred objects 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 February 6, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the
cultural items in this notice to Rachel M. Miller, Pacific Grove Museum
of Natural History, 165 Forest Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a7cacecbcbc2d5e7d7c0cad2d4c2d2ca89c8d5c0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="19747075757c6b59697e746c6a7c6c7437766b7e">[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
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History 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 12 cultural items have been requested for repatriation.
The 12 sacred objects are one buffalo horn powder horn, one buckskin
dress, three pairs of moccasins, one beaded bag, one object with two
buffalo horns and beaded fringe, one pair of leggings, one dance club,
one awl case, one leather tassel and one beaded doll bonnet. According
to available documentation these items were collected by individuals
including William Chapman, Mrs. M.L. Reynolds, Almira Olmstead, Edgar
Gross, Lydia Goodale Fogg, Joseph Shebl and George Higgins in South
Dakota, Montana and Wisconsin in the first half of the twentieth
century. There are no available records indicating whether or not any
potentially hazardous substances were used to treat any of these
cultural items.
Determinations
The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History has determined that:
<bullet> The 12 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> There is a connection between the cultural items described
in this notice and the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of
[[Page 527]]
the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana.
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 February 6, 2026. If competing requests for
repatriation are received, the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
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 Pacific Grove Museum of
Natural History 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: December 18, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-00069 Filed 1-6-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on January 7, 2026.
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