Notice2026-00073
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Fowler Museum, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Primary source
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Published
January 7, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Fowler Museum, University of California, Los Angeles (Fowler Museum at UCLA) 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 91 Issue 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 523-525]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-00073]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6822; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041683; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Fowler Museum, University of
California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, 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 Fowler Museum, University of California,
Los Angeles (Fowler Museum at UCLA) 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 February 6, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the
cultural items in this notice to Allison Fischer-Olson, Fowler Museum
at UCLA, Box 951549, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1549, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e180878892828984938e8d928e8fa180939592cf94828d80cf848594"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6001060913030805120f0c130f0e20011214134e15030c014e050415">[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
Fowler Museum at UCLA, 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 766 lots of cultural items have been requested for
repatriation.
The two lots objects of cultural patrimony are two lots of
groundstone. These cultural items were removed from the surface of CA-
RIV-131, located in Reche Canyon, Riverside County, CA, in Spring 1953
by Dr. Clement W. Meighan during an official UCLA expedition. They were
received by the Fowler Museum at UCLA prior to June 1953 and comprise
Accession 64. Treatment history of these items is unknown. In
consultation with the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation (also federally
recognized as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians), these items were
identified as culturally affiliated with the Serrano peoples and were
taken from a site known to be within Serrano ancestral territory.
The 22 lots of objects of cultural patrimony are 14 lots of chipped
stone, one lot of burned faunal bone, two lots of groundstone, and five
lots of other stone materials. These cultural items were removed from
the surface of CA-LAN-419, located in Lancaster, Los Angeles County,
CA, in 1973 or 1974 by Eugene Stelzer. They were received by the Fowler
Museum at UCLA in 1975 and comprise Accession 140. Treatment history of
these items is unknown. In consultation with the Yuhaaviatam of San
Manuel Nation (also federally recognized as the San Manuel Band of
Mission Indians) and non-federally recognized California Indian groups
including the Fernande[ntilde]o Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, these
items were identified as culturally affiliated with the Serrano and
Tataviam peoples based on Tribal Traditional Knowledge, genealogical
information, geographical location within Serrano and Tataviam
ancestral territory, and ethnographic, historical, and archaeological
records. The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians also identified this
site as within Chumash ancestral territory.
The 447 lots of objects of cultural patrimony are two lots of
groundstone and 445 lots of chipped stone. These cultural items were
excavated from CA-LAN-296 and CA-LAN-297, located in Fairmont Buttes,
Los Angeles County,
[[Page 524]]
CA, in 1964 by Thomas C. Blackburn as part of a UCLA Archaeological
Survey project. They were received by the Fowler Museum at UCLA on
September 12, 1966, and comprise Accession 503. Treatment history of
these items is unknown.
In consultation with the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation (also
federally recognized as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians) and
non-federally recognized California Indian groups including the
Fernande[ntilde]o Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, these items were
identified as culturally affiliated with the Serrano and Tataviam
peoples based on Tribal Traditional Knowledge, genealogical
information, geographical location within Serrano and Tataviam
ancestral territory, and ethnographic, historical, and archaeological
records. The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians also identified this
site as within Chumash ancestral territory.
The two lots of objects of cultural patrimony are two lots of
ceramic sherds. These cultural items were removed from the surface of
sites in Yucca Valley and Coyote Hole, San Bernardino County, CA, by
unknown collectors between 1959-1961. They were received by the Fowler
Museum at UCLA prior to 1966 and comprise Accession 513. Treatment
history of these items is unknown. In consultation with the Yuhaaviatam
of San Manuel Nation (also federally recognized as the San Manuel Band
of Mission Indians), these items were identified as culturally
affiliated with the Serrano peoples and were taken from a site known to
be within Serrano ancestral territory.
The one lot of objects of cultural patrimony is a crescent-shaped
pendant made of pale green shale or soapstone. This cultural item,
removed from CA-LAN-1252, located in Palmdale, Los Angeles County, CA,
was donated by P. de Barros and G. Russell to the Fowler Museum at UCLA
on January 23, 1986, and comprises Accession 712. Treatment history of
this item is unknown. In consultation with the Yuhaaviatam of San
Manuel Nation (also federally recognized as the San Manuel Band of
Mission Indians) and non-federally recognized California Indian groups
including the Fernande[ntilde]o Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, these
items were identified as culturally affiliated with the Serrano and
Tataviam peoples based on Tribal Traditional Knowledge, genealogical
information, geographical location within Serrano and Tataviam
ancestral territory, and ethnographic, historical, and archaeological
records.
The one lot of objects of cultural patrimony is one lot of
photographic negatives of petroglyphs at CA-SBR-281 in Black Canyon,
San Bernardino County, CA. The collection history of these photographs
is unknown but they were possibly received by the Fowler Museum at UCLA
in 1986 and comprise Accession 825. Treatment history of these items is
unknown. In consultation with the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation
(also federally recognized as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians)
and non-federally recognized California Indian groups including the
Fernande[ntilde]o Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, these photographs
were identified as culturally affiliated with the Serrano and Tataviam
peoples based on Tribal Traditional Knowledge, genealogical
information, geographical location within Serrano and Tataviam
ancestral territory, and ethnographic, historical, and archaeological
records.
The 125 lots of objects of cultural patrimony are 94 lots of stone/
lithic fragments and 31 lots of chipped stone. These cultural items
were removed from CA-LAN-1340, located in Agua Dulce, Los Angeles
County, CA, by Greenwood and Associates around 1987-1988 ahead of
proposed development. They were received by the Fowler Museum at UCLA
on an unknown date and comprise Accession 833. Treatment history of
these items is unknown. In consultation with the Yuhaaviatam of San
Manuel Nation (also federally recognized as the San Manuel Band of
Mission Indians) and non-federally recognized California Indian groups
including the Fernande[ntilde]o Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, these
items were identified as culturally affiliated with the Serrano and
Tataviam peoples based on Tribal Traditional Knowledge, genealogical
information, geographical location within Serrano and Tataviam
ancestral territory, and ethnographic, historical, and archaeological
records.
The 10 lots of objects of cultural patrimony are one lot of faunal
bone and nine lots of historic materials (glass, metal, ceramics,
leather). These cultural items were removed from CA-LAN-1431H, located
in Swarthout Valley, Los Angeles County, CA, from a backhoe trench
excavated by Dr. Ray Weldon (geologist, University of Oregon) in
October 1988. Weldon was conducting research on the San Andreas Fault
when he encountered this cultural deposit. The items were received by
the Fowler Museum at UCLA sometime after October 1988 and comprise
Accession 837. Treatment history of these items is unknown. In
consultation with the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation (also federally
recognized as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians), these items were
identified as culturally affiliated with the Serrano peoples and were
taken from a site known to be within Serrano ancestral territory.
The 156 lots of objects of cultural patrimony are five lots of
groundstone and 151 lots of chipped stone. These cultural items were
removed from CA-LAN-1252A, located in Palmdale, Los Angeles County, CA,
by Chambers Group, Inc., in February 1990. They were received by the
Fowler Museum at UCLA on April 12, 1990, and comprise Accession 866.
Treatment history of these items is unknown. In consultation with the
Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation (also federally recognized as the San
Manuel Band of Mission Indians) and non-federally recognized California
Indian groups including the Fernande[ntilde]o Tataviam Band of Mission
Indians, these items were identified as culturally affiliated with the
Serrano and Tataviam peoples based on Tribal Traditional Knowledge,
genealogical information, geographical location within Serrano and
Tataviam ancestral territory, and ethnographic, historical, and
archaeological records.
Determinations
The Fowler Museum at UCLA has determined that:
<bullet> The 766 lots of 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 Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation (previously
listed as San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, 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 February 6, 2026. If competing requests for
repatriation are received, the Fowler Museum at UCLA must determine the
most appropriate
[[Page 525]]
requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the
cultural items are considered a single request and not competing
requests. The Fowler Museum at UCLA 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. 2026-00073 Filed 1-6-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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