Notice2026-00461
Notice of Inventory Completion: Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology, Andover, MA
Primary source
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Published
January 13, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology (RSPI) has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 8 (Tuesday, January 13, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 13, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1339-1340]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-00461]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6839; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041747; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Robert S. Peabody Institute of
Archaeology, Andover, 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 Robert S. Peabody Institute of
Archaeology (RSPI) has completed an inventory of human remains and
associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural
affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects
and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary
objects in this notice may occur on or after February 12, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains
and associated funerary objects in this notice to Ryan J. Wheeler,
Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology, Phillips Academy, 180 Main
Street, Andover, MA 01810, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f082879895959c9582b0919e949f869582de959485"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9ceeebf4f9f9f0f9eedcfdf2f8f3eaf9eeb2f9f8e9">[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
RSPI, and additional information on the determinations in this notice,
including the results of consultation, can be found in its inventory or
related records. The National Park Service is not responsible for the
determinations in this notice.
Abstract of Information Available
Human remains representing, at least, 27 individuals have been
identified. The 3,056 associated funerary objects are 584 lots of
ceramic sherds; 257 lots of faunal remains; 2,051 lots of lithics,
including rock samples and stone tools; 18 lots of sediment samples; 27
lots of charcoal and/or wood samples; 48 lots of shells and shell
samples; one lot of mineral samples; 43 lots of metal items; 16 lots of
glass shards; six lots of lead items; two lots of brick; and three lots
of organic items. Morrill Point is a small peninsula on the northern
edge of the Merrimack River estuary in the vicinity of Salisbury, Essex
County, Massachusetts. From 1979 through at least the 1980s, James P.
Whittall (1932-1998) of the Early Sites Research Society disturbed
several Native American burial sites on Morrill Point, including
Morrill Point Mound (19-ES-281) and several components of the Wheeler
site, including Woodchuck Knoll, Red Jasper Knoll, and Rose Bud. The
Morrill Point Mound was occupied during the Early Archaic Period (ca.
8500-8100 radiocarbon years BP) and the Woodland Period (1500-500 BP);
the Wheeler site dates to the Woodland Period; and some of the site
components include more recent occupation in the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries. Whittall loaned the individuals and funerary
items that he removed from this locality to archaeologist Brian
Robinson (1953-2016), University of Maine. Subsequently, Whittall's
family transferred the Morrill Point holdings to the RSPI.
There is no known presence of any potentially hazardous substances,
though due to storage in a basement, mold may be present and was noted
when the holdings were on loan at the University of Maine.
Cultural Affiliation
Based on the information available and the results of consultation,
cultural affiliation is clearly identified by the information available
about the human remains and associated funerary objects described in
this notice.
Determinations
The RSPI has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of at least 27 individuals of Native American
ancestry.
<bullet> The 3,056 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> There is a connection between the human remains and
associated funerary objects described in this notice and the Mashpee
Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice must be sent to the
authorized representative identified in this notice under ADDRESSES.
Requests for repatriation may be submitted by:
1. Any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations 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 the requestor is a lineal
descendant or an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with
cultural affiliation.
Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects
described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after February
12, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the RSPI
must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to
[[Page 1340]]
repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the human remains and
associated funerary objects are considered a single request and not
competing requests. The RSPI is responsible for sending a copy of this
notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations
identified in this notice and any other consulting parties.
Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.
Dated: January 5, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-00461 Filed 1-12-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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