Notice2026-01539
Notice of Inventory Completion: San Bernardino County Museum, Redlands, 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 27, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), San Bernardino County Museum 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 17 (Tuesday, January 27, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 17 (Tuesday, January 27, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3533-3534]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-01539]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6891; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041889; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: San Bernardino County Museum,
Redlands, 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), San Bernardino County Museum 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 26, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains
and associated funerary objects in this notice to Gabrielle Carpentier,
San Bernardino County Museum, 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands, CA
92374, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f89f999a8a919d94949dd69b998a889d968c919d8ab88b9a9b95d68b9a9b978d968c81d69f978e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="84e3e5e6f6ede1e8e8e1aae7e5f6f4e1eaf0ede1f6c4f7e6e7e9aaf7e6e7ebf1eaf0fdaae3ebf2">[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 San
Bernardino County Museum, 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, one individual has been
identified. The one associated funerary object is one candle. This
collection is from Independence, CA near Owens River and was collected
by Benjamin E. McCown.
Statement From Sean Scruggs, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for
the Fort Independence Indian Reservation in Eastern California
Words cannot capture or convey the outrage and sorrow that I and my
tribal community feel about this ``Notice of Intended Repatriation''.
Mr. Benjamin E. McCown, with a single action, destroyed the ``spiritual
and physical integrity'' of an ancestors final resting place. There was
no thought or regard about the work that would eventually be necessary
to complete the child's journey on earth, or about the pain and torment
of their parents who are waiting for them in the spiritual world.
As a Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO), I do not receive
funding from my grant to perform functions related to the task of
repatriation. Rarely, if ever, is any consideration given to the harsh
reality of generational trauma that our tribal community feels and
experiences through processes like these or to the emotional weight and
trauma that this puts upon myself and others who perform these acts of
service on what is quickly becoming a daily basis.
If these were the remains of a regular citizen today, the public
and media would explode with a call-to-action demanding justice, an
immediate stop to the act of collecting and a quick conclusion to this
severe and extreme example of racist activity. And yet, the
archaeological community (professional and amateur) have and continue
to ``legally'' loot and destroy grave sites of our ancestors who have
lived on these lands since the beginning of time according to our
Creation and traditional stories in the name of ``science''
The archaeological community continues to state that ``scientific
study'' is a reason for collections. The practice and actions need to
be deemed ``illegal'' unless requested by a tribe or tribal community.
As a tribal member who grew up on my reservation and as a THPO, I can
factually state that ``no one at all'' has ever come to my reservation
or community to ``educate me or us'' on this so-called premise of
``scientific study'' or ``scientific results''. This unethical practice
needs to come to an immediate and complete stop. . . now!
No study is necessary, unless ordained or requested by a tribe or
tribal community. This should only be conducted when it is specifically
requested and whereby the results and findings belong to that tribal
community and not for the gain of professionals who sustain and promote
their careers at the expense of our culture and heritage.
Our ancestors and culture did not vanish or mysteriously disappear.
. . Our people were murdered, colonized and assimilated. And, in this
particular case, we were ``stolen'' from our rightful resting places
and this particular atrocity fully demonstrates that fact with painful
and clear empirical evidence.
The act of repatriation is costly! It puts me, as a NAGPRA
Specialist, at ``. . . emotional, spiritual and physical risk . . .''
that is otherwise completely unnecessary. As a result of ``this
collection'' I will drive more than 1,000 miles, spend countless hours
coordinating repatriation actions and put myself at continued ``. . .
emotional, spiritual, and physical risk . . .'' to complete work that
is critical and now very necessary.
This repatriation is long overdue and reflects shame on the
previous versions of NAGPRA that stood in the way of an ancestors'
rightful return home and to curators have in the past ``held our
ancestors' as spiritual prisoners and hostages'' in the name of
``scientific''!
No apologies can be given or issued. It is now upon me, alone, to
care for and bring this child home physically and help them complete
their spiritual journey.
I also find it very necessary to point out the fact that the
current teams and field of repatriation specialist that I work with are
extremely helpful, kind and respectful. While it is critical and
necessary to write about and expose the ugliness of the past, it is
equally critical and necessary to recognize that many professionals put
their full effort into correcting historical wrongs and are
instrumental in helping tribal communities heal the past and their
actions contribute to ``Transforming Archaeology for Tomorrow'' from
the way we know it today.
Gabrielle Carpentier, Curator of Anthropology of the San Bernardino
County Museum is one of those professionals who deserves recognition
for being a part of that healing process for my tribal community.
Cultural Affiliation
Based on the information available and the results of consultation,
cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical
location or acquisition history of the human remains and associated
funerary objects described in this notice.
[[Page 3534]]
Determinations
San Bernardino County Museum has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of one individual of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The one object 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 Bishop
Paiute Tribe and the Fort Independence Indian Community of Paiute
Indians of the Fort Independence Reservation, California.
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
26, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, San
Bernardino County Museum must determine the most appropriate requestor
prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the human
remains and associated funerary objects are considered a single request
and not competing requests. San Bernardino County Museum 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 15, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-01539 Filed 1-26-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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