Notice2026-02023
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology, Andover, MA
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
February 2, 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) intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, and/or 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 21 (Monday, February 2, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 21 (Monday, February 2, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 4598]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-02023]
[[Page 4598]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6908; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041938; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: 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) intends to repatriate certain cultural items that
meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects,
and/or 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 March 4, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the
cultural items in this notice to Ryan J. Wheeler, RSPI, Phillips
Academy, 180 Main Street, Andover, MA 01810, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7705001f12121b1205371619131801120559121302"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2d5f5a45484841485f6d4c4349425b485f03484958">[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 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 320 cultural items have been requested for repatriation.
The 95 unassociated funerary objects are 30 lots of ceramic items,
two lots of chipped stone items, four lots of faunal remains, 23 lots
of ground stone items, one lot of minerals, and 35 lots of marine shell
items.
The 225 sacred objects are one lot of botanical items, 25 lots of
ceramic items, 18 lots of chipped stone items, 12 lots of faunal
remains, 130 lots of ground stone items, eight lots of lithic items, 26
lots of marine shell items, four lots of minerals, and one lot of
wooden material.
The cultural items were removed from at least 21 localities in
Apache, Gila, Maricopa, and Pinal counties, Arizona by various
individuals, including Warren K. Moorehead (1898), C.P. Borrowdale
(1902), W.E. Ellsworth (1901), George Widdicomb (1910), Monroe Amsden
(1922-23), the Gila Pueblo Foundation, Globe, Arizona (1940), and
Donnelley Erdman (1978) and transferred to the RSPI (variably known as
the Phillips Academy Department of Archaeology or Robert S. Peabody
Foundation for Archaeology) at the dates indicated. There is no known
presence of any potentially hazardous substances.
The Ak-Chin Indian Community; Gila River Indian Community of the
Gila River Indian Reservation, Arizona; Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian
Community of the Salt River Reservation, Arizona; and the Tohono
O'Odham Nation of Arizona comprise one cultural group known as the
O'Odham. Cultural continuity between the prehistoric Hohokam
archeological culture and present-day O'Odham peoples is supported by
continuities in settlement patterns, architectural technologies,
basketry, textiles, ceramic technology, and ritual practices. Oral
traditions that are documented for the Ak-Chin Indian Community; Gila
River Indian Community of the Gila River Indian Reservation, Arizona;
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt River
Reservation, Arizona; and the Tohono O'Odham Nation of Arizona support
their cultural affiliation with Hohokam archeological sites in central
and southern Arizona.
Determinations
The RSPI has determined that:
<bullet> The 95 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 225 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 Ak-Chin Indian Community; Gila River Indian
Community of the Gila River Indian Reservation, Arizona; Salt River
Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt River Reservation, Arizona;
and the Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona.
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 March 4, 2026. If competing requests for
repatriation are received, the RSPI 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 RSPI 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: January 22, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-02023 Filed 1-30-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 2, 2026.
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