Notice2026-02026

Notice of Intended Repatriation: City of Pomona, Pomona, 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
February 2, 2026

Issuing agencies

Interior DepartmentNational Park Service

Abstract

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the City of Pomona intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary 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 21 (Monday, February 2, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 21 (Monday, February 2, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4603-4604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-02026]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[N6899; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041919; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Intended Repatriation: City of Pomona, Pomona, 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 City of Pomona intends to repatriate 
certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated 
funerary 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 March 4, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the 
cultural items in this notice to Anita D. Scott, City of Pomona, 505 S 
Garey Avenue, Pomona, CA 91766, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#90d1fef9e4f1bec3f3ffe4e4d0e0fffdfffef1f3f1bef7ffe6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="eaab84839e8bc4b989859e9eaa9a858785848b898bc48d859c">[email&#160;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 
City of Pomona 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 nine lots of cultural items have been requested for 
repatriation. The nine lots of unassociated funerary objects include 
three lots of bone, one lot of lithics, two lots of ceramics, two lots 
of shells, and one lot of glass beads. In 1968, construction workers 
uncovered a burial site in Ganesha Park, Pomona, CA. The Los Angeles 
County coroner determined the remains to be Native American. Following 
this inadvertent discovery, two professors, Thomas Blackburn of Cal 
Poly Pomona and John S. Belmont of Pitzer College, Claremont, excavated 
the burial site. During the excavation, the unassociated funerary 
objects were collected and taken to Cal Poly Pomona where they remain.

Determinations

    The City of Pomona has determined that:
    <bullet> The nine lots of 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> 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

[[Page 4604]]

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 City of Pomona 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 City of Pomona 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. 2026-02026 Filed 1-30-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on February 2, 2026.

This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.