Notice2026-02028
Notice of Inventory Completion: Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
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 Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) 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 21 (Monday, February 2, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 21 (Monday, February 2, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4596-4597]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-02028]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6901; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041921; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Indiana University of
Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
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 Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)
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 March 4, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains
and associated funerary objects in this notice to Andrea Palmiotto,
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 441 North Walk, Indiana, PA 15705,
email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0c6d7c6d60616563784c65797c22696879"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ff9e8f9e939296908bbf968a8fd19a9b8a">[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
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 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 11 associated funerary objects are ceramic vessels. The
Ault collection is believed to have been donated to the IUP Department
of Anthropology in the 1980s or 1990s from the IUP University Museum.
These objects and remains were reportedly collected by an individual
who worked on gas pipelines across the US. The cremains were separated
from ceramic earthenware vessels at an unknown date by persons unknown.
Images of the vessels were reviewed by Dr. Susanne Eckert from the
Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, towards identification.
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. 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 Indiana University of Pennsylvania has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of at least one individual of Native American
ancestry.
[[Page 4597]]
<bullet> The 11 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 relationship of shared group identity that can
be reasonably traced between the Native American human remains and
associated funerary objects 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
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 March 4,
2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Indiana
University of Pennsylvania 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. The Indiana University of
Pennsylvania 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 22, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-02028 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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