Notice2026-02695
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Jackson, MS
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 11, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) 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 28 (Wednesday, February 11, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 11, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6254-6255]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-02695]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6918; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041991; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Mississippi Department of
Archives and History, Jackson, MS
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 Mississippi Department of Archives and
History (MDAH) 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 13, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the
cultural items in this notice to Jaquelin Padilla, NAGPRA Coordinator,
Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Historic Preservation
Division, 100 South State Street, P.O. Box 571, Jackson, MS 39205,
email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3e544e5f5a5752525f7e535a5f5610534d10595148"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9af0eafbfef3f6f6fbdaf7fefbf2b4f7e9b4fdf5ec">[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
Mississippi Department of Archives and History, 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 112 cultural items have been requested for repatriation.
The 112 unassociated funerary objects include an axe; lithics; Native
American ceramics; clay; shell; faunal remains; organic materials; soil
samples; effigy beads; gorget; beads; pendants; and a lithic pipe
fragment.
[[Page 6255]]
Unassociated funerary objects were removed from several sites in
Alcorn County, MS, including, 22AL00B (Mound North of Corinth), 22AL504
(Wiggington #1), 22AL505 (Wiggington #2), and 22AL536 (Massengill I).
The unassociated funerary objects from this county were acquired
through donations by private collectors and others were removed during
archaeological surveys conducted by MDAH in the 1970s. Additionally,
some objects from this county have no provenience information.
Unassociated funerary objects were removed from several sites in
Benton County, MS, including, 22BE00A (Ashland City), 22BE00B, 22BE507
(Talmar), and 2BE512 (Wilkinson). The unassociated funerary objects
from this county were acquired through donations by private collectors
or transferred from the C.H. Nash Museum and the DeSoto Museum to MDAH
between 2012-2019. Additionally, some objects from this county have no
provenience information.
Unassociated funerary objects were removed from several sites in
DeSoto County, MS, including, 22DS00A (Tipplah Farms), 22DS00B (MAG's
Lot #23), 22DS00C (Between Shannon and Shannon #2), 22DS00E, 22DS000/
2019.17000.02 (Old Culture Site on HWY 51, below airport; MAGS Lot
#32), 22DS000/2019.17000.03 (Taylor Plantation/MAGS Lot #20), 22DS000/
2019.17000.05 (A1990.10.01), 22DS000/2019.17000.06 (Midway), 22DS000/
2019.17000.04 (East of Walls), 22DS000/2019.17000.10 (Delta Material),
22DS505 (Sullivan), 22DS515 (Withers), 22DS520 (Twinkletown), 22DS521
(Lakeside), 22DS522, 22DS523, 22DS524, 22DS525, 22DS530, 22DS531,
22DS580, 22DS592 (Cub L.) and 22DS654 (Twinkletown East). The
unassociated funerary objects from this county were acquired through
donations by private collectors or transferred from the DeSoto Museum
to MDAH in 2019 and from the Mississippi Department of Transportation
(MDOT) in 2025. Additionally, some objects from this county have no
provenience information.
Unassociated funerary objects were removed from several sites in
Prentiss County, MS, including, 22PS501 (St. Smith Mound), 22PS504 (Le
Croy Site), 22PS505 (Sale Martin), 22PS506 (Wells Mound), 22PS507 (Doss
Site), 22PS508 (Church Site), 22PS510 (Lost Site), 22PS516 (Ridge
Site), and 22PS528 (King Creek Area/King's Creek). The unassociated
funerary objects from this county were acquired through donations by
private collectors and others were removed during archaeological
surveys conducted by MDAH in the 1970s. Additionally, some objects from
this county have no provenience information.
Unassociated funerary objects were removed from several sites in
Quitman County, MS, including 22QU522 (Denton) and 22QU567 (Tackett). A
large quantity of unassociated funerary objects from this county were
acquired through donations by private collectors. Other objects were
removed during various archaeological surveys conducted by MDAH, the
Mississippi State University, and an unknown institution in the 1960s-
1970s. Also, a transfer was received from the Mississippi Department of
Transportation (MDOT) in 2025. Additionally, some objects from this
county have no provenience information.
Through Tribal consultation, these 112 lots of unassociated
funerary objects were identified as culturally affiliated with The
Chickasaw Nation. To our knowledge, no potentially hazardous substances
were used to treat any of the unassociated funerary objects.
Determinations
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History has determined
that:
<bullet> The 112 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 Chickasaw Nation.
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 13, 2026. If competing requests for
repatriation are received, the Mississippi Department of Archives and
History 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 Mississippi
Department of Archives and History 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: February 4, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-02695 Filed 2-10-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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