Notice2026-02696
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 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]
[Page 6253]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-02696]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6919; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041992; 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 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 3205, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ed879d8c898481818cad80898c85c3809ec38a829b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="472d3726232e2b2b26072a23262f692a3469202831">[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 four lots of cultural items have been requested for
repatriation from 22CS502 (Owl Creek/Shiloh Church Mounds). The four
lots of cultural objects consist of one lot lithics, one lot Native
American ceramics, one lot faunal remains, and one lot organic
materials.
The site 22CS502 was excavated by MDAH archaeologist Moreau B.
Chambers in 1935. The collection from this excavation was curated at
Louisiana State University and transferred to MDAH in 2005.
Through Tribal consultation, these four 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 four 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. 2026-02696 Filed 2-10-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 11, 2026.
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