Notice2026-02697
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, NY
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 Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of sacred 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]
[Pages 6248-6249]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-02697]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6920; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041993; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Buffalo Society of Natural
Sciences, Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, NY
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 Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences
intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition
of sacred 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 Kathryn H. Leacock, Buffalo Society of
Natural Sciences, Buffalo Museum of Science, 1020 Humboldt Parkway,
Buffalo, NY 14211, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2e45424b4f4d414d456e5d4d474b404d4b4c5b484800415c49"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="fe95929b9f9d919d95be8d9d979b909d9b9c8b9898d0918c99">[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
Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences 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 37 sacred objects have been requested for repatriation.
The 37 sacred
[[Page 6249]]
objects are Medicine Face Masks and include 30 wooden faces and seven
cornhusk. The 37 faces were acquired by the Buffalo Society of Natural
Sciences from six different sources and represent nine separate
accessions. Fifteen masks were collected by Dr. Ernest Wende at the end
of the 19th century and were accessioned by the Buffalo Museum of
Science in 1904-1905. Six masks known as catalog numbers C20028 through
C20036 were purchased from John R. Taft of Dayton, New York on 10/31/
1958. The belongings known as catalog numbers C22543 and C22544 were
purchased from Willian Guy Spittal of Ontario, Canada on 12/10/1962.
The masks known as catalog numbers C22604 through C22607 (four) were
purchased from Fred T. Hall of Buffalo, New York on 9/15/1963. The
masks known as catalog numbers C22771, C22764, & C22765 (three) were
received as a donation to the Museum from the Estate of Ellsworth
Jaeger in 1964. The mask known as catalog number C23205 was received as
a gift from Dr. Thalia Feldman of Buffalo, New York on 7/31/1973. The
remaining masks (six) have no known donor or accession information.
Determinations
The Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences has determined that:
<bullet> The 37 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
<bullet> There is a connection between the cultural items described
in this notice and the Seneca Nation of Indians.
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 Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences 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 Buffalo Society of
Natural Sciences 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. 2026-02697 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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