Notice2026-03565
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Redding, 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 23, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Turtle Bay Exploration Park (TBEP) 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 35 (Monday, February 23, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 35 (Monday, February 23, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8508-8509]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-03565]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6941; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042048; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Turtle Bay Exploration Park,
Redding, 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), Turtle Bay Exploration Park (TBEP) 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 25, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the
cultural items in this notice to Julia Cronin, Turtle Bay Exploration
Park, 844 Sundial Bridge Drive, Redding, CA 96001, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#97fdf4e5f8f9fef9d7e3e2e5e3fbf2f5f6eeb9f8e5f0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d8b2bbaab7b6b1b698acadaaacb4bdbab9a1f6b7aabf">[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 Turtle
Bay Exploration Park, 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 two cultural items have been requested for repatriation.
The two sacred objects are a medium twined basket bowl and a medium
winnowing tray. The twined basket bowl is constructed using multiple
colors of alder-dyed bracken fern forming a design of three diagonal
bands. A full twist overlay displays part of the pattern on the
interior. The basket bowl was donated to TBEP by Carolyn Bond and is
culturally attributed as Whilkut.
The winnowing tray (circa 1900) is constructed of pine root and
bear grass with a single face overlay twining technique. It features a
light pattern on a brown background showing signs of wear consistent
with age and use. The tray was purchased by the Redding Museum and Art
Center, TBEP's predecessor institution, from Don Boyd. The tray is
culturally attributed as Lassic or Waliki.
The Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria is a Federally
recognized Indian Tribe whose membership includes individuals from the
Bear River, Lassic, Mattole, Sinkyone, Whilkut, Nongatl, Waliki, and
Wiyot Tribes. The ancestral territory of the Bear River Band of the
Rohnerville Rancheria spans approximately 2,800 square miles across
portions of Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity counties in Northern
coastal California, including the watersheds of the Van Duzen, Mattole,
Bear River, and Eel River. Following consultation with Tribal officials
and review of available museum records and documentation, TBEP
determined that the basket bowl is of Whilkut origin and craftsmanship
and that the winnowing tray is of Lassic or Waliki origin and
craftsmanship, cultures represented within the membership of the Bear
River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria.
Turtle Bay Exploration Park does not treat Indigenous belongings
with hazardous materials. However, available documentation does not
indicate whether these items were treated prior to entering the care of
the Redding Museum and Art Center.
Determinations
Turtle Bay Exploration Park has determined that:
<bullet> The two 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
knowledge of a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian
organization.
<bullet> There is a reasonable connection between the cultural
items described in this notice and the Bear River Band of the
Rohnerville Rancheria, 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 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
[[Page 8509]]
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 25, 2026. If competing requests for
repatriation are received, Turtle Bay Exploration Park 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. Turtle Bay Exploration Park 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 13, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-03565 Filed 2-20-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 23, 2026.
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