Notice2026-03571

Notice of Intended Repatriation: The Museum of Kansas City, Kansas City, MO

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), The Museum of Kansas City (MKC) intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of objects of cultural patrimony and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.

Full Text

<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 35 (Monday, February 23, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 35 (Monday, February 23, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8516-8517]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-03571]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[N6947; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042054; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Intended Repatriation: The Museum of Kansas City, 
Kansas City, MO

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and 
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), The Museum of Kansas City (MKC) intends to 
repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of objects 
of cultural patrimony and that have a cultural

[[Page 8517]]

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 Lisa Shockley, The Museum of Kansas 
City, 3218 Gladstone Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64123, email 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c4a8b7acaba7afa8a1bd84a9b1b7a1b1a9aba2afa5aab7a5b7a7adb0bdeaabb6a3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="630f100b0c00080f061a230e161006160e0c0508020d100210000a171a4d0c1104">[email&#160;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 MKC, 
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 five cultural items have been requested for 
repatriation.
    The five objects of cultural patrimony are two horns, one pipe 
bowl, one pipe fragment, and one woven yarn bag. The two horns were 
purchased by MKC in 1980 from a collector in Tulsa, OK. The pipe bowl 
was collected from the Great Osage Village site 23VE1 and sold to the 
Bushwacker Museum. MKC purchased it from that museum in 1976. The pipe 
fragment was collected from the Little Osage Village site in 1938. It 
was donated to MKC in 1978. The woven yarn bag was collected in 
Oklahoma in 1915. It was donated to MKC in 1976.
    There are no institutional records indicating the presence of any 
potentially hazardous substances used to treat these items.

Determinations

    The MKC has determined that:
    <bullet> The five objects of cultural patrimony described in this 
notice have ongoing historical, traditional, or cultural importance 
central to the Native American group, including any constituent sub-
group (such as a band, clan, lineage, ceremonial society, or other 
subdivision), according to the Native American traditional knowledge of 
an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.
    <bullet> There is a connection between the cultural items described 
in this notice and The Osage 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 25, 2026. If competing requests for 
repatriation are received, The Museum of Kansas City 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 Museum of Kansas City 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. 2026-03571 Filed 2-20-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P


</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>
Indexed from Federal Register on February 23, 2026.

This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.