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Notice2026-04043

Notice of Intended Repatriation: Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, WI

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
March 2, 2026

Issuing agencies

Interior DepartmentNational Park Service

Abstract

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Wisconsin Historical Society intends to repatriate a certain cultural item that meets the definition of a sacred object/object of cultural patrimony and that has 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 40 (Monday, March 2, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 40 (Monday, March 2, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 10114]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04043]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[N6956; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042092; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Intended Repatriation: Wisconsin Historical Society, 
Madison, WI

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 Wisconsin Historical Society intends to 
repatriate a certain cultural item that meets the definition of a 
sacred object/object of cultural patrimony and that has a cultural 
affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in 
this notice.

DATES: Repatriation of the cultural item in this notice may occur on or 
after April 1, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the 
cultural item in this notice to Jacqueline Pozza Reisner, Wisconsin 
Historical Society, 204 S Thornton Avenue, Madison, WI 53703, email 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f09a91938185959c999e95de809f8a8a91b0879983939f9e83999e989983849f8289de9f8297"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b2d8d3d1c3c7d7dedbdcd79cc2ddc8c8d3f2c5dbc1d1dddcc1dbdcdadbc1c6ddc0cb9cddc0d5">[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 the 
Wisconsin Historical Society, 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 one cultural item has been requested for repatriation. 
The one sacred object/object of cultural patrimony is an Ojibwe 
presentation pipe. Its carved wooden stem has sections painted red, 
attached horsehair and a pileated woodpecker scalp, and white, red, and 
brown quillwork with Thunderbird designs. Its L-shaped catlinite bowl 
has two human faces on opposite sides of the bowl and a carved buffalo 
figure on the anterior edge. WHS documentation indicates that 
``Taychegwiaunee, a member of the Ojibwe Band from the south shore of 
Lake Superior [the LaPointe Band], presented this pipe to Wisconsin's 
territorial governor James Duane Doty [at Fort Winnebago] on behalf of 
his father, Chief Buffalo,'' on February 12, 1844. National Archives 
documentation indicates that the pipe was presented to Doty with the 
direction to pass it onto President Tyler for use in a future meeting 
with the Band. Doty kept the pipe, and it was eventually added to WHS' 
collections. WHS has no documentation that this pipe includes or was 
treated with any potentially hazardous substances.

Determinations

    The Wisconsin Historical Society has determined that:
    <bullet> The one sacred object/object of cultural patrimony 
described in this notice are, according to the Native American 
traditional knowledge of an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian 
organization, specific ceremonial objects needed by a traditional 
Native American religious leader for present-day adherents to practice 
traditional Native American religion, and 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).
    <bullet> There is a connection between the cultural item described 
in this notice and the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of 
Chippewa Indians of the Bad River Reservation, Wisconsin and the Red 
Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin.

Requests for Repatriation

    Additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural item 
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 item in this notice to a requestor may 
occur on or after April 1, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation 
are received, the Wisconsin Historical Society must determine the most 
appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint 
repatriation of the cultural item are considered a single request and 
not competing requests. The Wisconsin Historical Society 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 20, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-04043 Filed 2-27-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on March 2, 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.