Notice2026-04048
Notice of Inventory Completion: American Museum of Natural History, New York, 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
March 2, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) has completed an inventory of associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the associated funerary objects and 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]
[Pages 10122-10123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04048]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6963; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042097; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: American Museum of Natural
History, New York, 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 American Museum of Natural History
(AMNH) has completed an inventory of associated funerary objects and
has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the
associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations in this notice.
DATES: Repatriation of the associated funerary objects in this notice
may occur on or after April 1, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the associated
funerary objects in this notice to Nell Murphy, American Museum of
Natural History, 200 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a9c7c4dcdbd9c1d0e9c8c4c7c187c6dbce"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7d1310080f0d15043d1c10131553120f1a">[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
American Museum of Natural History, and additional information on the
determinations in this notice, including the results of consultation,
can be found in its inventory or related records. The National Park
Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice.
Abstract of Information Available
One associated funerary object has been identified. The associated
funerary object is a smoking pipe from ``Kukinumi Cave,'' Kohala, HI.
This
[[Page 10123]]
location has been identified through consultation as Kukui Umi Cave, a
well-known burial cave on Hawaii island. Catalog information further
states that the item was found ``inside coffin with Old Hawaiian'' and
gives a burial date of approximately 1860-1870.
The pipe was part of a larger accession sold to the AMNH in 1946 by
Lt. Col. Linscott A. Hall, who was stationed at Fort Kamehameha on Oahu
for two and a half years, beginning in 1937. Lt. Col. Hall reached the
rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force before his retirement
in 1970, following a military career that spanned over three decades.
In addition to his military service, Hall taught at the U.S. Military
Academy. Though the pipe was found in association with human remains at
a known location, the human remains were never accessioned by the
Museum. Museum accession records include a letter from Lt. Col. Hall
stating that all human remains were turned over to local Army Medics,
under a Captain Thompson at Fort Kamehameha ``for instructional
purposes.''
While it no longer does so, in the past, the Museum applied
potentially hazardous pesticides to items in the collections. Museum
records do not list specific objects treated or which of several
chemicals used were applied to a particular item. Therefore, those
handling this material should follow the advice of industrial
hygienists or medical personnel with specialized training in
occupational health or with potentially hazardous substances.
Cultural Affiliation
Based on the information available and the results of consultation,
cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical
location or acquisition history of the associated funerary objects
described in this notice.
Determinations
The American Museum of Natural History has determined that:
<bullet> The one object described in this notice is reasonably
believed to have been placed intentionally with or near individual
human remains at the time of death or later as part of the death rite
or ceremony.
<bullet> There is a connection between the associated funerary
object described in this notice and the Hui Iwi Kuamo`o.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the associated funerary
objects in this notice must be sent to the authorized representative
identified in this notice under ADDRESSES. Requests for repatriation
may be submitted by:
1. Any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations identified in this notice.
2. 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 an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with
cultural affiliation.
Repatriation of the associated funerary objects described in this
notice to a requestor may occur on or after April 1, 2026. If competing
requests for repatriation are received, the American Museum of Natural
History must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to
repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the associated
funerary objects are considered a single request and not competing
requests. The American Museum of Natural History is responsible for
sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian
organizations identified in this notice.
Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.
Dated: February 20, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-04048 Filed 2-27-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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