Notice2026-04054
Notice of Inventory Completion: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ
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), Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey has completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains 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 10120-10121]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04054]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6968; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042110; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Rutgers, The State University of
New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
has completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that
there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and Indian
Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
DATES: Repatriation of the human remains in this notice may occur on or
after April 1, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains
in this notice to Carol McCarty, Rutgers, the State University of New
Jersey, 85 Somerset Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08904, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#355b54524547546a47405b5775474041525047461b505140"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7816191f080a19270a0d161a380a0d0c1f1d0a0b561d1c0d">[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
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 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
Human remains representing, at least, one individual has been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On an unknown
date, a collection was donated and housed at Rutgers University in New
Brunswick, NJ. In November 2024, ancestral remains were identified in
the collection. No institutional records of provenance exist for these
individuals. The ancestral remains are extremely fragmentary, making
further assessment beyond an MNI=1 impractical. Provenance information
associated with these ancestral remains is limited. Associations with
storage location and handwritten information with and on the remains
indicate a connection with the late Seton Hall archaeologist Herbert
Kraft through John Cavallo. John Cavallo directed contract archaeology
work through the Rutgers Center for Public Archaeology from 1991-1998.
Cavallo's papers indicate a connection with Herbert Kraft. Therefore,
it is suspected that the ancestral remains came to Rutgers from Kraft
through Cavallo. Herbert Kraft conducted both documented and
undocumented excavations in various New Jersey locations.
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 human remains described in this
notice.
Determinations
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of at least one individual of Native American
ancestry.
<bullet> There is a connection between the human remains described
in this notice and the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma;
Delaware Nation, Oklahoma; Delaware Tribe of Indians; Eastern Shawnee
Tribe of Oklahoma; Shawnee Tribe; and the Stockbridge Munsee Community,
Wisconsin.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the human remains 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 human remains described in this notice to a
requestor may occur on or after April 1, 2026. If competing requests
for repatriation are received, the Rutgers, the State University of New
Jersey must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to
repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the human
[[Page 10121]]
remains are considered a single request and not competing requests. The
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey is responsible for sending
a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian
organizations identified in this notice and any other consulting
parties.
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. 2026-04054 Filed 2-27-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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