Notice2026-04055
Notice of Inventory Completion: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, 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
March 2, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History 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
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 40 (Monday, March 2, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 40 (Monday, March 2, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 10128]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04055]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6969; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042111; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural
History, Santa Barbara, CA
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
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 Luke Swetland, President and CEO, Santa Barbara
Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara, CA
93105, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c5a9b6b2a0b1a9a4aba185b6a7aba4b1b0b7a0f7ebaab7a2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="117d626674657d707f755162737f7065646374233f7e6376">[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
Santa Barbara 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
Human remains representing, at least, two individuals were likely
removed from Madison County, Illinois. In 2007, an anonymous package
containing these human remains was mailed to the Santa Barbara Museum
of Natural History. The human remains consist of 60% of an intact
cranium, and one mandible. The package also contained a type-written
note that says: ``The skull and jaw bones were found in a closet while
cleaning out a person's belongings . . . it appears that the person who
collected them dug them up when he was a child in southern Illinois.
From what I have been able to determine, he dug them up about 80 years
ago on farmland that was about 18 miles from the site of Cahokia. We
had absolutely no idea what to do with these bones and want to make
sure they are handled respectfully . . . and so are sending them to the
Natural History Museum for handling.'' No associated funerary objects
are present.
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
The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of at least two individuals 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;
Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma; Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin; Iowa
Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska; Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas;
Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi (previously listed as
Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan);
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma; Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; Pokagon
Band of Potawatomi Indians, Michigan and Indiana; Prairie Band
Potawatomi Nation; Quapaw Nation; Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in
Kansas and Nebraska; The Osage Nation; Thlopthlocco Tribal Town; and
the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.
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 Santa Barbara Museum of Natural
History must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to
repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the human remains are
considered a single request and not competing requests. The Santa
Barbara 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. 2026-04055 Filed 2-27-26; 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 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.