Notice2026-05035
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Kalamazoo, MI
Primary source
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Published
March 16, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Kalamazoo Valley Museum intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of sacred objects/objects of cultural patrimony and that have 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 50 (Monday, March 16, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 50 (Monday, March 16, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 12617]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-05035]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6976; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042297; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Kalamazoo Valley Museum,
Kalamazoo, MI
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 Kalamazoo Valley Museum intends to
repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of sacred
objects/objects of cultural patrimony and that have a cultural
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 April 15, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the
cultural items in this notice to Regina Gorham, Collections Manager,
Kalamazoo Valley Museum, 230 North Rose Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49007,
email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ea988d8598828b87aa819c8989c48f8e9f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="16647179647e777b567d60757538737263">[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
Kalamazoo Valley Museum, 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 11 cultural items have been requested for repatriation.
The 11 sacred objects/objects of cultural patrimony are baskets. These
baskets were originally loaned to the museum in 1927 by Albert May Todd
and bequeathed to the museum in 1932 after his death. A.M. Todd
traveled the world collecting. Most of the Native belongings Todd
purchased was at the Whalen's Curio Shop in Los Angeles, California.
The Kalamazoo Valley Museum is not aware of the baskets being treated.
Determinations
The Kalamazoo Valley Museum has determined that:
<bullet> The 11 sacred objects/objects 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 items described
in this notice and the Pala Band of Mission Indians.
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 April 15, 2026. If competing requests for
repatriation are received, the Kalamazoo Valley Museum 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 Kalamazoo Valley Museum 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: March 5, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-05035 Filed 3-13-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on March 16, 2026.
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