Notice2026-05290
Notice of Intended Repatriation: University of California San Diego, San Diego, 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 18, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of California San Diego intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects 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 52 (Wednesday, March 18, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 18, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13053-13054]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-05290]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N7003; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042358; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: University of California San
Diego, San Diego, CA
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 University of California San Diego
intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition
of unassociated funerary objects 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 17, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the
cultural items in this notice to Eva Trujillo, Repatriation
Coordinator, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La
Jolla, CA 92093, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b3d684c7c1c6d9dadfdfdcf3c6d0c0d79dd6d7c6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="83e6b4f7f1f6e9eaefefecc3f6e0f0e7ade6e7f6">[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
University of California San Diego, 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 unassociated funerary objects are chipped stone.
Sometime in January of 1963, these items were excavated and removed
from the vicinity of Lake Manix, San Bernadino County, California, by
University of California San Diego associates Dr. C.L Hubbs and party.
The unassociated funerary objects listed were incorporated into
what became known as the ``Hubbs Collection.'' In 1973, Dr. Hubbs
bequeathed the Hubbs Collection to the Museum of Us (formerly the San
Diego Museum of Man). In March of 2004, the Museum of Us (MoU)
deaccessioned the Hubbs Collection and donated it to the University of
San Diego (USD) Anthropology Department, although some of the
collection remained at the MoU. Given the scope of the collection and
complexities related to provenance, UC San Diego, MoU, and USD reached
an agreement to work together to facilitate NAGPRA compliance in
collaboration with the Tribes. There is no presence of any potentially
hazardous substances used to treat any of the cultural items.
Determinations
The University of California San Diego has determined that:
<bullet> The 11 unassociated funerary objects described in this
notice are reasonably believed to have been placed intentionally with
or near human remains, and are connected, either at the time of death
or later as part of the death
[[Page 13054]]
rite or ceremony of a Native American culture according to the Native
American traditional knowledge of a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or
Native Hawaiian organization. The unassociated funerary objects have
been identified by a preponderance of the evidence as related to human
remains, specific individuals, or families, or removed from a specific
burial site or burial area of an individual or individuals with
cultural affiliation to an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian
organization.
<bullet> There is a connection between the cultural items described
in this notice and the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation (previously
listed as San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, California).
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 17, 2026. If competing requests for
repatriation are received, the University of California San Diego 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 University of California
San Diego 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 11, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-05290 Filed 3-17-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on March 18, 2026.
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