Notice2026-05303
Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, HI
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 U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Hawai[revaps]i Volcanoes National Park (HAVO) has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 52 (Wednesday, March 18, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 18, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 13062]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-05303]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N7009; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042364; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior,
National Park Service, Hawai[revaps]i Volcanoes National Park, HI
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the U.S. Department of the Interior,
National Park Service, Hawai[revaps]i Volcanoes National Park (HAVO)
has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary
objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between
the human remains and associated funerary objects and Native Hawaiian
organizations in this notice.
DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary
objects in this notice may occur on or after April 17, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains
and associated funerary objects in this notice to Rhonda Loh, Park
Superintendent, P.O. Box 52, Hawaii National Park, HI 96718, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0e7c6661606a6f516261664e607e7d20696178"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="addfc5c2c3c9ccf2c1c2c5edc3ddde83cac2db">[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
Hawai[revaps]i Volcanoes National Park, and additional information on
the determinations in this notice, including the results of
consultation, can be found in its inventory or related records.
Abstract of Information Available
Human remains representing, at least, six individuals have been
identified. The 173 associated funerary objects are volcanic flakes,
cores, charcoal samples, soil samples, worked faunal remains, beads,
fishhook fragments, bottle fragments, can fragments, shells, adzes,
sherds, unknown (metal fragments), bolts, abraders, coral, and
different types of p[omacr]haku. These associated funerary objects are
from salvage archeological excavations in Kalapana that took place
between 1987 and 1989, specifically from Poupou Kauka and
Ka[revaps]ili[revaps]ili Village, located in the ahupua[revaps]a of
Poupou Kauka/P[umacr]lama. The excavations took place before the area
was inundated by lava flows. After completion of the fieldwork, the
materials excavated were sent for multiple types of analyses over the
course of several years and eventually separated. One portion of the
excavated material was accessioned under HAVO-00314 and HAVO-00317 in
1990, and the other portion was set aside at the time to potentially be
used as reference collection however, went into storage and was not
used in this manner.
Based on available information from the archeological record and
draft archeological report that was produced as a result of the
fieldwork, there is no known presence of potentially hazardous
substances on any of the human remains and associated funerary objects,
and the cultural affiliation is Native Hawaiian (Kanaka Maoli) based on
the pre-Contact dates confirmed through the archeological analysis
completed. Items on the inventory are all from archeological test pits
that contain confirmed human remains (iwi k[umacr]puna) which were
confirmed through osteological analysis. This inventory fulfills the
NPS' responsibility for completing an inventory of human remains and
associated funerary objects in 43 CFR 10.10(d) of the NAGPRA
implementing regulations.
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 and associated
funerary objects described in this notice.
Determination
The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of six individuals of Native Hawaiian ancestry.
<bullet> The 173 objects described in this notice are 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 human remains and
associated funerary objects described in this notice to the Kaina,
Kahilihiwa and Ka[revaps]awaloa [revaps]Ohana group.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the human remains and
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 Native Hawaiian organizations identified
in this notice.
2. Any lineal descendant 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 Native
Hawaiian organization with cultural affiliation.
Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects
described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after April 17,
2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Hawaii
Volcanoes National Park must determine the most appropriate requestor
prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the human
remains and associated funerary objects are considered a single request
and not competing requests. The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is
responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the 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: March 12, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-05303 Filed 3-17-26; 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 18, 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.