Notice2026-05972
Notice of Inventory Completion: S'edav Va'aki Museum, City of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ
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 27, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the S'edav Va'aki Museum (formerly Pueblo Grande Museum), City of Phoenix 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 Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 59 (Friday, March 27, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 59 (Friday, March 27, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14871-14872]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-05972]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N7024; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042482; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: S'edav Va'aki Museum, City of
Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ
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 S'edav Va'aki Museum (formerly Pueblo
Grande Museum), City of Phoenix 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 Indian Tribes or 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 27, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains
and associated funerary objects in this notice to Lindsey Vogel-Teeter,
S'edav Va'aki Museum, 4619 East Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034,
email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6b0702050f180e12451d040c0e07461f0e0e1f0e192b1b03040e050213450c041d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="630f0a0d0710061a4d150c04060f4e17060617061123130b0c060d0a1b4d040c15">[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
S'edav Va'aki Museum, City of Phoenix, 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, four individuals and seven
associated funerary objects have been identified in the collections of
S'edav Va'aki Museum (SVM). The human remains and associated funerary
objects were removed from multiple archaeological sites in Maricopa
County, AZ during three archaeological excavations. These
archaeological sites are associated with the Hohokam archaeological
culture (A.D. 450 to 1450).
In May 1976, at least two individuals and six associated funerary
objects were removed from site AZ T:12:1(ASM), during a salvage
archaeological project conducted by employees of the City of Phoenix.
The cultural items were identified in collections at SVM in 1998. The
six associated funerary objects include two lots ceramic sherds, two
lots lithics, one faunal bone, and one shell bracelet fragment. The
human remains were identified in 2023 during a review of the faunal
collection.
In 2004, at least one individual was removed from AZ T:12:215(ASM)
also known as AZ T:12:1(ASM) during archaeological data recovery which
took place prior to a construction project. No associated funerary
objects are present. No human remains were identified during the
archaeological project. The human remains were transferred with the
collection to SVM in 2005, but they were not identified until 2022 when
they were located during a review of the faunal collection.
In 2004, at least one individual and one associated funerary object
were removed from site AZ T:12:50(ASM) during archaeological data
recovery prior to the sale of land. No human remains were identified
during the archaeological project. The human remains and associated
funerary object were transferred to SVM with the collection in 2015,
but they were not identified until 2022 when they were located during a
review of the faunal collection. The one associated funerary object is
a lot of faunal bone.
Cultural Affiliation
Based on the information available and the results of consultation,
cultural affiliation is clearly identified by the information available
about the human remains and associated funerary objects described in
this notice.
Determinations
The SVM has determined that:
[[Page 14872]]
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of four individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The seven 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 and the Ak-Chin
Indian Community; Gila River Indian Community of the Gila River Indian
Reservation, Arizona; Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Salt River Pima-Maricopa
Indian Community of the Salt River Reservation, Arizona; Tohono O'odham
Nation of Arizona; and the Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New
Mexico.
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 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 and associated funerary objects
described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after April 27,
2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the SVM 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 SVM 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: March 20, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-05972 Filed 3-26-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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