Notice2026-06813
Notice of Inventory Completion: Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, KS
Primary source
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Published
April 9, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Kansas State Historical Society (KSHS) 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 68 (Thursday, April 9, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 68 (Thursday, April 9, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17997-17998]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-06813]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N7052; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042550; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Kansas State Historical Society,
Topeka, KS
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 Kansas State Historical Society (KSHS)
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 May 11, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains
and associated funerary objects in this notice to Dr. Nicole Klarmann,
Kansas State Historical Society, 6425 SW 6th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66615-
1099, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#79120a110a5717181e090b1839120a571e160f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1d766e756e33737c7a6d6f7c5d766e337a726b">[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
KSHS, 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, one individual have been
identified from Republic County, KS (UBS 2025-13). No associated
funerary objects are present. Human remains were found on a sandpit
near the Republican River and conveyed to the Kansas Bureau of
Investigation. The KBI transferred the remains to Washburn University
for forensic analysis who then sent them to KSHS on December 9, 2025.
Human remains representing, at least, two individuals have been
identified from Saline County, KS (UBS 2026-01a-b). No associated
funerary objects are present. These remains have minimal provenience
information but were identified in the collections at the Rolling Hills
Zoo in Salina, KS. The zoo
[[Page 17998]]
transferred the remains to KSHS on January 8, 2026.
Human remains representing, at least, four individuals have been
identified from Franklin County, NE (UBS 2025-15). The 278 associated
funerary objects include shell beads and fragments, bone beads, and
ceramic fragments. An individual from Herington, KS gave his collection
to the Herington County Historical Society in 1986. They transferred it
to KSHS in 2025. Some of the items and remains may have an unspecified
glue or plaster of Paris present.
Unless stated above and to our knowledge, no hazardous substances
were used to treat the human remains or associated funerary objects.
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 KSHS has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of seven individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The 278 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 associated funerary
objects described in this notice and the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma.
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 May 11,
2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the KSHS
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 KSHS 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: April 1, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-06813 Filed 4-8-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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