Notice2026-07953
Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
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
April 23, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Michigan has completed an inventory of human remains (hereinafter referred to as "Ancestral remains" or "Ancestors") and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the Ancestral 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 78 (Thursday, April 23, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 78 (Thursday, April 23, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21840-21841]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-07953]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N7103; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042662; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor, 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 University of Michigan has completed an
inventory of human remains (hereinafter referred to as ``Ancestral
remains'' or ``Ancestors'') and associated funerary objects and has
determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the Ancestral
remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native
Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
DATES: Repatriation of the Ancestral remains and associated funerary
objects in this notice may occur on or after May 26, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the Ancestral
remains and associated funerary objects in this notice to Dr. Ben
Secunda, NAGPRA Office Managing Director, University of Michigan,
Office of Research, Suite G269, Lane Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1274,
email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1b79687e786e757f7a5b6e76727873357e7f6e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9cfeeff9ffe9f2f8fddce9f1f5fff4b2f9f8e9">[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 Michigan, 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
Ancestral remains representing, at least, three individuals have
been identified. The seven associated funerary objects are one lot of
small silver crosses; one lot of thin silver brooches; one lot of
silver ear bob; one lot of various archaeological materials; one lot of
lithic flake; one lot of iron nails and nail fragments; one lot of
unworked animal bone. The Ancestors and associated funerary objects
were removed from the Herron site (20BE21) in Berrien County, Michigan,
in June of 1958 as an inadvertent discovery made by the property owner.
The site was subsequently excavated by faculty from the University of
Michigan Museum of Anthropological Archaeology (UMMAA). Dating for the
site is to the Late Historic A.D. 1820-1830 based on diagnostic
artifacts.
Ancestral remains representing, at least, four individuals have
been identified. The five associated funerary objects are one lot brass
kettle with iron bail, one lot iron spoon, one lot brass hawk bells,
one lot stone pipe, and one lot brooch fragments. The Ancestral remains
and associated funerary objects were removed from the Logan site
(20BE16) in Berrien County, Michigan, while excavating a cellar of a
private residence, and were subsequently donated to the UMMAA in 1935.
Dating for the site is to the Late Historic A.D. 1760-1820 based on
diagnostic artifacts.
A total of one associated funerary object has been identified. The
one associated funerary object is one lot brass bracelet. The bracelet
was removed from the Niles site (20BE14), Berrien County, Michigan,
prior to 1937 by the property owner and donated to UMMAA in 1937.
Dating for the site is to the Historic A.D. 1610-1820 based on
diagnostic artifacts.
The University of Michigan has no record of, nor do its officials
have any knowledge of, any treatment of the Ancestral remains and
associated funerary objects with pesticides, preservatives, or other
substances that represent a potential hazard to the collections or to
persons handling the collections.
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 Ancestral remains and associated
funerary objects described in this notice.
Determinations
The University of Michigan has determined that:
<bullet> The Ancestral remains described in this notice represent
the physical
[[Page 21841]]
remains of seven individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The 13 objects described in this notice are reasonably
believed to have been placed intentionally with or near individual
Ancestral remains at the time of death or later as part of the death
rite or ceremony.
<bullet> There is a connection between the Ancestral remains and
associated funerary objects described in this notice and the Bay Mills
Indian Community, Michigan; Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa
Indians, Michigan; Hannahville Indian Community, Michigan; Keweenaw Bay
Indian Community, Michigan; Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior
Chippewa Indians of Michigan; Little River Band of Ottawa Indians,
Michigan; Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Michigan; Match-
E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi (previously listed as Match-E-
Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan); Nottawaseppi
Huron Band of the Potawatomi, Michigan; Pokagon Band of Potawatomi
Indians, Michigan and Indiana; Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of
Michigan; and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Michigan.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the Ancestral 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 and, if joined to a request
from one or more of the Indian Tribes, the Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and
Chippewa Indians or Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians, as non-
federally recognized Indian groups.
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 Ancestral remains and associated funerary
objects described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after
May 26, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the
University of Michigan must determine the most appropriate requestor
prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the Ancestral
remains and associated funerary objects are considered a single request
and not competing requests. The University of Michigan 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 17, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-07953 Filed 4-22-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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