Notice2026-09403
Notice of Intended Repatriation: New York State Museum, Albany, NY
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
May 12, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the New York State Museum intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of objects of cultural patrimony 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 91 (Tuesday, May 12, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 91 (Tuesday, May 12, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 25917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-09403]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N7134; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042751; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: New York State Museum, Albany,
NY
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 New York State Museum intends to
repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of objects
of cultural patrimony 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 June 11, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the
cultural items in this notice to Gwendolyn Saul, New York State Museum,
222 Madison Avenue, Albany, NY 12230, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#385f4f5d565c57544156164b594d547856414b5d5c165f574e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="dcbbabb9b2b8b3b0a5b2f2afbda9b09cb2a5afb9b8f2bbb3aa">[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
New York State Museum, 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 four cultural items has been requested for repatriation.
The four objects of cultural patrimony are E-50040, three strings of
purple wampum; E-50044, three strings of purple and white wampum; E-
50048 two strings of white wampum, each strand with four purple wampum;
and E-50049, nine strings of white wampum, approximately two feet long.
The four wampum strings were collected by theologian, researcher,
and archaeologist William Beauchamp (1830-1925), between 1878-1895.
William Beauchamp served as an archaeologist and researcher at NYSM
1884-1910. According to Beauchamp's diary and publications, the strings
were originally the property of Oneida Chief Abraham (Abram) Hill,
living at Onondaga. Beauchamp acquired two of the wampum strings (E-
50040 and E-50044) from Chief Hill's wife after Chief Hill passed away
in 1895. A third wampum string (E-50048) was acquired by Beauchamp from
Chief Hill, in May 1880. Beauchamp acquired a fourth wampum string (E-
50049) that belonged to Chief Hill, from Mrs. La Fort, after Chief Hill
passed away. In 1949, Grace Beauchamp Lodder, William Beauchamp's
daughter, donated the strings to the NYSM collections.
Determinations
The New York State Museum has determined that:
<bullet> The four objects of cultural patrimony described in this
notice have ongoing historical, traditional, or cultural importance
central to the Native American group, including any constituent sub-
group (such as a band, clan, lineage, ceremonial society, or other
subdivision), according to the Native American traditional knowledge of
an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.
<bullet> There is a connection between the cultural items described
in this notice and the Oneida Indian Nation.
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 June 11, 2026. If competing requests for
repatriation are received, the New York State Museum 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 New York State Museum 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: May 5, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-09403 Filed 5-11-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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