Notice2026-10032
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Ball State University, Muncie, IN
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 19, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Ball State University 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 96 (Tuesday, May 19, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 96 (Tuesday, May 19, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29158-29159]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-10032]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N7169; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042807; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Ball State University, Muncie,
IN
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 Ball State University 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 18, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the
cultural items in this notice to Chyan Gilaspy, Ball State University,
Applied Anthropology Laboratories, 2000 W Riverside Avenue, Muncie, IN
47306, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1957585e494b58597b6a6c377c7d6c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8fc1cec8dfddcecfedfcfaa1eaebfa">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is published as part of the
National Park Service's administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA.
The
[[Page 29159]]
determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of the Ball
State University 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 two cultural items have been requested for repatriation.
The two objects of cultural patrimony are described as one felt hat and
one beaded pouch. These items are represented by catalog numbers
1985.022.000 (beaded pouch) and 2018.052.001 (felt hat). In 1985, a
private donor gifted a beaded pouch listed as ``North American Sub-
Arctic, probably Athabascan'' to the Ball State University Art Gallery
(now David Owsley Museum of Art). There is no information on how the
donor acquired the item. In 2018, a private donor bequeathed what was
described as a ``Tlingit Cloth Hat'' to the institution. The donor
reported purchased the item in South Dakota in 1979. The institution
has no information about the presence of any potentially hazardous
substances used to treat any of the cultural items. However, testing of
other cultural items in the collection have been positive for
potentially hazardous substances.
Determinations
The Ball State University has determined that:
<bullet> The two 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 Chickaloon Native Village.
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 18, 2026. If competing requests for
repatriation are received, the Ball State University 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 Ball State University 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 12, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-10032 Filed 5-18-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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