Notice2026-18320
Notice of Inventory Completion: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, TX
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
September 9, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has completed an inventory of associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the 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 173 (Wednesday, September 9, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 9, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57374-57375]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-18320]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N7483; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0043689; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department, Austin, TX
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 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
(TPWD) has completed an inventory of associated funerary objects and
has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the
associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations in this notice.
DATES: Repatriation of the associated funerary objects in this notice
may occur on or after October 9, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the associated
funerary objects in this notice to Aina Dodge, Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0869616669266c676c6f6d487c787f6c267c6d70697b266f677e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7d1c14131c531912191a183d090d0a19530918051c0e531a120b">[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
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 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
No human remains have been identified. The three associated
funerary objects are three ceramic vessels. One vessel is identified as
Ripley Engraved and two are identified as Taylor Engraved. The vessels
were removed from Caddo Mounds State Historic Site (41CE19) in Cherokee
County, Texas, a site formerly operated by TPWD. The site has
historically been associated with the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma.
Sometime in 1982 or earlier, the vessels were placed in an exhibit
at Goliad State Park. At a later date, the vessels were removed from
the Goliad exhibit and moved to the TPWD curation facility in Austin,
where they remained housed with the Goliad collection. Accession
records clearly state that the vessels are from Caddo Mounds.
Cultural Affiliation
Based on the information available and the results of consultation,
cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical
location of the associated funerary objects described in this notice.
Determinations
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has determined that:
<bullet> The three 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 Caddo Nation of Oklahoma.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the 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:
[[Page 57375]]
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 associated funerary objects described in this
notice to a requestor may occur on or after October 9, 2026. If
competing requests for repatriation are received, the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department must determine the most appropriate requestor prior
to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the associated
funerary objects are considered a single request and not competing
requests. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 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: September 1, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-18320 Filed 9-8-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 9, 2026.
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