Notice2026-18326
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV
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 Huntington Museum of Art (HMoA) intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 173 (Wednesday, September 9, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 9, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 57373]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-18326]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N7473; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0043678; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Huntington Museum of Art,
Huntington, WV
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Huntington Museum of Art (HMoA) intends
to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of
unassociated funerary objects 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 October 9, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the
cultural items in this notice to Liz Simmons, Executive Director, HMoA,
2033 McCoy Road, Huntington, WV 25701, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4529362c28282a2b36052d282a246b2a3722"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="88e4fbe1e5e5e7e6fbc8e0e5e7e9a6e7faef">[email protected]</span></a> or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#91fff0f6e1e3f0d1f9fcfef0bffee3f6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2b454a4c5b594a6b4346444a0544594c">[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
HMoA, 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 have been requested for
repatriation. The four unassociated funerary objects are three stone
pipes and one fossilized coral pipe. On an unknown date, two of the
stone pipes and the one fossilized coral pipe were removed from
``Ashvill'' (Asheville), Buncombe County, North Carolina. On an unknown
date, one stone pipe was removed from a location known as ``Frazer
Farm'' in Frazier Bottom, Putnam County, West Virginia. The pipes were
collected by John J. Adams, an avocational archaeologist and charter
member of the West Virginia and Ohio Archaeological Societies. Adams
donated the pipes to the HMoA in 1980. The pipes are culturally
affiliated with the Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.
Determinations
The HMoA has determined that:
<bullet> The four unassociated funerary objects described in this
notice are reasonably believed to have been placed intentionally with
or near human remains, and are connected, either at the time of death
or later as part of the death rite or ceremony of a Native American
culture according to the Native American traditional knowledge of a
lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization. The
unassociated funerary objects have been identified by a preponderance
of the evidence as related to human remains, specific individuals, or
families, or removed from a specific burial site or burial area of an
individual or individuals with cultural affiliation to an Indian Tribe
or Native Hawaiian organization.
<bullet> There is a connection between the cultural items described
in this notice and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
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 October 9, 2026. If competing requests for
repatriation are received, the HMoA 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 HMoA 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: September 1, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-18326 Filed 9-8-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 9, 2026.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.