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Notice2026-18327

Notice of Intended Repatriation: History Colorado. Denver, CO

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), History Colorado intends to repatriate certain a cultural item that meets the definition of an unassociated funerary object and that has 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 173 (Wednesday, September 9, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 9, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57379-57380]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-18327]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[N7480; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0043685; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Intended Repatriation: History Colorado. Denver, CO

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and 
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), History Colorado intends to repatriate 
certain a cultural item that meets the definition of an unassociated 
funerary object and that has a cultural affiliation with the Indian 
Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.

DATES: Repatriation of the cultural item in this notice may occur on or 
after October 9, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the 
cultural item in this notice to Chance Ward, History Colorado, 1200 
Broadway, Denver, CO 80203, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5b38333a35383e752c3a293f1b282f3a2f3e753834752e28"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c1a2a9a0afa2a4efb6a0b3a581b2b5a0b5a4efa2aeefb4b2">[email&#160;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 
History Colorado 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 one cultural item has been requested for repatriation. 
The one unassociated funerary object is a beaded cradleboard 
(E.1987.3). Available information indicates that the cradleboard was 
removed from a grave near Ashland, Montana in an unknown year. The 
bottom portion of the cradleboard is damaged and missing, and the 
remaining portion appears to have been burned. Mr. L.D. Bax donated the 
cradleboard to History Colorado (then the Colorado Historical Society) 
in September 1960. L.D. Bax (Lionel Drewyer Bax, 1898-1984) was a 
Colorado-based collector who assembled a collection of Native American 
cultural materials associated with Native peoples of the Great Plains 
and western United States. Available information does not indicate that 
the cradleboard itself was tested for or treated with hazardous 
substances. However, during its time in museum collections, it may have 
been stored in proximity to or alongside other cultural materials that 
had been treated with hazardous substances.

Determinations

    History Colorado has determined that:
    <bullet> The one unassociated funerary object described in this 
notice is 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 object has 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 item described 
in this notice and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne 
Indian Reservation, Montana.

Requests for Repatriation

    Additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural item 
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 item in this notice to a requestor may 
occur on or after October 9, 2026. If competing requests for 
repatriation are received, History Colorado must determine the most 
appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint 
repatriation of the cultural item are

[[Page 57380]]

considered a single request and not competing requests. History 
Colorado 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. 2026-18327 Filed 9-8-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P


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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.