Notice2026-18332
Notice of Inventory Completion: Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL
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 Birmingham Museum of Art (BMA) has completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains 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]
[Page 57369]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-18332]
[[Page 57369]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N7477; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0043682; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Birmingham Museum of Art,
Birmingham, AL
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 Birmingham Museum of Art (BMA) has
completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that there
is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and Indian Tribes
or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
DATES: Repatriation of the human remains in this notice may occur on or
after October 9, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains
in this notice to Dr. Anne Forschler-Tarrasch, Director of Collections
& Exhibitions, Birmingham Museum of Art, 2000 Rev. Abraham Woods, Jr.
Blvd., Birmingham, AL 35203, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#80e1e6eff2f3e3e8ece5f2c0e1f2f4f3e2ede1aeeff2e7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a5c4c3cad7d6c6cdc9c0d7e5c4d7d1d6c7c8c48bcad7c2">[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
BMA, 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
Human remains representing, at least, three individuals have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. Sometime prior
to 1954, human remains (Ancestors) representing a minimum of three
individuals were disinterred from an unknown geographic location,
possibly Alabama. On an unknown date, the Ancestors were acquired by
the Birmingham Public Library (BPL). BPL loaned the Ancestors to the
BMA in 1954 along with other Native American items from multiple
regions and cultural groups. In 1978, BPL permanently transferred the
collection to BMA. Collection records describe the Ancestors as Native
American. In 2017-2018, the University of Alabama conducted an
osteological analysis to confirm the number of individuals, age,
biological sex and ancestry.
Cultural Affiliation
Based on the information available and the results of consultation,
cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical
location or acquisition history of the human remains described in this
notice.
Determinations
The BMA has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of three individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> There is a connection between the human remains described
in this notice and the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma;
Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas; Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town;
Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana; Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma; Jena
Band of Choctaw Indians; Kialegee Tribal Town; Mississippi Band of
Choctaw Indians; Poarch Band of Creek Indians; Seminole Tribe of
Florida; The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation;
The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma; Thlopthlocco Tribal Town; and the
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the human remains in this
notice must be sent to the authorized representative identified in this
notice under ADDRESSES. Requests for repatriation may be submitted by:
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 human remains described in this notice to a
requestor may occur on or after October 9, 2026. If competing requests
for repatriation are received, the BMA must determine the most
appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint
repatriation of the human remains are considered a single request and
not competing requests. The BMA 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. 2026-18332 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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