Notice2026-18963
Notice of Inventory Completion: University of California, Santa Barbara, Repository for Archaeological and Ethnographic Collections, Santa Barbara, CA
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 16, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Repository for Archaeological and Ethnographic Collections has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 178 (Wednesday, September 16, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 16, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58705-58706]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-18963]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N7495; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0043747; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: University of California, Santa
Barbara, Repository for Archaeological and Ethnographic Collections,
Santa Barbara, CA
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of California, Santa Barbara
(UCSB), Repository for Archaeological and Ethnographic Collections has
completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects
and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the
human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or
Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary
objects in this notice may occur on or after October 16, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains
and associated funerary objects in this notice to Hugh Radde,
University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#56181711060417162335253478333223"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9bd5dadccbc9dadbeef8e8f9b5feffee">[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
UCSB Repository for Archaeological and Ethnographic Collections, 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, one individual has been
identified (Accession 250.025). The 26 associated funerary objects
include shellfish fragments, unmodified marine mammal bone fragments,
chert bifaces, and flaked stone fragments. Accession 250.025 was
collected from the surface of archaeological site CA-VEN-27B in Ventura
County, near the area known today as Pitas Point. The cultural
materials and ancestral remains were collected by Chester King and
Steven Craig. The exact date of removal is unknown but believed to be
circa 1970. They were brought to UC Santa Barbara prior to 1979, but
never identified as human until 2026. It is unknown whether the remains
were treated with preservatives or other potentially hazardous
substances.
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 and associated
funerary objects described in this notice.
Determinations
The UCSB Repository for Archaeological and Ethnographic Collections
has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of one individual of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The 26 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 human remains and
associated funerary objects described in this notice and the Santa Ynez
Band of Chumash Mission
[[Page 58706]]
Indians of the Santa Ynez Reservation, California.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the human remains and
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:
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 and associated funerary objects
described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after October
16, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the UCSB
Repository for Archaeological and Ethnographic Collections must
determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation.
Requests for joint repatriation of the human remains and associated
funerary objects are considered a single request and not competing
requests. The UCSB Repository for Archaeological and Ethnographic
Collections 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 10, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-18963 Filed 9-15-26; 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 16, 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.