Notice2026-18964
Notice of Intended Repatriation: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
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 Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) intends to repatriate a certain cultural item that meet the definition of a sacred object and that has a known lineal descendant.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 178 (Wednesday, September 16, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 16, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 58699]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-18964]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N7498; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0043749; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York, NY
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 Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met)
intends to repatriate a certain cultural item that meet the definition
of a sacred object and that has a known lineal descendant.
DATES: Repatriation of the cultural item in this notice may occur on or
after October 16, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the
cultural item in this notice to Jennifer Day, NAGPRA Coordinator &
Community Liaison, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue,
New York, NY 10028, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#571d3239393e3132257933362e173a32233a222432223a79382530"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="410b242f2f282724336f252038012c24352c343224342c6f2e3326">[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
Met, 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 sacred object is a wooden deity figure (akua k[amacr]'ai)
(former Museum accession number 1979.206.1625). The deity figure's
provenance connects it to the Hale o Keawe site (the house of Keawe) at
the historic site of H[omacr]naunau on the Big Island of
Hawai[revaps]i. Consultation and museum records indicate that the deity
figure, which is in the `Kona' style, would have been used in
ceremonial rites and other religious ceremonies at the Hale o Keawe
site to invoke or summon forth ancestor spirits and deities. The item
was loaned by Nelson A. Rockefeller to The Museum of Primitive Art, New
York, in 1961, and given by bequest to The Metropolitan Museum of Art
in 1979; Mr. Rockefeller acquired the item in 1961 through John J.
Klejman, New York.
The Museum is not aware of any potentially hazardous substances
used to treat any of the cultural items.
Determinations
The Museum has determined that:
<bullet> The one sacred object described in this notice is a
specific ceremonial object needed by a traditional Native American
religious leader for present-day adherents to practice traditional
Native American religion, according to the Native American traditional
knowledge of a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian
organization.
<bullet> A known lineal descendant is connected to the cultural
item described in this notice. This determination was made pursuant to
43 CFR 10.9(h)(4) following receipt of competing request for
repatriation of the cultural item described in this notice.
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 16, 2026. If competing requests for
repatriation are received, the Museum must determine the most
appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint
repatriation of the cultural item are considered a single request and
not competing requests. The Museum is responsible for sending a copy of
this notice to all requestors and 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 10, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-18964 Filed 9-15-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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