Notice2026-19482
Notice of Inventory Completion: Auburn University at Montgomery, Montgomery, 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 23, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Auburn University at Montgomery 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 183 (Wednesday, September 23, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 183 (Wednesday, September 23, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60410-60411]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-19482]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N7520; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0043824; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Auburn University at Montgomery,
Montgomery, AL
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Auburn University at Montgomery 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 23, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains
and associated funerary objects in this notice to Kimberly Pyszka,
Auburn University at Montgomery, P.O. Box 244023, Montgomery, AL 36124,
email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4826292f383a2908293d25662d2c3d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c0aea1a7b0b2a180a1b5adeea5a4b5">[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 Auburn
University at Montgomery, 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, five individuals have been
identified. The 478 associated funerary objects are one reconstructed
vessel, one incomplete bowl-shaped ceramic, 286 pottery sherds, seven
lithic, 18 faunal bone, 115 shell beads, 48 worked conch shells, one
metal fragment, and one daub. 1MC9, Atasi, also called 1MC6 by David
Chase, is located along an oxbow lake and the Tallapoosa River in Macon
County, Alabama. Chase conducted excavations at the site in 1972 with
AUM students. Then the site was revisited and surface collected by AUM
archaeologists in 1977. During these excavations, human remains and
associated funerary objects were removed from the site. These human
remains and associated funerary objects were then housed in the AUM
Archaeology Laboratory. No known hazardous substances were used to
treat any of the human remains or associated funerary objects.
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
Auburn University at Montgomery has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of five individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The 478 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 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; Shawnee Tribe; The Muscogee (Creek)
Nation; The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma; and the Thlopthlocco Tribal
Town.
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
23, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, Auburn
University at Montgomery 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. Auburn University at Montgomery 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.
[[Page 60411]]
Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.
Dated: September 17, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-19482 Filed 9-22-26; 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 23, 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.