Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington, DC, and the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Santa Fe, NM

Issuing agencies

Abstract

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture 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

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 194 (Thursday, October 8, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 194 (Thursday, October 8, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64392-64393]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-20573]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[N7545; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0043911; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, 
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington, DC, and the Museum of Indian Arts 
& Culture, Santa Fe, NM

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 U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau 
of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture 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 November 9, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains 
and associated funerary objects in this notice to Tamara Billie, U.S. 
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Branch of 
Cultural Resources Management, 1001 Indian School Road NW, Mailbox 44, 
Albuquerque, NM 87104, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8bffeae6eaf9eaa5e9e2e7e7e2eecbe9e2eaa5ece4fd"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="057164686477642b676c69696c6045676c642b626a73">[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 the 
BIA, and additional information on the determinations in this notice, 
including the results of consultation, can be found in its inventory or 
related records. The

[[Page 64393]]

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. The three associated funerary objects are one grass saw, 
one abalone pendant, and one lot of beads. These human remains and 
associated funerary objects were removed from archaeological site LA 
2605 in La Plata County, Colorado, in 1953. This site is also known as 
the Ignacio Site, the Ignacio Field Camp, or Colorado site number 
5LP291. The excavation of this site was conducted as part of a larger 
natural gas pipeline installation project for the El Paso Natural Gas 
Company between the years 1950-1953. LA 2605 specifically was to be the 
site of a warehouse and staff residences. Archaeologists visited the 
site after construction had already begun and salvaged what material 
they could. They determined that this site consisted of a series of 
above-ground house structures and numerous multi-purpose pits that 
served as cooking, refuse disposal, and burial sites. Archaeologists 
estimated the site LA 2605 dates tentatively to Basketmaker II (1000 
BCE-CE 500) based on resident structures but had not conducted any 
absolute dating analyses. Materials from this pipeline project were 
sent to the Museum of New Mexico or the Museum of Northern Arizona. The 
site's collections have remained with the Museum of New Mexico, now 
represented by the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, since excavation. 
Human remains loaned to the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology in the 1970s 
were returned in 2004. In May and June 2025, the BIA and the Museum of 
Indian Arts & Culture consulted Southern Ute Indian Tribe 
Representatives and determined geographic cultural affiliation with the 
Tribe. The remains were treated with a preservative for handling; no 
known hazardous substances were used on the 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

    The BIA has determined that:
    <bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of three individuals of Native American ancestry.
    <bullet> The three 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 Southern 
Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado.

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 November 
9, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the BIA 
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 BIA 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 30, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-20573 Filed 10-7-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P


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