Notice of Inventory Completion: Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Rapids, MI

Issuing agencies

Abstract

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) 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 199 (Friday, October 16, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 199 (Friday, October 16, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65768-65769]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21119]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[N7567; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0043941; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand 
Rapids, MI

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 Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) 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 16, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains 
and associated funerary objects in this notice to Alex Forist, Chief 
Curator, Grand Rapids Public Museum, 272 Pearl Street NW, Grand Rapids, 
MI 49504, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#59383f362b302a2d193e2b293477362b3e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b5d4d3dac7dcc6c1f5d2c7c5d89bdac7d2">[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 
GRPM, 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, 21 individuals have been 
identified (five of which are currently missing). Of the 174 associated 
funerary objects, 151 are present and 23 are missing. The 151 present 
objects are seven balls of earth, two bear jaw fragments, one bear 
tooth, eight bone awls and bone awl fragments, one bone pendant, two 
Busycon shell dippers, one canine skull, two cannel coal rubbing 
implements, one clay pipe, one core, one discoidal stone, one drill, 
two flint spades, two hammerstones, two lenticular stones, 13 lots of 
chips, three lots of galena crystals, one lot of mammal bone fragments, 
eight lots of mica, two mussel shell halves, two pieces of melted lead, 
two pipe casts, 33 pottery sherds, 26 projectile points, one red ochre 
paint stone, one sand conglomerate, 13 scrapers, five stone knives, one 
string of crinoidal sections, one tortoise carapace fragment, one 
ungrooved axe cast and four ungrooved stone axes. The 23 missing 
associated funerary objects are two balls of earth, two banded slate 
objects, one bone awl, one charcoal fragment, one copper awl, two 
drilled tablets, one earthen pot, one pendant, three pottery sherds, 
seven

[[Page 65769]]

projectile points, one scraper and one stone object.
    The human remains and associated funerary objects were excavated by 
Elliott H. Crane (b. 1840-d. 1917) from Goodall Mounds (#12LE9), La 
Porte County, Indiana, at an unknown date. On July 10, 1917, the GRPM 
purchased a substantial number of objects from the Crane Estate. Crane 
was a collector and proprietor of Crane's Museum in Grand Rapids who 
excavated mounds in the Midwest in the late 1800s. GRPM continues to 
look for any missing human remains and associated funerary objects. No 
known hazardous substances are present. These human remains and 
associated funerary objects were part of a joint consultation effort to 
bring together human remains and associated funerary objects from 
multiple institutions.

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 GRPM has determined that:
    <bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the 
remains of at least 21 individuals of Native American ancestry.
    <bullet> The 174 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; Citizen Potawatomi Nation, 
Oklahoma; Forest County Potawatomi Community, Wisconsin; Kaw Nation, 
Oklahoma; Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas; Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish 
Band of Pottawatomi (previously listed as Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band 
of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan); Miami Tribe of Oklahoma; Minnesota 
Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota (Mille Lacs Band); Nottawaseppi Huron Band of 
the Potawatomi, Michigan; Omaha Tribe of Nebraska; Pokagon Band of 
Potawatomi Indians, Michigan and Indiana; Ponca Tribe of Indians of 
Oklahoma; Ponca Tribe of Nebraska; Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation; 
Shawnee Tribe; Seneca Nation of Indians; and the Tonawanda Band of 
Seneca.

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 
16, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the GRPM 
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 GRPM 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: October 7, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-21119 Filed 10-15-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P


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