Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington, DC

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), has completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 203 (Thursday, October 22, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 203 (Thursday, October 22, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66729-66730]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21546]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[N7586; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0044038; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, 
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington, DC

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), has completed an inventory of human remains 
and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the 
human remains and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in 
this notice.

DATES: Repatriation of the human remains in this notice may occur on or 
after November 23, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains 
in this notice to Tamara Billie, U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of 
Indian Affairs, 1001 Indian School Road NW, Mailbox 44, Albuquerque, NM 
87104, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2155404c4053400f43484d4d4844614348400f464e57"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e89c8985899a89c68a818484818da88a8189c68f879e">[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 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. No associated funerary objects are present. In 2024, the 
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, was 
contacted by an individual in California who discovered an Ancestral 
skull, including cranium and mandible, among her father-in-law's 
belongings following his passing in 2021. The individual shared a 
family oral history indicating that the Ancestral skull had been 
removed by her father-in-law from the Fort Randall Dam area in Gregory

[[Page 66730]]

County and Charles Mix County, South Dakota, during his work on the 
dam's construction between 1945 and 1947. The individual expressed a 
desire to repatriate the Ancestral skull and requested that the BIA 
take the lead in facilitating this process. In March 2025, the BIA 
subsequently coordinated with the NAGPRA team at the UCLA Fowler Museum 
to temporarily house the Ancestral skull on a short-term loan, enabling 
the Bureau to initiate consultation with the Tribal Historic 
Preservation Officer of the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota 
regarding repatriation. At this time, it is unknown whether any 
potentially hazardous substances were used to treat the Ancestral 
remains.

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 described in this 
notice.

Determinations

    The BIA has determined that:
    <bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of one individual of Native American ancestry.
    <bullet> There is a connection between the human remains described 
in this notice and the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.

Requests for Repatriation

    Written requests for repatriation of the human remains 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 described in this notice to a 
requestor may occur on or after November 23, 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 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: October 15, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-21546 Filed 10-21-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P


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