Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Kansas; Lawrence, KS

Issuing agencies

Abstract

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Kansas 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

<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 203 (Thursday, October 22, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 203 (Thursday, October 22, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66727-66728]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21558]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[N7582; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0044033; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Kansas; Lawrence, 
KS

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and 
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Kansas 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 John Curran, University of Kansas, Office of Audit, 
Risk & Compliance, 1450 Jayhawk Blvd., 345 Strong Hall, Lawrence, KS 
66045, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8dffe8fdecf9ffe4ecf9e4e2e3cde6f8a3e8e9f8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="41332431203533282035282e2f012a346f242534">[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 
University of Kansas 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 have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The remains, a 
scalp, were transferred to the University of Kansas on June 7, 1956. It 
had been sent to the university by Alexander Rankin of Mission, Kansas, 
possibly a descendant of the original collector, also named Alexander 
Rankin. According to provenance records, the scalp was reportedly taken 
by the Osage in a raid on a Plains Tribe. An Osage Chief gave the scalp 
to Alexander Rankin around 1872. Rankin, a U.S. Licensed Indian Trader 
with the

[[Page 66728]]

Sac and Fox Tribe of Quenemo, Kansas, had opened a trading post in 1872 
at the Osage Agency, present-day Pawhuska, Oklahoma. There are no known 
chemical treatments to the human 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 University of Kansas 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 Osage Nation.

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 University of Kansas 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 University of Kansas 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. 2026-21558 Filed 10-21-26; 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>