Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI

Issuing agencies

Abstract

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Rhode Island (URI) 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 209 (Friday, October 30, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 209 (Friday, October 30, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68551-68552]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-22155]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[N7604; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0044099; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Rhode Island, 
Kingston, RI

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 University of Rhode Island (URI) 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 30, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains 
and associated funerary objects in this notice to Kristine M. Bovy, 
Department of Sociology & Anthropology, University of Rhode Island, 507 
Chafee Bldg., Kingston, RI 02881, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#076c6568717e4772756e29626372"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="177c7578616e5762657e39727362">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>, and The Office 
of the General Counsel, 35 Campus Avenue, Kingston, RI 02881, email 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5005021917353e3522313c133f253e23353c102522397e353425"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="184d4a515f7d767d6a79745b776d766b7d74586d6a71367d7c6d">[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 Rhode Island, 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

Dartmouth Case

    Human remains representing, at least, three individuals have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The only 
original documentation associated with this case is a handwritten label 
on the original storage box reading ``Dartmouth Material.'' Based on 
the box label and research practices of the 1980s, when we believe 
these Ancestors arrived at the University, the remains are reasonably 
determined to have originated from Dartmouth, Massachusetts, though 
this cannot be confirmed. At the request of consulting parties, non-
invasive analysis of the skeletal remains was conducted on campus in 
2026 to confirm Native American ancestry, at which time the individuals 
were deemed to be very likely of Native American descent.
    Luce Collection (Ridge Hill Site, Main Street Site, Kenoza Camp 
Site): Human remains representing, at least, three individuals have 
been identified. The one associated funerary object is animal bone. The 
Luce Collection originates from archaeological work conducted by Fred 
and Thera Luce and was originally curated at the Buttonwoods Museum in 
Haverhill, Massachusetts. In the mid-1980s, several Ancestors were 
loaned to the University of Rhode Island for osteological study, as 
documented in a 1986 report by Thomas Mahlstedt of the Massachusetts 
Historical Commission. Some Ancestors were returned to Buttonwoods, 
while others remained at URI. In 2022, URI staff confirmed that 
Buttonwoods retained two Ancestors whose remains were intermingled with 
those held by the University. In consultation with the Museum, it was 
agreed that the Ancestors from the Ridge Hill, Main Street, and Kenoza 
Camp sites would be reunited under URI's legal control. The Buttonwoods 
Museum retains all original documentation, including notebooks and 
photographs, from the Luce Collection.
    Ridge Hill Site (19-ES-41; Luce #4907): On June 16, 1932, an 
eroding cairn burial containing one individual was recorded in 
Groveland, Massachusetts, near the Merrimack River. Fred Luce and 
assistants documented the burial and removed approximately sixty 
cobblestones to expose the remains, which were later examined by the 
local Medical Examiner and identified as Native American. Luce retained 
the remains and they entered into the Luce Collection.
    Main Street Site (19-ES-559; Luce #3292): On June 12, 1915, workmen 
excavating a water line trench in Groveland uncovered a burial. The 
remains were recovered by a local resident and documented by Thera Luce 
in her register of excavations, thus becoming part of the Luce 
Collection.
    Kenoza Camp Site (19-ES-27; Luce #2398): In August 1913, during 
road construction near Kenoza Lake and Winnekenni Park in Haverhill, 
workmen encountered a burial later attributed to site 19-ES-27. Fred 
Luce purchased these skeletal remains from the workmen and they 
subsequently

[[Page 68552]]

became part of the Luce Collection. Cultural materials were found in 
the area, but documentation indicates this burial contained no 
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 University of Rhode Island has determined that:
    <bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of six individuals of Native American ancestry.
    <bullet> The one object described in this notice is 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 Mashpee 
Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).

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 
30, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the 
University of Rhode Island 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 University of Rhode Island 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 22, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-22155 Filed 10-29-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P


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