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 has determined that there is no lineal descendant and no Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with cultural affiliation.

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 68554-68555]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-22157]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[N7606; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0044080; 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

[[Page 68555]]

remains and has determined that there is no lineal descendant and no 
Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with cultural affiliation.

DATES: Upon request, repatriation of the human remains in this notice 
may occur on or after November 30, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains 
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#e68d8489909fa693948fc8838293"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a6cdc4c9d0dfe6d3d4cf88c3c2d3">[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#c792958e80a2a9a2b5a6ab84a8b2a9b4a2ab87b2b5aee9a2a3b2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="88dddac1cfede6edfae9e4cbe7fde6fbede4c8fdfae1a6edecfd">[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

Unaffiliated ``Box 1,'' ``Box 2,'' ``Box 3''

    Human remains representing, at least, six individuals have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The University 
of Rhode Island presently holds no documentation within its archives 
indicating geographic origin, archaeological context, or acquisition 
history for the remains housed in ``Box 1,'' ``Box 2,'' and ``Box 3.'' 
Based on a 2022 osteological inventory, human remains representing, at 
least, seven individuals were present. 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 
remains of one individual determined not to be of Native American 
ancestry were removed, bringing the minimum number of individuals to 
six.

Consultation

    Invitations to consult were sent to the Mashantucket Pequot Indian 
Tribe (2026); Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (2026); Mohegan Tribe of Indians 
of Connecticut (2026); Narragansett Indian Tribe (2026); and the 
Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) (2026).
    An invitation to consult was also sent to the Assonet Band of the 
Wampanoag Nation (2024), a non-federally recognized Indian group.
    The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe; Mohegan Tribe of Indians of 
Connecticut; Narragansett Indian Tribe; and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay 
Head (Aquinnah) responded to the invitation and participated in 
consultation.

Cultural Affiliation

    The following types of information about the cultural affiliation 
of the human remains in this notice are available: biological, expert 
opinion, Native American traditional knowledge. The information, 
including the results of consultation, identified:
    1. No earlier group connected to the human remains.
    2. No Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization connected to the 
human remains.
    3. No relationship of shared group identity between the earlier 
group and the Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization that can be 
reasonably traced through time.

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> No known lineal descendant who can trace ancestry to the 
human remains in this notice has been identified.
    <bullet> No Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with 
cultural affiliation to the human remains described in this notice has 
been clearly or reasonably identified.

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 
any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization 
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.
    Upon request, repatriation of the human remains 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 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 or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this 
notice.
    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. 2026-22157 Filed 10-29-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P


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