Federal Register #2026-08762

Repatriation of Native American Cultural Items and Human Remains from Peabody Museum and Museum of Us

This notice concerns the repatriation of Native American cultural items and human remains held by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University and the Museum of Us in San Diego, under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). - Government Buyer: - Department of the Interior, National Park Service - Involved Institutions: - Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University - Museum of Us, San Diego - No OEMs or commercial vendors are involved; the notice pertains to museum-held cultural artifacts - Products/Items for Repatriation: - Unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony - Human remains and associated funerary objects - Specific items include: - Baskets, basket bowls, basket trays, basket ladles - Beads, bead and shell necklaces, glass beads, shell ornaments, worked shell/faunal remains - Bone items, bone awls - Stone objects, pestles, mortars, projectile points, stone pipes, stone effigies, steatite effigies, soapstone items, chipped stone, graver, scrapers, fossilized organic material, quartz perforator - Water bottle, cogwheel, bulb of Carum gardneri, stirrups - Notable Requirements: - Repatriation is conducted in accordance with NAGPRA - Eligible Native American tribes or lineal descendants may submit repatriation requests - Items are affiliated with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians of the Santa Ynez Reservation, California, the Wyandotte Nation, and other tribes - Items originate from multiple California counties and archaeological sites, including Vernon Mound (Sutter County) and Bennet Mound (Sacramento County) - No contract value, OEMs, or commercial competition; this is a legal and cultural process, not a procurement of goods or services

Description

The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University intends to repatriate certain cultural items including unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony. These items have cultural affiliation with Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. The repatriation process is conducted in accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Repatriation may occur on or after June 4, 2026, and requests for repatriation must be submitted in writing to the authorized representative at the museum.

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