Federal Register #2026-11715

Notice of Intended Repatriation of Native American Cultural Items by Museums

This notice concerns the intended repatriation of Native American cultural items by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, under the National NAGPRA Program. - Government Buyer: - Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National NAGPRA Program - Museums Involved: - William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology, University of Kentucky - Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History - Products/Items for Repatriation: - 91 unassociated funerary objects from Kentucky (various stone, bone, shell, and botanical artifacts) - Examples: double grooved axe, bone handles, botanics, textiles, bone awls, shell spoons, bifaces, drills, projectile points, scrapers, stone gorget fragment, stone pipe bowl fragment, granite grooved axe, limestone celt, antler flakers, hematite, red ochre, groundstone pipe bowl fragment - Approximately 588 unassociated funerary objects from Santa Rosa Island, California - Stone artifacts: scrapers, choppers, core, hammerstone, projectile points, donut stone, anvil - Bone artifacts: awl, wedge - Shell artifacts: beads, ornaments, spangles - Other materials: charcoal, debitage, flakes, soil, pigment - Additional surface-collected items: projectile point, shell fragments, hammerstone, charcoal, box of soil - Unique/Notable Requirements: - Repatriation is conducted under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) - Cultural affiliation established with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians (California) and several Oklahoma tribes (for Kentucky items) - No commercial products, OEMs, or vendors are involved; this is a compliance and cultural heritage action, not a procurement or solicitation

Description

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History intends to repatriate certain cultural items defined as unassociated funerary objects that have a cultural affiliation with Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. Approximately 10 trays containing about 588 objects including stone artifacts, bone artifacts, shell items, charcoal, debitage, flakes, soil, and pigment are involved. These items were excavated from cemetery sites on Santa Rosa Island at Tecolote Point between 1949 and 1958. The repatriation may occur on or after July 13, 2026. The museum has determined a reasonable connection between these items and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians of the Santa Ynez Reservation, California.

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