Federal Register #2026-17704

Notice of Intended Repatriation of 115 Cultural Items by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

This notice from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, announces the intended repatriation of 115 cultural items by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. - Government Buyer: - Department of the Interior, National Park Service - Involved Institution: - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Museum of Natural History - Cultural Items for Repatriation: - 115 unassociated funerary objects, including: - Stone points, spearheads, knives, celts, gouges, abraders, hammerstones, iron pyrites, paint grinders, plummets, red and yellow ochre, pestles, bone fishhooks, bone awls, iron hatchet, birch bark basket - Items were removed from burial sites in Maine and gifted to the University in 1921 - Cultural Affiliation: - Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians - Mikmaq Nation - Passamaquoddy Tribe - Penobscot Nation - Notable Requirements: - No hazardous substances are known to have been used to treat these items - Requests for repatriation may be submitted by lineal descendants or culturally affiliated Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations

Description

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign intends to repatriate 115 cultural items classified as unassociated funerary objects. These items have cultural affiliations with Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations, including the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mikmaq Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe, and the Penobscot Nation. The items were removed from various burial sites in Maine and were gifted to the University's Museum of Natural History in 1921. Repatriation may occur on or after September 30, 2026, and requests for repatriation can be submitted by lineal descendants or culturally affiliated tribes or organizations.

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