Federal Register #2026-21119

NAGPRA Notice for Grand Rapids Public Museum Collection Repatriation

The National Park Service notice concerns repatriation of Native American remains and funerary objects held by the Grand Rapids Public Museum. - Government agency and collection holder - The National Park Service, within the U.S. Department of the Interior, issued the notice. - The collection is held by the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. - Collection identified - Human remains represent at least 21 individuals; 5 individuals are missing. - The inventory identifies 174 associated funerary objects, of which 23 are missing and 151 are present. - Present objects include earth balls, bear remains, bone tools and ornaments, shell objects, stone tools and implements, pottery, projectile points, mica, galena, lead, and other archaeological materials. - The collection was excavated from Goodall Mounds in La Porte County, Indiana, and later acquired by the museum from the Crane Estate. - Cultural affiliation and repatriation - GRPM determined the collection is culturally affiliated with the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Oklahoma; Forest County Potawatomi Community, Wisconsin; Kaw Nation, Oklahoma; Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas; Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi; Miami Tribe of Oklahoma; Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota (Mille Lacs Band); Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, Michigan; Omaha Tribe of Nebraska; Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Michigan and Indiana; Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; Ponca Tribe of Nebraska; Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation; Shawnee Tribe; Seneca Nation of Indians; and Tonawanda Band of Seneca. - Eligible tribes and other qualifying requestors may request repatriation. - Procurement relevance - This is a cultural-resource repatriation notice, not a purchase solicitation. No OEMs, commercial vendors, products, or services are identified.

Description

The Grand Rapids Public Museum completed an inventory of human remains representing at least 21 individuals and 174 associated funerary objects, of which five individuals and 23 objects are missing. The remains and objects were excavated from Goodall Mounds in La Porte County, Indiana, by Elliott H. Crane, and later acquired by the museum from the Crane Estate. The museum determined that the remains and objects are culturally affiliated with the Indian Tribes identified in the notice. Repatriation may occur on or after November 16, 2026.

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