Rules and Regulations. Notice

Agency: National Park Service, Interior
Action: Notice
Citation: FR Doc. 2026-06812 · N7051; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042549; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000

Summary

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of California, Berkeley intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.

Dates

Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice may occur on or after May 11, 2026.

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 California, Berkeley, and additional information on the determinations in this notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in the summary or related records. The National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice. Abstract of Information Available In 1907, with the financial sponsorship of Phoebe A. Hearst, 14 unassociated funerary objects were removed from Augustine Reservation, Riverside County, California by Alfred L. Kroeber and accessioned into the University of California Museum of Anthropology (today the Phoebe A Hearst Museum of Anthropology) that same year. The 14 unassociated funerary objects include baskets, worked stone, and a vessel. Collections and collection spaces at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology were treated with substances for preservation and pest control, some potentially hazardous. No records have been found to date at the Museum to indicate whether or not chemicals or natural substances were used prior to 1960. Determinations The University of California, Berkeley has determined that: • The 14 unassociated funerary objects described in this notice have ongoing historical, traditional, or cultural importance central to the Native American group, including any constituent sub-group (such as a band, clan, lineage, ceremonial society, or other subdivision), according to the Native American traditional knowledge of an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization. • There is a reasonable connection between the cultural items described in this notice and the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians, California. Requests for Repatriation Additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural items 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 not identified in this notice who shows, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the requestor is a lineal descendant or a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization. Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after May 11, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the University of California, Berkeley must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the cultural items are considered a single request and not competing requests. The University of California, Berkeley is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice and to any other consulting parties. Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 U.S.C. 3004 and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.9. Dated: April 1, 2026. Melanie O'Brien, Manager, National NAGPRA Program. [FR Doc. 2026-06812 Filed 4-8-26; 8:45 am]