[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 523-525]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-00073]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[N6822; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041683; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Intended Repatriation: Fowler Museum, University of 
California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and 
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Fowler Museum, University of California, 
Los Angeles (Fowler Museum at UCLA) intends to repatriate certain 
cultural items that meet the definition of objects of cultural 
patrimony 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 February 6, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the 
cultural items in this notice to Allison Fischer-Olson, Fowler Museum 
at UCLA, Box 951549, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1549, email 
[email protected].

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 
Fowler Museum at UCLA, 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

    A total of 766 lots of cultural items have been requested for 
repatriation.
    The two lots objects of cultural patrimony are two lots of 
groundstone. These cultural items were removed from the surface of CA-
RIV-131, located in Reche Canyon, Riverside County, CA, in Spring 1953 
by Dr. Clement W. Meighan during an official UCLA expedition. They were 
received by the Fowler Museum at UCLA prior to June 1953 and comprise 
Accession 64. Treatment history of these items is unknown. In 
consultation with the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation (also federally 
recognized as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians), these items were 
identified as culturally affiliated with the Serrano peoples and were 
taken from a site known to be within Serrano ancestral territory.
    The 22 lots of objects of cultural patrimony are 14 lots of chipped 
stone, one lot of burned faunal bone, two lots of groundstone, and five 
lots of other stone materials. These cultural items were removed from 
the surface of CA-LAN-419, located in Lancaster, Los Angeles County, 
CA, in 1973 or 1974 by Eugene Stelzer. They were received by the Fowler 
Museum at UCLA in 1975 and comprise Accession 140. Treatment history of 
these items is unknown. In consultation with the Yuhaaviatam of San 
Manuel Nation (also federally recognized as the San Manuel Band of 
Mission Indians) and non-federally recognized California Indian groups 
including the Fernande[ntilde]o Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, these 
items were identified as culturally affiliated with the Serrano and 
Tataviam peoples based on Tribal Traditional Knowledge, genealogical 
information, geographical location within Serrano and Tataviam 
ancestral territory, and ethnographic, historical, and archaeological 
records. The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians also identified this 
site as within Chumash ancestral territory.
    The 447 lots of objects of cultural patrimony are two lots of 
groundstone and 445 lots of chipped stone. These cultural items were 
excavated from CA-LAN-296 and CA-LAN-297, located in Fairmont Buttes, 
Los Angeles County,

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CA, in 1964 by Thomas C. Blackburn as part of a UCLA Archaeological 
Survey project. They were received by the Fowler Museum at UCLA on 
September 12, 1966, and comprise Accession 503. Treatment history of 
these items is unknown.
    In consultation with the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation (also 
federally recognized as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians) and 
non-federally recognized California Indian groups including the 
Fernande[ntilde]o Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, these items were 
identified as culturally affiliated with the Serrano and Tataviam 
peoples based on Tribal Traditional Knowledge, genealogical 
information, geographical location within Serrano and Tataviam 
ancestral territory, and ethnographic, historical, and archaeological 
records. The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians also identified this 
site as within Chumash ancestral territory.
    The two lots of objects of cultural patrimony are two lots of 
ceramic sherds. These cultural items were removed from the surface of 
sites in Yucca Valley and Coyote Hole, San Bernardino County, CA, by 
unknown collectors between 1959-1961. They were received by the Fowler 
Museum at UCLA prior to 1966 and comprise Accession 513. Treatment 
history of these items is unknown. In consultation with the Yuhaaviatam 
of San Manuel Nation (also federally recognized as the San Manuel Band 
of Mission Indians), these items were identified as culturally 
affiliated with the Serrano peoples and were taken from a site known to 
be within Serrano ancestral territory.
    The one lot of objects of cultural patrimony is a crescent-shaped 
pendant made of pale green shale or soapstone. This cultural item, 
removed from CA-LAN-1252, located in Palmdale, Los Angeles County, CA, 
was donated by P. de Barros and G. Russell to the Fowler Museum at UCLA 
on January 23, 1986, and comprises Accession 712. Treatment history of 
this item is unknown. In consultation with the Yuhaaviatam of San 
Manuel Nation (also federally recognized as the San Manuel Band of 
Mission Indians) and non-federally recognized California Indian groups 
including the Fernande[ntilde]o Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, these 
items were identified as culturally affiliated with the Serrano and 
Tataviam peoples based on Tribal Traditional Knowledge, genealogical 
information, geographical location within Serrano and Tataviam 
ancestral territory, and ethnographic, historical, and archaeological 
records.
    The one lot of objects of cultural patrimony is one lot of 
photographic negatives of petroglyphs at CA-SBR-281 in Black Canyon, 
San Bernardino County, CA. The collection history of these photographs 
is unknown but they were possibly received by the Fowler Museum at UCLA 
in 1986 and comprise Accession 825. Treatment history of these items is 
unknown. In consultation with the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation 
(also federally recognized as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians) 
and non-federally recognized California Indian groups including the 
Fernande[ntilde]o Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, these photographs 
were identified as culturally affiliated with the Serrano and Tataviam 
peoples based on Tribal Traditional Knowledge, genealogical 
information, geographical location within Serrano and Tataviam 
ancestral territory, and ethnographic, historical, and archaeological 
records.
    The 125 lots of objects of cultural patrimony are 94 lots of stone/
lithic fragments and 31 lots of chipped stone. These cultural items 
were removed from CA-LAN-1340, located in Agua Dulce, Los Angeles 
County, CA, by Greenwood and Associates around 1987-1988 ahead of 
proposed development. They were received by the Fowler Museum at UCLA 
on an unknown date and comprise Accession 833. Treatment history of 
these items is unknown. In consultation with the Yuhaaviatam of San 
Manuel Nation (also federally recognized as the San Manuel Band of 
Mission Indians) and non-federally recognized California Indian groups 
including the Fernande[ntilde]o Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, these 
items were identified as culturally affiliated with the Serrano and 
Tataviam peoples based on Tribal Traditional Knowledge, genealogical 
information, geographical location within Serrano and Tataviam 
ancestral territory, and ethnographic, historical, and archaeological 
records.
    The 10 lots of objects of cultural patrimony are one lot of faunal 
bone and nine lots of historic materials (glass, metal, ceramics, 
leather). These cultural items were removed from CA-LAN-1431H, located 
in Swarthout Valley, Los Angeles County, CA, from a backhoe trench 
excavated by Dr. Ray Weldon (geologist, University of Oregon) in 
October 1988. Weldon was conducting research on the San Andreas Fault 
when he encountered this cultural deposit. The items were received by 
the Fowler Museum at UCLA sometime after October 1988 and comprise 
Accession 837. Treatment history of these items is unknown. In 
consultation with the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation (also federally 
recognized as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians), these items were 
identified as culturally affiliated with the Serrano peoples and were 
taken from a site known to be within Serrano ancestral territory.
    The 156 lots of objects of cultural patrimony are five lots of 
groundstone and 151 lots of chipped stone. These cultural items were 
removed from CA-LAN-1252A, located in Palmdale, Los Angeles County, CA, 
by Chambers Group, Inc., in February 1990. They were received by the 
Fowler Museum at UCLA on April 12, 1990, and comprise Accession 866. 
Treatment history of these items is unknown. In consultation with the 
Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation (also federally recognized as the San 
Manuel Band of Mission Indians) and non-federally recognized California 
Indian groups including the Fernande[ntilde]o Tataviam Band of Mission 
Indians, these items were identified as culturally affiliated with the 
Serrano and Tataviam peoples based on Tribal Traditional Knowledge, 
genealogical information, geographical location within Serrano and 
Tataviam ancestral territory, and ethnographic, historical, and 
archaeological records.

Determinations

    The Fowler Museum at UCLA has determined that:
     The 766 lots of objects of cultural patrimony 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 connection between the cultural items described 
in this notice and the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation (previously 
listed as San Manuel Band of Mission 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 February 6, 2026. If competing requests for 
repatriation are received, the Fowler Museum at UCLA must determine the 
most appropriate

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requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the 
cultural items are considered a single request and not competing 
requests. The Fowler Museum at UCLA 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: December 18, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-00073 Filed 1-6-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P