Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District, Huntington, WV

[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 73 (Thursday, April 16, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20488-20489]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-07372]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[N7079; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042596; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
Huntington District, Huntington, WV

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 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington 
District, has completed an inventory of associated funerary objects and 
has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the 
associated

[[Page 20489]]

funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in 
this notice.

DATES: Repatriation of the associated funerary objects in this notice 
may occur on or after May 18, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of associated 
funerary objects in this notice to Ms. Ashley Taylor, U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers, Huntington District PMD-R, 502 Eighth Street, Huntington, 
WV 25701, email Ashley.D.Taylor@usace.army.mil.

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 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District, and additional 
information on the determinations in this notice, including the results 
of consultation, can be found in its inventory or related records. The 
National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this 
notice.

Abstract of Information Available

    The 314 associated funerary objects are two lots burned corn, one 
ceramic ball, one ceramic disc, seven ceramic vessels, four pipe 
fragments, one reconstructed sherd, three rim sherds with handles, one 
unidentified ceramic, one lot shell beads with faunal teeth, one lot 
shell beads with gorget, 22 lots shell beads (strung), 70 shell beads, 
four modified shell, one unmodified shell, 15 shell discs, 76 modified 
faunal bones, three turtle shell fragments, 15 faunal teeth, 33 antler 
tines, one lot faunal bone beads, two faunal bone tubes, four 
unmodified faunal bones, three bifaces, 10 celts, six drills, four 
discoidals, two hammerstones, one unmodified stone, eight modified 
lithics, 10 projectile points, and two stone pendants. The only 
documentation within the collection, which was accumulated by a 
notorious looter, states that a small subset of artifacts were removed 
from site 46SU13, while other items match descriptions of artifacts in 
several documents that discuss the illegal excavations at site 46SU9. 
Distinction between the two sites within the collection is not 
possible, and site 46SU9 is a known burial site. The collection is 
currently located in Alexandria, Virginia, at the Veterans Curation 
Lab.

Cultural Affiliation

    Based on the information available and the results of consultation, 
cultural affiliation is clearly identified by the information available 
about the associated funerary objects described in this notice.

Determinations

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District, has 
determined that:
    •  The 314 objects described in this notice are reasonably 
believed to have been placed intentionally with or near individual 
human remains at the time of death or later as part of the death rite 
or ceremony.
    •  There is a connection between the associated funerary 
objects described in this notice and the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of 
Indians of Oklahoma; Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma; and the Shawnee 
Tribe.

Requests for Repatriation

    Written requests for repatriation of the associated funerary 
objects in this notice must be sent to the authorized representative 
identified in this notice under ADDRESSES. Requests for repatriation 
may be submitted by:
    1. Any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian 
organizations identified in this notice.
    2. 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 an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with 
cultural affiliation.
    Repatriation of the associated funerary objects described in this 
notice to a requestor may occur on or after May 18, 2026. If competing 
requests for repatriation are received, the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Huntington District, must determine the most appropriate 
requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the 
associated funerary objects are considered a single request and not 
competing requests. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington 
District, is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the 
Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this 
notice and any other consulting parties.
    Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.

    Dated: April 8, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-07372 Filed 4-15-26; 8:45 am]
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