Notice of Intended Repatriation: Castine Scientific Society D.B.A. Wilson Museum, Castine, ME
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Wilson Museum intends to repatriate a certain cultural item that meets the definition...
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Wilson Museum intends to repatriate a certain cultural item that meets the definition of a sacred object/object of cultural patrimony and that has a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
DATES:
Repatriation of the cultural item in this notice may occur on or after June 4, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural item in this notice to Abby Dunham, Wilson Museum, P.O. Box 196, 120 Perkins Street, Castine, ME 04421, email
repatriation@wilsonmuseum.org.
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 Wilson Museum, 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 one cultural item has been requested for repatriation. The one sacred object/object of cultural patrimony is one ceramic vessel acquired by an unknown collector from Yuma, Arizona.
Determinations
The Wilson Museum has determined that:
The one sacred object/object of cultural patrimony described in this notice is, according to the Native American traditional knowledge of an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization, a specific ceremonial object needed by a traditional Native American religious leader for present-day adherents to practice traditional Native American religion, and has 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).
There is a connection between the cultural item described in this notice and the Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, California & Arizona.
Requests for Repatriation
Additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural item 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 item in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after June 4, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Wilson Museum must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the cultural item are considered a single request and not competing requests. The Wilson Museum is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes
( printed page 24282)
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.