Notice of Inventory Completion: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Princeton University has completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that ...
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Princeton University has completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
DATES:
Repatriation of the human remains in this notice may occur on or after June 11, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains in this notice to Lauren Jakobsson, Cultural Property and Human Remains Repatriation Program, Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, email
HROBPrinceton@princeton.edu.
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 Princeton University and additional information
( printed page 25910)
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
Human remains representing, at least, one individual has been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. In March 1907, Princeton Paleontology/Geosciences Professor Gilbert Van Ingen and students removed the human remains (Ancestor) from “Indianfield Bluff,” West of Yorktown, York County, Virginia, during a paleontological expedition. In 1907, the Ancestor was accessioned to the now defunct Princeton Museum of Natural History and became part of the vertebrate paleontology teaching collection. Princeton University has no knowledge or record of the presence of any potentially hazardous substances used to treat the human remains.
Cultural Affiliation
Based on the information available and the results of consultation, cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical location of the human remains described in this notice.
Determinations
Princeton University has determined that:
The human remains described in this notice represent the physical remains of one individual of Native American ancestry.
There is a connection between the human remains described in this notice and the Chickahominy Indian Tribe; Chickahominy Indian Tribe—Eastern Division; Nansemond Indian Nation; Pamunkey Indian Tribe; Rappahannock Tribe, Inc.; and the Upper Mattaponi Tribe.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the human remains 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 human remains described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after June 11, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, Princeton University must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the human remains are considered a single request and not competing requests. Princeton University 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.