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 California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, 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 63 cultural items have been requested for repatriation. The 63 sacred objects are biface fragments, projectile points, debitage, scrapers, pestles, groundstone, and metates.

Based on information available, sacred objects from nine sites have been identified. The 63 lots of sacred objects include biface fragments, projectile points, debitage, scrapers, pestles, groundstone, and metates. These cultural items were collected by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection during archaeological surveys and site investigations for projects during the 1980s and 1990s.

The 63 cultural items originate from the following nine sites and areas in Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity Counties, California: CA-MEN-2443, CA-TRI-865, CA-TRI-1314, CA-TRI-1317, CA-HUM-820, CA-HUM-840, CA-HUM-852, CA-HUM-856, CA-HUM-876. The cultural items from the following sites have been accessioned at Sonoma State University: CA-MEN-2443, CA-TRI-1314, CA-TRI-1317, CA-HUM-852, CA-HUM-856, and a portion of CA-HUM-876. The cultural items from the following sites have been accessioned at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Sacramento Headquarters: CA-TRI-865, CA-HUM-820, CA-HUM-840, and a portion of CA-HUM-876. Collections were treated with substances for labeling and identification and are unlikely to be potentially hazardous.

Determinations

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has determined that:

• The 63 sacred objects described in this notice are specific ceremonial objects needed by a traditional Native American religious leader for present-day adherents to practice traditional Native American religion, according to the Native American traditional knowledge of a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization.
• There is a connection between the cultural items described in this notice and the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria, California.

Requests for Repatriation

Additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural items in this ( printed page 33744) 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 July 6, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 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 California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 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.

91 FR 33743