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 Hudson Museum, and additional information on ( printed page 33746) 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 41 cultural items have been requested for repatriation. The 41 sacred objects are eight ‘ulu maika (bowling stones), seven ko’i (adzes), five pōhaku lūhe’e (octopus lure sinkers), five mea pōhaku (stone objects), four pōhaku ku’i ‘ai (poi pounders), four mea ku’i (stone pestles), three poho pōhaku (stone bowls), three ‘ala o ka ma’a (sling stones), and two pōhaku (stones).

HM7057, an ‘ulu maika (bowling stone), was donated by Miss Abby A. Steele of Portland, Maine to the Portland Society of Natural History in 1889. HM7057 was formally transferred to the Hudson Museum by the Maine Audubon Society, the successor organization to the Portland Society of Natural History, in 1995.

The remaining 40 objects—seven ‘ulu maika (bowling stones), seven ko’i (adzes), five pōhaku lūhe’e (octopus lure sinkers), five mea pōhaku (stone objects), four pōhaku ku’i ‘ai (poi pounders), four mea ku’i (stone pestles), three poho pōhaku (stone bowls), three ‘ala o ka ma’a (sling stones), and two pōhaku (stones)—were collected by William S. Barnes on the island of Kauai in 1954-1955 while participating in archaeological fieldwork in cooperation with Mrs. Thelma Hadley and members of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. Barnes was permitted to take archaeological materials with him for his personal collection. Documentation from the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum confirms that Barnes was allowed to keep some of the archaeological material he excavated. In 1982, his widow, Ruth Barnes, donated the 40 objects listed above to the Anthropology Museum at the University of Maine, the predecessor of the Hudson Museum.

Determinations

The Hudson Museum has determined that:

• The 41 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 Hui Iwi Kuamo‘o.

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 July 6, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Hudson Museum 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 Hudson Museum 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 33745