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 Fort Lewis College, 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 65 cultural items have been requested for repatriation. The 65 sacred objects/objects of cultural patrimony are beadwork, basketry, a rattle, bows, and medicine kit. Items were acquired by Fort Lewis College, Center of Southwest Studies between the 1960s and early-2000s. Based on consultation and collection documentation, the majority of items were compiled and cataloged by Homer Root from regional collectors including Helen Sloan Daniels, W.D. Ewing, E.E. Mckean, Anita Russell, Laura Zink, Alfred M. Camp, Anthony DiFerdinando, W.B. Turner, and others. These are Ute/Southern Ute items from the Durango and surrounding regional area.

Determinations

Fort Lewis College has determined that:

• The 65 sacred objects/objects of cultural patrimony described in this notice are, according to the Native American traditional knowledge of an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization, specific ceremonial objects needed by a traditional Native American religious leader for present-day adherents to practice traditional Native American religion, and have 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 items described in this notice and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado.

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 22, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, Fort Lewis College 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. Fort Lewis College 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 37129