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 KU and UTK, and additional information on the determinations in this notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in their 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, 21 individuals have been identified from Osage County, Kansas. The 35 associated funerary objects are ceramics, faunal material, lithics, soils, and other cultural materials. These individuals and associated funerary objects were removed during an Inter-Agency Archaeological Salvage Program project. All human remains and associated funerary objects were taken to KU after they were removed, and William Bass, formerly a professor at KU, also transported remains from this location to UTK when he began teaching there in 1971. Inventory records at KU indicate that many of the remains are treated with preservative and/or adhesive. To the best of our knowledge, these substances are not hazardous.

Cultural Affiliation

Based on the information available and the results of consultation, cultural affiliation is clearly identified by the information available about the human remains and associated funerary objects described in this notice.

Determinations

KU and UTK have determined that:

• The human remains described in this notice represent the physical remains of 21 individuals of Native American ancestry.
• The 35 objects described in this notice are reasonably believed to have been placed intentionally with or near individual human remains at the time of death or later as part of the death rite ceremony.
• There is a connection between the human remains described in this notice and the Kaw Nation, Oklahoma; Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma; and the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco, & Tawakonie), Oklahoma.

Requests for Repatriation

Written requests for repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects 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 and associated funerary objects described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after September 2, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, UTK must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects are considered a single request and not competing requests. UTK 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.

91 FR 48926