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 LMA, and additional information 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 have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The LMA purchased a headpiece of ( printed page 54749) human hair from Reverend Glen H. Ridnour in 1963. The headpiece may be part of the Axel Rasmussen Collection purchased by the Portland Art Museum in 1948. Between 1921 and 1944 Rasmussen, Superintendent of Schools first in Wrangell, AK, and later in Skagway, AK, collected Native American items from the Native communities he served and from dealers in the region. Ridnour purchased portions of the Rasmussen Collection from the Saint Paul Gallery in 1959. The headpiece is from Wrangell Island, Wrangell Borough, Alaska, and is composed of a cloth cap covered in matted tufts of human hair. The headpiece was worn by Tom Ukas (1879-1973) whose Tlingit name was Ghunaaneistí. He was Kiks.ádi from the Sun House in Wrangell. According to Ukas, the headpiece was made of old scalps taken in war. During consultation, a top knot of bound hair was identified, which supports Tom Ukas's oral history as top knots are worn by warriors going into war. The LMA has no record of treating the human remains with potentially hazardous substances.

Cultural Affiliation

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

Determinations

The LMA 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 Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes.

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 September 23, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the LMA 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. The LMA 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 54748