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 ASU CASR, 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 six cultural items have been requested for repatriation. The six sacred objects are four baskets, one bone awl, and a jar. The four baskets are ethnographic and affiliated with the O'odham culture. The bone awl was a Found In Collection item that was associated with an O'odham basket. The jar is prehistoric and in the style of Ancestral O'odham.

There is a relationship of shared group identity that can be reasonably traced between the cultural items described in this notice and the Ak-Chin Indian Community; Gila River Indian Community of the Gila River Indian Reservation, Arizona; Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt River Reservation, Arizona; Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona. The Ak-Chin Indian Community; Gila River Indian Community of the Gila River Indian Reservation, Arizona; Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt River Reservation, Arizona; and the Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona comprise one cultural group known as the O'odham. Cultural continuity between the prehistoric Hohokam archeological culture and present-day O'odham peoples is supported by continuities in settlement patterns, architectural technologies, basketry, textiles, ceramic technology, and ritual practices. Oral traditions that are documented for the Ak-Chin Indian Community; Gila River Indian Community of the Gila River Indian Reservation, Arizona; Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt River Reservation, Arizona; and the Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona support their cultural affiliation with Hohokam archeological sites in central and southern Arizona.

ASU CASR is unaware of any documented treatment of the cultural items listed above with pesticides or other known hazardous substances. Non-destructive analytical testing detected elevated sulfur levels in the baskets; because sulfur may occur naturally in plant materials or may be associated with historical pesticide treatments, the source has not been determined, and the presence of pesticide residues has not been confirmed. ( printed page 55904)

Determinations

The ASU CASR has determined that:

• The six 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 Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt River Reservation, Arizona.

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 September 30, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the ASU CASR 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 ASU CASR 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 55903