Notice of Intended Repatriation: Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, WY
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Buffalo Bill Center of the West intends to repatriate certain cultural items that mee...
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Buffalo Bill Center of the West intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of sacred objects and that have a cultural affiliation with the
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Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
DATES:
Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice may occur on or after October 9, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural items in this notice to Hunter C. Old Elk, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, 720 Sheridan Avenue, Cody, WY 82414, email
huntero@centerofthewest.org.
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 Buffalo Bill Center of the West, 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 two cultural items has been requested for repatriation. The two sacred objects are a stone and pouch, catalog NA.800.219. Reverend W. F. Petzoldt and his wife, Anna, were Baptist missionaries. Arriving in 1903, they built a schoolhouse and church in Lodge Grass, Montana, on the Crow Indian Reservation. The two cultural items were collected from Goes Ahead, a warrior and spiritual leader in the early 20th century. The Petzoldt's daughter Genevieve Fitzgerald donated her parents' collection
The Crow Indian Collection of Dr. William and Anna Petzoldft, Gift of Genevieve Petzoldt Fitzergerald
to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in 1980. No hazardous substances are known to have been used to treat any of the sacred objects.
Determinations
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West has determined that:
The two 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 Crow Tribe of Montana.
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 October 9, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West 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 Buffalo Bill Center of the West 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.
Use this for formal legal and research references to the published document.
91 FR 57373
Web Citation
Suggested Web Citation
Use this when citing the archival web version of the document.
“Notice of Intended Repatriation: Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, WY,” thefederalregister.org (September 9, 2026), https://thefederalregister.org/documents/2026-18318/notice-of-intended-repatriation-buffalo-bill-center-of-the-west-cody-wy.