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 UCSB Repository for Archaeological and Ethnographic Collections, 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 has been identified (Accession 250.025). The 26 associated funerary objects include shellfish fragments, unmodified marine mammal bone fragments, chert bifaces, and flaked stone fragments. Accession 250.025 was collected from the surface of archaeological site CA-VEN-27B in Ventura County, near the area known today as Pitas Point. The cultural materials and ancestral remains were collected by Chester King and Steven Craig. The exact date of removal is unknown but believed to be circa 1970. They were brought to UC Santa Barbara prior to 1979, but never identified as human until 2026. It is unknown whether the remains were treated with preservatives or other potentially hazardous substances.

Cultural Affiliation

Based on the information available and the results of consultation, cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical location or acquisition history of the human remains and associated funerary objects described in this notice.

Determinations

The UCSB Repository for Archaeological and Ethnographic Collections has determined that:

• The human remains described in this notice represent the physical remains of one individual of Native American ancestry.
• The 26 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 or ceremony.
• There is a connection between the human remains and associated funerary objects described in this notice and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission ( printed page 58706) Indians of the Santa Ynez Reservation, California.

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 October 16, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the UCSB Repository for Archaeological and Ethnographic Collections 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. The UCSB Repository for Archaeological and Ethnographic Collections 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 58705