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 BIA, and additional information on the determinations in this notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in its inventory or related records. The ( printed page 64393) National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice.

Abstract of Information Available

Human remains representing, at least three individuals have been identified. The three associated funerary objects are one grass saw, one abalone pendant, and one lot of beads. These human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from archaeological site LA 2605 in La Plata County, Colorado, in 1953. This site is also known as the Ignacio Site, the Ignacio Field Camp, or Colorado site number 5LP291. The excavation of this site was conducted as part of a larger natural gas pipeline installation project for the El Paso Natural Gas Company between the years 1950-1953. LA 2605 specifically was to be the site of a warehouse and staff residences. Archaeologists visited the site after construction had already begun and salvaged what material they could. They determined that this site consisted of a series of above-ground house structures and numerous multi-purpose pits that served as cooking, refuse disposal, and burial sites. Archaeologists estimated the site LA 2605 dates tentatively to Basketmaker II (1000 BCE-CE 500) based on resident structures but had not conducted any absolute dating analyses. Materials from this pipeline project were sent to the Museum of New Mexico or the Museum of Northern Arizona. The site's collections have remained with the Museum of New Mexico, now represented by the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, since excavation. Human remains loaned to the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology in the 1970s were returned in 2004. In May and June 2025, the BIA and the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture consulted Southern Ute Indian Tribe Representatives and determined geographic cultural affiliation with the Tribe. The remains were treated with a preservative for handling; no known hazardous substances were used on the remains or associated funerary objects.

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 BIA has determined that:

• The human remains described in this notice represent the physical remains of three individuals of Native American ancestry.
• The three 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 Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado.

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 November 9, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the BIA 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 BIA 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.