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 University of Rhode Island, 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

Dartmouth Case

Human remains representing, at least, three individuals have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The only original documentation associated with this case is a handwritten label on the original storage box reading “Dartmouth Material.” Based on the box label and research practices of the 1980s, when we believe these Ancestors arrived at the University, the remains are reasonably determined to have originated from Dartmouth, Massachusetts, though this cannot be confirmed. At the request of consulting parties, non-invasive analysis of the skeletal remains was conducted on campus in 2026 to confirm Native American ancestry, at which time the individuals were deemed to be very likely of Native American descent.

Luce Collection (Ridge Hill Site, Main Street Site, Kenoza Camp Site): Human remains representing, at least, three individuals have been identified. The one associated funerary object is animal bone. The Luce Collection originates from archaeological work conducted by Fred and Thera Luce and was originally curated at the Buttonwoods Museum in Haverhill, Massachusetts. In the mid-1980s, several Ancestors were loaned to the University of Rhode Island for osteological study, as documented in a 1986 report by Thomas Mahlstedt of the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Some Ancestors were returned to Buttonwoods, while others remained at URI. In 2022, URI staff confirmed that Buttonwoods retained two Ancestors whose remains were intermingled with those held by the University. In consultation with the Museum, it was agreed that the Ancestors from the Ridge Hill, Main Street, and Kenoza Camp sites would be reunited under URI's legal control. The Buttonwoods Museum retains all original documentation, including notebooks and photographs, from the Luce Collection.

Ridge Hill Site (19-ES-41; Luce #4907): On June 16, 1932, an eroding cairn burial containing one individual was recorded in Groveland, Massachusetts, near the Merrimack River. Fred Luce and assistants documented the burial and removed approximately sixty cobblestones to expose the remains, which were later examined by the local Medical Examiner and identified as Native American. Luce retained the remains and they entered into the Luce Collection.

Main Street Site (19-ES-559; Luce #3292): On June 12, 1915, workmen excavating a water line trench in Groveland uncovered a burial. The remains were recovered by a local resident and documented by Thera Luce in her register of excavations, thus becoming part of the Luce Collection.

Kenoza Camp Site (19-ES-27; Luce #2398): In August 1913, during road construction near Kenoza Lake and Winnekenni Park in Haverhill, workmen encountered a burial later attributed to site 19-ES-27. Fred Luce purchased these skeletal remains from the workmen and they subsequently ( printed page 68552) became part of the Luce Collection. Cultural materials were found in the area, but documentation indicates this burial contained no 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 University of Rhode Island has determined that:

• The human remains described in this notice represent the physical remains of six individuals of Native American ancestry.
• The one object described in this notice is 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 Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).

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 30, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the University of Rhode Island 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 University of Rhode Island 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 68551