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

Unaffiliated “Box 1,” “Box 2,” “Box 3”

Human remains representing, at least, six individuals have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The University of Rhode Island presently holds no documentation within its archives indicating geographic origin, archaeological context, or acquisition history for the remains housed in “Box 1,” “Box 2,” and “Box 3.” Based on a 2022 osteological inventory, human remains representing, at least, seven individuals were present. 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 remains of one individual determined not to be of Native American ancestry were removed, bringing the minimum number of individuals to six.

Consultation

Invitations to consult were sent to the Mashantucket Pequot Indian Tribe (2026); Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (2026); Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut (2026); Narragansett Indian Tribe (2026); and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) (2026).

An invitation to consult was also sent to the Assonet Band of the Wampanoag Nation (2024), a non-federally recognized Indian group.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe; Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut; Narragansett Indian Tribe; and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) responded to the invitation and participated in consultation.

Cultural Affiliation

The following types of information about the cultural affiliation of the human remains in this notice are available: biological, expert opinion, Native American traditional knowledge. The information, including the results of consultation, identified:

1. No earlier group connected to the human remains.

2. No Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization connected to the human remains.

3. No relationship of shared group identity between the earlier group and the Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization that can be reasonably traced through time.

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.
• No known lineal descendant who can trace ancestry to the human remains in this notice has been identified.
• No Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with cultural affiliation to the human remains described in this notice has been clearly or reasonably identified.

Requests for Repatriation

Written requests for repatriation of the human remains 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 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.

Upon request, repatriation of the human remains 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 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 or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice.

Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.

91 FR 68554