Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service [N7250; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0043086; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000] Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Rhode Island (URI) has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects in this notice may occur on or after August 3, 2026. ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects in this notice to Kristine M. Bovy, Dept. of Sociology & Anthropology, University of Rhode Island, 507 Chafee Bldg., Kingston, RI 02881, email kbovy@uri.edu and The Office of the General Counsel, 35 Campus Avenue, Kingston, RI 02881, email URIGeneralCounsel@uri.edu. 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 Sherman-Congdon Collection Human remains representing, at least, 31 individuals have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The Sherman-Congdon Collection comprises the merged holdings of two early twentieth-century collectors, whose materials became intermingled following their bequests to the University of Rhode Island in 1960 and 1967. There are no associated provenience records. Daniel P. Sherman collected widely in southern Rhode Island and traded with other collectors. His largely unlabeled collection of cultural belongings and human remains were transferred to URI in 1967. University assessments in the 1980s identified these Ancestors as Native American, and a 2022 collections review documented a minimum of 31 individuals. The Congdon materials, donated in 1960 by the heir of Arthur Barton Congdon, largely consist of lithic and soapstone artifacts collected in the vicinity of the Oaklawn soapstone quarries near Cranston, RI. Because the Sherman and Congdon holdings were mixed over time, their components cannot now be reliably separated. Cultural materials from these collections have been submitted to the National NAGPRA Program in a separate summary of unassociated items and are available for Tribal review. H-365-K Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. This individual originates from the Knowles Collection, a large assemblage of Narragansett cultural materials gathered by William Henry Knowles and his son Elmer on their farm in Point Judith, RI during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The collection was donated in full to the Peace Dale Museum of Art & Culture in 1917. In 1989, the mandible was transferred from the Peace Dale Museum to the University of Rhode Island under accession H365 and later designated H-365-K. Whitford Collection Human remains representing, at least, four individuals have been identified. The 67 associated funerary objects are Colonial period objects, groundstone objects, pipes, gaming pieces, and wampum. In 1956, Native American burials were uncovered during gravel quarrying on the Whitford family property in North Kingstown, RI, and the materials, later known as the Whitford Collection, were eventually divided between the University of Rhode Island and the Tomaquag Museum. The human remains, originally representing a minimum of three individuals, underwent basic osteological assessment at URI in the 1980s, with a 2022 review revealing a minimum of four Ancestors. The Tomaquag Museum received 77 associated funerary objects, of which 67 have been located. URI retains legal control of the four Ancestors and 67 associated funerary objects, while the Museum continues to provide physical care of the cultural belongings under URI's authority. Victory Highway Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. This individual was transferred by local law enforcement to the Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory at the University of Rhode Island sometime between 1958 and 1969 for evaluation. Once determined not to be a contemporary crime victim, they were transferred to the University's Department of Sociology & Anthropology. The only known documentation are a handwritten note by Dr. Harold C. Harrison, Director of the Crime Lab, which reads: “Leg bone you have—can you tell approx. time since death—was in burial in dirt or highway sand (sand + silt)” and the label associated with the remains, which states, “4/23/59, Found on South Road of Victory Highway, Exeter [RI].” This individual did not undergo analysis in the 1980s and a lack of available osteological material to examine makes cultural determination difficult. Affiliation with the Narragansett Indian Tribe is based on geographic context alone. Johnson's Motel Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. This individual was transferred to the Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory at the University of Rhode Island sometime between 1953 and 1969. Once determined not to be a contemporary crime victim, they were transferred to the University's Department of Sociology & Anthropology. The only known documentation consists of a note by Dr. Harold C. Harrison, Director of the Crime Lab referring to the “Johnson Case” and an original box label stating the individual was recovered from a gravel bank near Johnson's Motel in Charlestown, RI on April 23, 1953. During analysis in the 1980s, URI faculty determined the Ancestor to be of Native American descent. D-93-832 Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. In 1960 a Providence police patrolman recovered a human skull from an I-95 construction area near Allens Avenue and Rhodes Street in Providence, RI. The remains were examined at the Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory and, upon determination that they were not a contemporary crime victim, transferred to the University's Department of Sociology & Anthropology. No burial context or additional remains were found. Analysis conducted in the 1980s shows the individual to be of Native American descent. 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 39 individuals of Native American ancestry. • The 67 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 Narragansett Indian Tribe. 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 August 3, 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. Dated: June 23, 2026. Melanie O'Brien, Manager, National NAGPRA Program. [FR Doc. 2026-13312 Filed 7-1-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4312-52-P