Notice of Intended Repatriation: Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service [N7359; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0043329; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000] Notice of Intended Repatriation: Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Portland Art Museum intends to repatriate a certain cultural item that meets the definition of a sacred object and that has a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. DATES: Repatriation of the cultural item in this notice may occur on or after August 31, 2026. ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural item in this notice to Kathleen Ash-Milby, Senior Curator of Native American Art, Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave., Portland, OR 97205, email kathleen.ash-milby@pam.org, and Donald Urquhart, Director of Collections and Exhibitions, Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave., Portland, OR 97205, email donald.urquhart@pam.org. 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 Portland Art Museum and additional information on the determinations in this notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in the summary or related records. The National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice. Abstract of Information Available In a letter dated April 23, 2026, the Nez Perce Tribe submitted a claim for repatriation to the Portland Art Museum for an item identified as a Nez Perce Medicine Bundle (#87.88.99) as a “sacred object” under NAGPRA. According to museum records this object was donated to the museum in 1987 by private collector Elizabeth Cole Butler. No additional provenance information prior to Butler's ownership has been located. According to the Nez Perce Tribe in their claim, medicine bundles or ipéh'tes, are one of the most sacred that Nez Perce people can possess and are a tangible representation of their life, spirit, and medicine. Their medicine bundles are an extension of their spirit or waqíis'wit and one of the elements that imbue Nez Perce lifeways and their connection to the earth. Ipéh'tes are still utilized today. On June 2, 2026, object #87.88.99 was tested for arsenic contamination and the results were negative. Determinations The Portland Art Museum has determined that: • The one sacred object described in this notice is a specific ceremonial object needed by a traditional Native American religious leader for present-day adherents to practice traditional Native American religion, according to the Native American traditional knowledge of a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization. • There is a connection between the cultural item described in this notice and the Nez Perce Tribe. Requests for Repatriation Additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural item in this notice must be sent to the authorized representatives identified in this notice under ADDRESSES . Requests for repatriation may be submitted by 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 a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization. Repatriation of the cultural item in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after August 31, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Portland Art Museum must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the cultural item are considered a single request and not competing requests. The Portland Art Museum is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice and to any other consulting parties. Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 U.S.C. 3004 and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.9. Dated: July 20, 2026. Melanie O'Brien, Manager, National NAGPRA Program. [FR Doc. 2026-15508 Filed 7-30-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4312-52-P