Notice of Intended Repatriation: Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, KS

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service [N7546; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0043912; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000] Notice of Intended Repatriation: Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, KS AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Kansas State Historical Society (KSHS) intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. DATES: Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice may occur on or after November 9, 2026. ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural items in this notice to Dr. Nicole Klarmann, Kansas State Historical Society, 6425 SW 6th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66615-1099, email kshs.nagpra@ks.gov. 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 KSHS 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 A total of 17 cultural items have been requested for repatriation (UBS 2023-22). The 17 unassociated funerary objects include a metal projectile point, an iron hatchet head, stones, a pair of shears, iron scrapers, a tin cup, a copper ornament, a lance head, and animal bones. The catalog description states the items are “relics found on the site of Chivington's Indian Massacre, Sand Creek . . . December 9, 1864, collected by E. Powell, Granaries, CO.” They were donated to KSHS in 1882 by Joseph Savage. A total of one cultural item has been requested for repatriation (UBS 2023-26). The one unassociated funerary object is a wooden burl described as an Indian doll head that was found at the Sand Creek Massacre site in Colorado. The item was donated to KSHS in 1972 by Dr. O.H. Simpson on behalf of an anonymous donor. An unspecified glue and cloth remain on the shoulders. To our knowledge, no known hazardous substances were used on any of the funerary objects. Determinations The KSHS has determined that: • The 18 unassociated funerary objects described in this notice are reasonably believed to have been placed intentionally with or near human remains, and are connected, either at the time of death or later as part of the death rite or ceremony of a Native American culture according to the Native American traditional knowledge of a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization. The unassociated funerary objects have been identified by a preponderance of the evidence as related to human remains, specific individuals, or families, or removed from a specific burial site or burial area of an individual or individuals with cultural affiliation to an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization. • There is a connection between the cultural items described in this notice and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Oklahoma; Northern Arapaho Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming; and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana. Requests for Repatriation Additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural items 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 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 items in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after November 9, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the KSHS must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the cultural items are considered a single request and not competing requests. The KSHS 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: September 30, 2026. Melanie O'Brien, Manager, National NAGPRA Program. [FR Doc. 2026-20574 Filed 10-7-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4312-52-P