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NAGPRA Repatriation Notice: The Field Museum, Chicago, IL

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Summary

The National Park Service published a Federal Register notice stating that The Field Museum in Chicago may repatriate cultural items under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) on or after May 11, 2026. The notice identifies cultural items in the museum's collection that are subject to repatriation requirements. Museums and tribal nations should monitor compliance with NAGPRA obligations.

What changed

The National Park Service issued a Notice of Intended Repatriation for The Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois. The notice states that repatriation of cultural items may occur on or after May 11, 2026. This is a standard NAGPRA administrative notice establishing the timeline for museum compliance with repatriation obligations.

Museums and cultural institutions holding Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, or objects of cultural patrimony should review this notice to ensure their own NAGPRA compliance. Affected lineal descendants, Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations may wish to monitor repatriation proceedings and submit claims as appropriate.

What to do next

  1. Review NAGPRA inventory requirements for cultural items
  2. Consult with affected tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations regarding repatriation
  3. Monitor for additional NPS repatriation notices

Archived snapshot

Apr 10, 2026

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Legal Status

Notice

Notice of Intended Repatriation: The Field Museum, Chicago, IL

A Notice by the National Park Service on 04/09/2026

  • 1.

1.

  • Document Details Published Content - Document Details Agencies Department of the Interior National Park Service Agency/Docket Numbers N7054 NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042548 PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000 Document Citation 91 FR 17986 Document Number 2026-06811 Document Type Notice Page 17986
    (1 page) Publication Date 04/09/2026 Published Content - Document Details

  • PDF Official Content

  • Document Details Published Content - Document Details Agencies Department of the Interior National Park Service Agency/Docket Numbers N7054 NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042548 PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000 Document Citation 91 FR 17986 Document Number 2026-06811 Document Type Notice Page 17986
    (1 page) Publication Date 04/09/2026 Published Content - Document Details

  • Document Dates Published Content - Document Dates Dates Text Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice may occur on or after May 11, 2026. Published Content - Document Dates

  • Table of Contents Enhanced Content - Table of Contents This table of contents is a navigational tool, processed from the
    headings within the legal text of Federal Register documents.
    This repetition of headings to form internal navigation links
    has no substantive legal effect.

  • Related Documents Enhanced Content - Related Documents FederalRegister.gov uses the agency dockets published with the document to display related documents.

| PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000
(4109 Documents) | | | |
| --- | | | |
| Date | | Action | Title |
| | 2026-04-09 | Notice. | Notice of Intended Repatriation: The Field Museum, Chicago, IL |
| | 2023-06-22 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-06-22 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, Fallon, NV |
| | 2023-06-16 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: California State University, Sacramento, Sacramento, CA |
| | 2023-06-16 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: California State University, Sacramento, Sacramento, CA |
| | 2023-06-16 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL |
| | 2023-06-08 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI |
| | 2023-06-08 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Kansas City Museum, Kansas City, MO |
| | 2023-06-08 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Kansas City Museum, Kansas City, MO |
| | 2023-06-08 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Denver, CO |
| | 2023-06-08 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, and University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA |
| | 2023-06-08 | Notice. | Notice of Intent to Repatriate Cultural Items: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA |
| | 2023-06-08 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Museum of Us, San Diego, CA |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, CA |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, St. Paul, MN |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: University of California, Davis, Davis, CA |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Museum of Us, San Diego, CA |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Vancouver, WA |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, San Juan Island National Historical Park, Friday Harbor, WA |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice; amendment. | Notice of Inventory Completion Amendment: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, San Juan Island National Historical Park, Friday Harbor, WA |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, CA |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, Stanton, ND |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Tennessee, Department of Anthropology, Knoxville, TN |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Appalachian State University, Boone, NC |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Lincoln National Forest, Alamogordo, NM |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District, Nashville, TN and the University of Tennessee, Department of Anthropology, Knoxville, TN |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Warren County Cultural & Heritage Affairs, Shippen Manor Museum, Oxford, NJ |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Nashville, TN |
| | 2023-05-18 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Wasco County/Dalles City Museum Commission, The Dalles, OR |
| | 2023-05-18 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum, The Dalles, OR |
| | 2023-05-18 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI |
| | 2023-05-18 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK |
| | 2023-05-18 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, MT |
| | 2023-05-18 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Yuba County Water Agency, Marysville, CA |
| | 2023-05-18 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI |
| | 2023-05-11 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, KY |
| | 2023-05-11 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Tennessee, Department of Anthropology, Knoxville, TN |
| | 2023-05-10 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-10 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-10 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-10 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-10 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-10 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-10 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Museum of Us, San Diego, CA |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Alabama Department of Transportation, Montgomery, AL |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Maine State Museum, Augusta, ME |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Maine State Museum, Augusta, ME |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Karshner Museum and Center for Culture & Arts, Puyallup, WA |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Mercyhurst University, Erie, PA |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bismarck Field Office, Bismarck, ND |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Office of the State Archaeologist, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Office of the State Archaeologist, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Office of the State Archaeologist, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, AL |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, AL |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, AL |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, AL |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Wyoming Human Remains Repository, Laramie, WY |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Oklahoma-Texas Area Office, Oklahoma City, OK |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Savannah, GA |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Savannah, GA |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-26 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, AL |
| | 2023-04-26 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI |
| | 2023-04-26 | Notice; amendment. | Notice of Inventory Completion Amendment: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-04-26 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, AL |
| | 2023-04-26 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, AL |
| | 2023-04-20 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: United States Space Force, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Space Launch Delta 45, Brevard County, FL |
| | 2023-04-20 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: The Fort Ticonderoga Association, Ticonderoga, NY |
| View More Docket Documents | | | |

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Published Document: 2026-06811 (91 FR 17986) This document has been published in the Federal Register. Use the PDF linked in the document sidebar for the official electronic format.

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Department of the Interior
National Park Service
  1. [N7054; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042548; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]

AGENCY:

National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Field Museum intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of objects of cultural patrimony 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 May 11, 2026.

ADDRESSES:

Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural items in this notice to Helen Robbins, The Field Museum, 1400 S DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, email hrobbins@fieldmuseum.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 Field 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

A total of 2,064 cultural items have been requested for repatriation from Apache, Coconino, Navajo, Gila, and Yavapai Counties, Arizona for repatriation. These 2,064 objects of cultural patrimony are from one accession that has been approved for repatriation. They mostly consist of ceramic vessels such as food bowls, cooking pots, jars, vases, mugs, and ladles Also present are bone, shell, and stone tools, such as awls, arrow points, axes, projectiles, and other implements; stone items such as mortars, beads.; and jewelry.

Additional Information: The requested items are part of Accession 745, (now known as the Frank J. Wattron Collection) and was acquired in 1901 by the Field Columbian Museum, (now known as the Field Museum). Frank J. Wattron removed or purchased the requested items between July 1898 and April 1899 from various sites affiliated with the Hopi Tribe in northeastern Arizona, including Chevelon, Homolovi I, Homolovi II, Holbrook, Hopi Buttes, Mesa Redondo, Round Valley, San Cosmos, Tanner Springs, and Taylor. All items in this request are archaeological and identified in Field Museum records as Hopi. Based on consultation, and academic research, however, these sites are jointly affiliated with the Hopi Tribe of Arizona and Zuni Tribe of New Mexico. There is no known presence of any potentially hazardous substances used to treat any of the cultural items.

Determinations

The Field Museum has determined that:

  • The 2,064 objects of cultural patrimony described in this notice have ongoing historical, traditional, or cultural importance central to the Native American group, including any constituent sub-group (such as a band, clan, lineage, ceremonial society, or other subdivision), according to the Native American traditional knowledge of an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.
  • There is a connection between the cultural items described in this notice and the Hopi Tribe of Arizona.

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 May 11, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Field Museum 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 Field 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: April 1, 2026.

Melanie O'Brien,

Manager, National NAGPRA Program.

[FR Doc. 2026-06811 Filed 4-8-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4312-52-P

Published Document: 2026-06811 (91 FR 17986)

Named provisions

NAGPRA Repatriation Notice

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Last updated

Classification

Agency
Interior Department
Published
April 9th, 2026
Compliance deadline
May 11th, 2026 (31 days)
Instrument
Notice
Legal weight
Non-binding
Stage
Final
Change scope
Minor
Document ID
91 FR 17986 / N7054
Docket
N7054 NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042548 PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000

Who this affects

Applies to
Museums Tribal nations Nonprofits
Industry sector
9211 Government & Public Administration
Activity scope
Cultural item repatriation Museum collections Native American artifact management
Geographic scope
United States US

Taxonomy

Primary area
Government & Public Administration
Operational domain
Compliance
Topics
Healthcare Environmental Protection Criminal Justice

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