NAGPRA Inventory Completion - Florida Department of State - Human Remains and Funerary Objects
Summary
The National Park Service published a NAGPRA inventory completion notice for the Florida Department of State, identifying human remains of one Native American individual and one associated funerary object (embedded projectile point). The Florida Department of State has determined cultural affiliation with ten Indian Tribes. Repatriation may occur on or after May 4, 2026.
What changed
The Florida Department of State completed a NAGPRA inventory identifying human remains representing one individual of Native American ancestry and one associated funerary object (embedded projectile point). The remains were transferred to the Department in 2016 by the Brevard Museum of History and Natural Science; records indicate removal from a burial mound at the head of the Suwannee River in 1972. Ten federally recognized tribes are culturally affiliated with these remains, including the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, Miccosukee Tribe of Indians, Seminole Tribe of Florida, and Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
Tribal nations and authorized representatives seeking repatriation should submit written requests to Tea Kaplan at the Florida Department of State. The repatriation timeline begins May 4, 2026. This notice fulfills NPS administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA; no penalties or enforcement actions are associated with this document.
What to do next
- Submit written repatriation requests to Tea Kaplan at Florida Department of State
- Confirm cultural affiliation with affiliated tribes if applicable
Source document (simplified)
Notice
Notice of Inventory Completion: Florida Department of State, Tallahassee, FL
A Notice by the National Park Service on 04/02/2026
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- Public Inspection Published Document: 2026-06364 (91 FR 16724) Document Headings ###### Department of the Interior
National Park Service
- [N7047; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042511; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
AGENCY:
National Park Service, Interior.
( printed page 16725)
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Florida Department of State 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 May 4, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects in this notice to Tea Kaplan, Florida Department of State, 2100 W Tennessee Street, Tallahassee, FL 32304, email Tea.Kaplan@dos.fl.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 Florida Department of State, 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
Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been identified. The one associated funerary object is an embedded projectile point. Ancestral remains were transferred to the Department in 2016 by the Brevard Museum of History and Natural Science, Cocoa, Florida. A private citizen, Dr. Shamsolmolouk of Vero Beach, Florida, donated the remains to the Museum in 1991. Records transferred with the remains indicate that they were removed from “the third burial level of Mound #2 of seven mounds, six being burial places at the head of the Suwanee River” by a Jimmie R. Hardin of Gray, Georgia on 12.03.1972. The exact site the Ancestor was removed from could not be identified; however, it is likely somewhere in Clinch or Charlton County, Georgia where the headwaters of the Suwannee River begin.
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 Florida Department of State has determined that:
- The human remains described in this notice represent the physical remains of one individual of Native American ancestry.
- The one object 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 Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas; Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town; Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana; Kialegee Tribal Town; Miccosukee Tribe of Indians; Poarch Band of Creek Indians; Seminole Tribe of Florida; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma; and the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town.
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:
Any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice.
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 May 4, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Florida Department of State 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 Florida Department of State is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and 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.
Dated: March 24, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-06364 Filed 4-1-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
Published Document: 2026-06364 (91 FR 16724)
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