NAGPRA Inventory Completion: Mark Twain National Forest Human Remains and Funerary Objects

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service, specifically the Mark Twain National Forest located in Rolla, Missouri, has officially completed a federally mandated inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects held in its possession. This action is carried out in compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), a federal law requiring federal agencies and institutions receiving federal funding to inventory Native American cultural items and human remains. Following the completion of this inventory, the Forest Service has made a formal determination that a cultural affiliation exists between the inventoried human remains and associated funerary objects and one or more federally recognized Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in the notice. This affiliation determination is a critical legal step under NAGPRA. This notice triggers the repatriation process, giving affiliated tribes the legal right to claim and reclaim the human remains and funerary objects. Federal agencies are required to transfer control of such items to lineal descendants or culturally affiliated Indian tribes upon request, following the publication of this notice in the Federal Register. Any Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in the notice that believes it has a cultural affiliation with the described items may contact the Mark Twain National Forest to present its claim within the legally prescribed timeframe.

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