OHSU Rescinds Notice of Inventory Completion for Native American Human Remains

Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon has issued a formal notice to rescind a Notice of Inventory Completion that was previously published in the Federal Register on January 3, 2024. This action is taken under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which requires federal agencies and institutions receiving federal funding to inventory Native American human remains and cultural items in their collections. The rescission indicates that OHSU has determined the original inventory completion notice was premature, inaccurate, or requires revision — possibly due to new tribal consultations, revised cultural affiliation determinations, or corrections to the inventory itself. By rescinding the prior notice, OHSU effectively nullifies any repatriation timeline or claims process that had been initiated under the January 2024 publication. Until a revised or corrected Notice of Inventory Completion is published, the affected human remains or cultural items remain under OHSU's custodianship and cannot be formally repatriated to claimant tribes. Interested tribes or lineal descendants who had filed or intended to file repatriation claims based on the January 2024 notice must await the re-publication of a corrected notice before proceeding.

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