Notice of Inventory Completion: S'edav Va'aki Museum – Native American Human Remains and Funerary Objects (Phoenix, AZ)

The S'edav Va'aki Museum (formerly Pueblo Grande Museum), operated by the City of Phoenix, Arizona, has completed a formal inventory of Native American human remains and associated funerary objects as required under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). This federal law mandates that museums and federal agencies holding such items catalog them and notify affiliated tribes. Following the inventory, the museum has determined that a cultural affiliation exists between the inventoried human remains and funerary objects and one or more federally recognized Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in the notice. This determination is a critical step in the repatriation process under NAGPRA. Once cultural affiliation is established and the notice is published in the Federal Register, affiliated tribes have the legal right to request repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects. The museum is obligated to transfer these items upon receiving a valid claim, unless there are competing claims requiring resolution. This notice triggers a 30-day waiting period after Federal Register publication before physical transfer can occur, during which time other potentially affiliated tribes may submit claims or objections through the NAGPRA process.

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