§ 10.1 Introduction.
(a) Purpose. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (Act) of November 16, 1990, recognizes the rights of lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations in Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony.
(1) The Act and these regulations provide systematic processes to:
(i) Protect Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony; and
(ii) Restore Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony to lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations.
(2) The Act and these regulations require consultation with lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations.
(3) Consistent with the Act, these regulations require deference to the Native American traditional knowledge of lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations.
(b) Applicability. These regulations pertain to Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony.
(1) These regulations require certain actions by:
(i) Any institution or State or local government agency (including any institution of higher learning) within the United States that receives Federal funds and has possession or control of a holding or collection;
(ii) Any Federal agency that has possession or control of a holding or collection or that has responsibilities on Federal or Tribal lands;
(iii) Indian Tribes on Tribal lands in Alaska and the continental United States; and
(iv) The State of Hawai`i Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) on Tribal lands in Hawai`i.
(2) Lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organization may, but are not required to, consult, submit claims for disposition, or submit requests for repatriation.
(c) Accountability. These regulations are applicable to and binding on all museums, Federal agencies, and DHHL for implementing the systematic processes for disposition and repatriation of human remains or cultural items under this part.
(d) Duty of care. These regulations require a museum, Federal agency, or DHHL to care for, safeguard, and preserve any human remains or cultural items in its custody or in its possession or control. A museum, Federal agency, or DHHL must:
(1) Consult with lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations on the appropriate storage, treatment, or handling of human remains or cultural items;
(2) Make a reasonable and good-faith effort to incorporate and accommodate the Native American traditional knowledge of lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations in the storage, treatment, or handling of human remains or cultural items; and
(3) Obtain free, prior, and informed consent from lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations prior to allowing any exhibition of, access to, or research on human remains or cultural items. Research includes, but is not limited to, any study, analysis, examination, or other means of acquiring or preserving information about human remains or cultural items. Research of any kind on human remains or cultural items is not required by the Act or these regulations.
(e) Delivery of written documents. These regulations require written documents to be sent, such as requests for repatriation, claims for disposition, invitations to consult, or notices for publication.
(1) Written documents must be sent by one of the following:
(i) Email, with proof of receipt,
(ii) Personal delivery with proof of delivery date,
(iii) Private delivery service with proof of date sent, or
(iv) Certified mail.
(2) Communication to the Manager, National NAGPRA Program, must be sent electronically to nagpra_info@nps.gov. If electronic submission is not possible, physical delivery may be sent to 1849 C Street NW, Mail Stop 2343, Washington, DC 20240. If either of these addresses change, a notice with the new address must be published in the Federal Register no later than 7 days after the change.
(f) Deadlines. These regulations require certain actions be taken by a specific date. Unless stated otherwise in these regulations:
(1) Days mean calendar days. If a deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or Federal holiday, the action is deemed timely if taken no later than the next calendar day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or Federal holiday. For purposes of this part, Federal holidays include any days during which the Federal government is closed because of a Federal holiday, lapse in appropriations, or other reasons.
(2) Written documents are deemed timely based on the date sent, not the date received.
(3) Parties sending or receiving written documents under these regulations must document the date sent or date received, as appropriate, when these regulations require those parties to act based on the date sent or date received.
(g) Failure to make a claim or a request. Failure to make a claim for disposition or a request for repatriation before disposition, repatriation, transfer, or reinterment of human remains or cultural items under this part is deemed an irrevocable waiver of any right to make a claim or a request for the human remains or cultural items once disposition, repatriation, transfer, or reinterment of the human remains or cultural items has occurred.
(h) Judicial jurisdiction. The United States district courts have jurisdiction over any action by any person alleging a violation of the Act or this part.
(i) Final agency action. For purposes of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 704), any of the following actions by a Federal agency constitutes a final agency action under this part:
(1) A final determination making the Act or this part inapplicable;
(2) A final denial of a claim for disposition or a request for repatriation; and
(3) A final disposition or repatriation determination.
(j) Information collection. The information collection requirements contained in this part have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget under 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. and assigned control number 1024-0144. A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and you are not required to respond to, the collection of information under this part unless the Federal agency provides a currently valid OMB control number.
(k) Severability. If a court holds any provisions of the regulations in this part or their applicability to any person or circumstances invalid, the remainder of the regulations and their applicability to other people or circumstances are intended to continue to operate to the fullest possible extent.
[88 FR 86518, Dec. 13, 2023, as amended at 90 FR 4673, Jan. 16, 2025]