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 Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, and additional information on the determinations in this notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in the summary or related records. The National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice.

Abstract of Information Available

A total of six cultural items have been requested for repatriation. The six objects of cultural patrimony are cataloged as coiled or conical cooking baskets featuring geometric or patterned designs against undyed or natural ground. Two of the cultural items entered the RISD Museum's collection in 1920 as gifts from Mary A. Newell; two were given by Mrs. Kenneth F. Wood in 1943; and two were anonymously gifted to the museum in 1997. All were identified as being of Tulare or Yokut origin. There is no known presence of potentially hazardous substances in the six objects of cultural patrimony.

Determinations

The RISD Museum has determined that:

• The six objects of cultural patrimony described in this notice have ongoing historical, traditional, or cultural importance central to the Native American group, including any constituent sub-group (such as a band, clan, lineage, ceremonial society, or other subdivision), according to the Native American traditional knowledge of an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.
• There is a connection between the cultural items described in this notice and the Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation, California.

Requests for Repatriation

Additional written requests for repatriation of the cultural items referenced in this notice must be sent to the authorized representative identified under ADDRESSES . Requests for repatriation may be submitted by any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice who shows, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the requester is a lineal descendant or a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.

Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after August 14, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Rhode Island School of Design, Museum, must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of cultural items are considered a single request rather than competing requests. The Rhode Island School of Design, Museum, is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice, and to any other consulting parties.

Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 U.S.C. 3004 and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.9.