# Notice of Inventory Completion: Office of the State Archaeologist, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
**AGENCY:**
National Park Service, Interior.
**ACTION:**
Notice.
**SUMMARY:**
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Office of the State Archaeologist Bioarchaeology Program (OSA BP) has completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
**DATES:**
Repatriation of the human remains in this notice may occur on or after January 16, 2026.
**ADDRESSES:**
Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains in this notice to Dr. Lara Noldner, Office of the State Archaeologist Bioarchaeology Program, University of Iowa, 700 S Clinton Street, Iowa City, IA 52242, *[email protected]* .
**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 OSA BP and additional information on the determinations in this notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in the inventory or related records. The National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice.
**Abstract of Information Available**
Based on the information available, human remains representing at least nine individuals have been reasonably identified. No associated funerary objects are present. These individuals were taken from what is now the Sioux City area by Terry Feret and his cousin (now deceased) in the 1970s. Feret took the human remains back to his residence in Fairplay, CO where they were stored at his residence and then transferred to History Colorado in Denver in 2020 when they were discovered by individuals cleaning out his barn. History Colorado arranged for the ancestors' transfer back to Iowa via the UI OSA in January 2025. Based on information provided by the Park County Coroner and Feret, the original burial location was determined and designated 13WD261 in the Iowa Site File in July 2025. Two adult females, two adult males, one adult of unknown sex and four juveniles including a neonate, a 1-2 year-old, a 3.5-4 year-old and an 8-10 year-old are represented (BP3923). No hazardous substances have been used to treat the human remains.
**Cultural Affiliation**
Based on the information available and the results of consultation, cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical location and acquisition history of the human remains described in this notice.
**Determinations**
The OSA BP has determined that:
• The human remains described in this notice represent the physical remains of nine individuals of Native American ancestry.
• There is a reasonable connection between the human remains described in this notice and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Reservation, South Dakota; Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota; Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma; Lower Sioux Indian Community in the State of Minnesota; Prairie Island Indian Community in the State of Minnesota; Santee Sioux Nation, Nebraska; Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, South Dakota; Spirit Lake Tribe, North Dakota; Upper Sioux Community, Minnesota; and the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.
**Requests for Repatriation**
Written requests for repatriation of the human remains in this notice must be sent to the authorized representative identified in this notice under *ADDRESSES* . Requests for repatriation may be submitted by:
1. Any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice.
2. Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice who shows, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the requestor is a lineal descendant or a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.
Repatriation of the human remains in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after January 16, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the OSA BP must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the human remains are considered a single request and not competing requests. The OSA BP is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice.
*Authority:* Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.
Dated: November 24, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.