# Notice of Inventory Completion: Museum of the Cherokee People, Cherokee, NC
**AGENCY:**
National Park Service, Interior.
**ACTION:**
Notice.
**SUMMARY:**
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Museum of the Cherokee People (MotCP) 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 February 17, 2026.
**ADDRESSES:**
Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains in this notice to Evan Mathis, Museum of the Cherokee People, P.O. Box 1599, 589 Tsali Blvd., Cherokee, NC 28719, email *[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 Museum of the Cherokee People, and additional information on the determinations in this notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in its inventory or related records. The National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice.
**Abstract of Information Available**
Human ancestral remains representing, at least, one individual has been identified from an unknown archaeological site near Mule Key Beach in Monroe County, Florida, accessioned as 5506/82. No associated funerary objects are present. After completing the consultation process with federally recognized Tribal Nations, this site is culturally affiliated with the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, the Seminole Nation, and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. It is unknown when or by whom the individuals were removed. It is unknown when or by whom the individuals were removed, but they were obtained by a private collector named Colonel Minthorne Reed. Jimmy Reed of Waynesville, North Carolina, the son and heir of Colonel Minthorne Reed, transferred the human ancestral remains to the Museum of the Cherokee People on December 14, 1981, where they have been housed since that time. To our knowledge, no hazardous substances were used to treat any of the human ancestral remains.
**Cultural Affiliation**
Based on the information available and the results of consultation, cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical location or acquisition history of the human remains described in this notice.
**Determinations**
The Museum of the Cherokee People has determined that:
• The human remains described in this notice represent the physical remains of one individual of Native American ancestry.
• There is a connection between the human remains described in this notice and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians; Seminole Tribe of Florida; and The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.
**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 an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with cultural affiliation.
Repatriation of the human remains described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after February 17, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Museum of the Cherokee People 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 Museum of the Cherokee People is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice and any other consulting parties.
*Authority:* Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.
Dated: January 9, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.