# Notice of Inventory Completion: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, CA
**AGENCY:**
National Park Service, Interior.
**ACTION:**
Notice.
**SUMMARY:**
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, CA 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 April 20, 2026.
**ADDRESSES:**
Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains in this notice to Luke Swetland, President and CEO, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara, CA 93105, 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 Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 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 remains representing, at least, one individual have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The human remains include one reconstructed/repaired cranium and mandible donated by Miss Gladys Hodges, of Santa Barbara, CA, in 1980. This skull was likely discovered by Miss Hodges' tenant, William Thomas Frey (an art restoration enthusiast) while hiking in the hills around the Santa Barbara/Ventura region.
Human remains representing, at least, 19 individuals have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The human remains include four crania, and more than 36 bones and bone fragments. These Ancestral remains are of unknown provenience and most likely have been in the Museum's possession since the early 1900s.
Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The human remains include one cranium donated by the Santa Barbara State Teachers College in 1925.
**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 Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History has determined that:
• The human remains described in this notice represent the physical remains of at least 21 individuals of Native American ancestry.
• There is a connection between the human remains described in this notice and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians of the Santa Ynez Reservation, California.
**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 April 20, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History 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 Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History 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: March 11, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.