# Notice of Intended Repatriation: Museum of Ventura County, Ventura, CA
**AGENCY:**
National Park Service, Interior.
**ACTION:**
Notice.
**SUMMARY:**
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Museum of Ventura County intends to repatriate a certain cultural item that meets the definition of an object of cultural patrimony and that has a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
**DATES:**
Repatriation of the cultural item in this notice may occur on or after May 4, 2026.
**ADDRESSES:**
Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural item in this notice to Deya Terrafranca, Museum of Ventura County, 100 E Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001, 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 Ventura County, 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 one cultural item has been requested for repatriation. The one object of cultural patrimony is a winnowing basket. It was acquired by Valetin Gladstone from an unknown private museum near Ridgecrest, California in the 1960s before it was donated to the Museum of Ventura County in 1996. The basket is attributed to the maker, Susie Wilson of Death Valley, and is affiliated with the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe. Museum of Ventura County has no records that would indicate contact with any known hazardous substances.
**Determinations**
The Museum of Ventura County has determined that:
• The one object of cultural patrimony described in this notice has 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 item described in this notice and the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe.
**Requests for Repatriation**
Additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural item in this notice must be sent to the authorized representative identified in this notice 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 requestor is a lineal descendant or a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.
Repatriation of the cultural item in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after May 4, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Museum of Ventura County must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the cultural item are considered a single request and not competing requests. The Museum of Ventura County 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.
Dated: March 24, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.