[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 156 (Monday, August 14, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41898-41899]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-19958]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service


Notice of Inventory Completion for Native American Human Remains 
and Associated Funerary Objects From the State of Texas in the 
Possession of the Fort Hood Archeological Laboratory

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior

ACTION: Notice.

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    Notice is hereby given in accordance with provisions of the Native 
American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 U.S.C. 3003(d), of 
the completion of the inventory of human remains and associated 
funerary objects in the curation facility of the Directorate of Public 
Works at Fort Hood, TX from five sites in the state of Texas.
    A detailed inventory and assessment of these remains has been made 
by the staff archeologist at Fort Hood in consultation with 
representatives of the Comanche Tribe of Oklahoma and the Tonkawa tribe 
of Oklahoma. Copies of this inventory have also been sent to the Apache 
Tribe of Oklahoma, the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, the Caddo Indian 
Tribe of Oklahoma and the Kiowa Tribe.
    The partial and fragmentary human remains of 48 individuals were 
recovered in 1985 from a vandalized burial ground at Javalina shelter 
in Bell County, Texas. A total of 1,214 bones and fragments were 
recovered from the surface where they had been discarded by vandals. 
Inventory and examination of the remains established that the partial 
remains of 20 adults, ten adolescents, nine children and nine infants 
were present. Sex of the remains could not be determined. No known 
individuals were identified. Artifacts recovered from the site with the 
remains included a flake of obsidian and debitage of local cherts.
    This site has been identified as being within the Comanche's 
traditional occupation area based on the abnormal number of juvenile 
remains, suggesting a historical disease epidemic, evidence of access 
to obsidian, the Comanche occupation of Central Texas in historic 
times, and consultation with the Comanche Tribe. Based on the above 
mentioned information, officials of the Fort Hood Archeological 
Laboratory have determined that, pursuant to 25U.S.C. 3001(2), there is 
a relationship of shared group identity which can be reasonably traced 
between these human remains and associated funerary objects and the 
Comanche Tribe. Officials of the Fort Hood Archeological Laboratory 
have also determined that the artifacts are reasonably believed to have 
been placed with individual human remains either at the time of death 
or later as a part of a death rite or ceremony of a culture, pursuant 
to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (3)(A).
    On November 22, 1991 the above human remains and associated 
funerary objects were repatriated to the Reverend John Pahdocony of the 
Comanche Cemetery Committee on behalf of the Comanche Tribal Council.
    The partial and fragmentary remains of a one adult individual were 
collected in 1986 from an erosional gully on the bank of the Leon River 
near Fort Griffin, Bell County, Texas. The remains eroded from the bank 
of the Leon River near a dark and dense midden deposit from an open 
campsite on the flood plain. The sex of the individual could not be 
determined. No known individual was identified.
    This site has been identified as being within the Comanche's 
traditional occupation area, based on consultation 

[[Page 41899]]
with representatives of the Comanche Tribe and written historic 
records.
    Officials of the Fort Hood Archeological Laboratory have determined 
that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), there is a relationship of shared 
group identity which can be reasonably traced between these human 
remains and the Comanche Tribe.
    On November 22, 1992 the above mentioned human remains were 
repatriated to Phillip R. Narcomey of the Comanche Cemetery Committee 
on behalf of the Comanche Tribal Council.
    The partial and fragmentary remains of a one adult individual were 
collected in 1992 from the surface of a vandalized burial site 
(41BL0844). The remains consist of nine bone fragments. No known 
individual was identified.
    This site has been identified as being within the Comanche's 
traditional occupation area, based on consultation with representatives 
of the Comanche Tribe and written historic records.
    Officials of the Fort Hood Archeological Laboratory have determined 
that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), there is a relationship of shared 
group identity which can be reasonably traced between these human 
remains and the Comanche Tribe.
    On November 21, 1993 the above mentioned human remains were 
repatriated to Phillip R. Narcomey of the Comanche Cemetery Committee 
on behalf of the Comanche Tribal Council.
    The partial and fragmentary human remains of six individuals were 
recovered during the summer of 1990 from a rockshelter site (41BL671) 
on Fort Hood, by a field school conducted by Texas A&M University. 
Inventory and examination of the remains established that the remains 
of two adult males, one adult female, one child between the ages of 6 
and 10 years, one new-born child, and an individual whose age and sex 
could not be determined. Artifacts recovered elsewhere in the site 
suggested it was occupied by peoples of the Toyah and Austin Foci, 
acknowledged as ancestral to the Tonkawa Tribe. No known individuals 
were identified.
    This site has been identified as being within the Tonkawa's 
aboriginal occupation area based on the oral traditions of the Tonkawa 
tribe and historic accounts of their occupations in central Texas 
through consultations with representatives of the Tonkawa Tribe of 
Oklahoma. Officials of the Fort Hood Archeological Laboratory have 
determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), there is a relationship 
of shared group identity which can be reasonably traced between these 
human remains and the Tonkawa Tribe who are generally acknowledged to 
have occupied the Bell County area of central Texas before the arrival 
of the Comanche in the eighteenth century.
    On November 20, 1994 the above six human remains were repatriated 
to Ms. Virginia Combrink, President of the Tonkawa Tribe of Oklahoma on 
behalf of that Tribe.
    Between 1984 and February 25, 1986, 78 fragments of human bone 
representing four individuals were collected from rockshelter site 
(41BL0069) on Fort Hood, by a field party from Texas A&M University. 
Inventory and examination of the remains established that the remains 
of two adult individuals, one adolescent, and one child between the 
ages of 6 and 10 years, sex could not be determined. Artifacts 
recovered elsewhere in the site suggested it was occupied by 
prehistoric peoples of the Toyah and Austin Foci. No known individuals 
were identified.
    This site has been identified as being within the Tonkawa's 
aboriginal occupation area based on the oral traditions of the Tonkawa 
tribe and historic accounts of their occupations in central Texas 
through consultations with representatives of the Tonkawa Tribe of 
Oklahoma. Officials of the Fort Hood Archeological Laboratory have 
determined that, pursuant to 25U.S.C. 3001(2), there is a relationship 
of shared group identity which can be reasonably traced between these 
human remains and the Tonkawa Tribe who are generally acknowledged to 
have occupied the Bell County area of central Texas before the arrival 
of the Comanche in the eighteenth century.
    During the 1978 recording of 41CV0130 on Fort Hood a single 
fragment of a human adult femur was recovered from surface spoil. 
41CV0130 also yielded evidence of occupation during the late archaic 
period.
    This site has been identified as being within the Tonkawa's 
aboriginal occupation area based on the oral traditions of the Tonkawa 
tribe and historic accounts of their occupations in central Texas 
through consultations with representatives of the Tonkawa Tribe of 
Oklahoma. Officials of the Fort Hood Archeological Laboratory have 
determined that, pursuant to 25U.S.C. 3001(2), there is a relationship 
of shared group identity which can be reasonably traced between these 
human remains and the Tonkawa Tribe who are generally acknowledged to 
have occupied the Bell County area of central Texas before the arrival 
of the Comanche in the eighteenth century.
    This notice has been sent to officials of the Tonkawa tribe of 
Oklahoma, The Comanche Tribe, the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, the 
Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma, the Kiowa Tribe and the Apache Tribe. 
Representatives of any other Indian tribe which believes itself to be 
culturally affiliated with these human remains should contact Dr. Jack 
M. Jackson, Fort Hood Staff Archeologist, HQ III Corps and Fort Hood, 
attn: AFZF-PW-ENV, Fort Hood, Texas 76544-5057; telephone (817) 287-
7965, before September 13, 1995. Repatriation of the human remains from 
sites 41BL0069 and 41CV0130 may begin after that date if no additional 
claimants come forward.
Dated: August 7, 1995
Francis P. McManamon
Departmental Consulting Archeologist
Chief, Archeological Assistance Division
[FR Doc. 95-19958 Filed 8-11-95; 8:45 am]
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