[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 197 (Friday, October 10, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53023-53025]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-26872]


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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 Iowa in the Possession of the 
Office of the State Archaeologist, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

AGENCY: National Park Service

ACTION: Notice

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    Notice is hereby given in accordance with provisions of the Native 
American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C. 
3003 (d), of the completion of an inventory of human remains and 
associated funerary objects from Iowa in the possession of the Office 
of the State Archaeologist, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA.
    A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by the Office 
of the State Archaeologist of Iowa professional staff in consultation 
with representatives of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, the Iowa 
Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma.
    During the 1920s to the 1950s, human remains representing eight 
individuals were removed from an unknown site south of Dorchester, IA 
by Mr. Paul Cota and donated to Luther College, Decorah, IA. In 1990, 
these human remains were transferred to the Office of the State 
Archaeologist of Iowa. No known individuals were identified. No 
associated funerary objects are present. Although the exact site is 
unknown, the area south of Dorchester has numerous Oneota sites. The 
degree of bone preservation and overall appearance, such as cranial 
morphology, dental health, and expression of gender-based dimorphic 
characteristics is consistent with known Oneota remains.
    In 1943, human remains representing one individual were removed 
from site 13AM108, Allamakee County, IA possibly by H.P. Field. At an 
unknown date these remains were donated to Luther College, Decorah, IA 
and in 1987 were transferred to the Office of the State Archaeologist 
of Iowa Burials Program. No known individuals were identified. The 
fourteen associated funerary objects include a piece of flaking debris, 
ten Oneota pot sherds, a bison scapula, a beaver femur, and an 
incomplete sacrum from a medium-sized mammal.
    In 1953, human remains representing two individuals were removed 
from an unknown site near New Albin, IA by H.P. Field and donated in 
1960 to Marshall McKusick, Professor of Anthropology at the University 
of Iowa. At an unknown date, these remains were transferred from the 
Department of Anthropology to the Office of the State Archaeologist of 
Iowa. No known individuals were identified. No assoicated funerary 
objects are present. Although the exact site is unknown, the area 
around New Albin has numerous Oneota sites. The degree of bone 
preservation and overall appearance, such as cranial morphology, dental 
health, and expression of gender-based dimorphic characteristics is 
consistent with known Oneota remains.
    In the mid-1950s, human remains representing three individuals were 
removed from an unknown site in Allamakee County, IA by a game warden 
with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. These remains were given 
to Robert Bray, Effigy Mounds National Mounument. In the 1960s, Mr. 
Bray took these remains to the University of Missouri's Lyman 
Archaeological Research Center, Miami, MO. In 1993, these remains were 
transferred to the Office of the State Archaeologist of Iowa. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present. Although the exact site is unknown, Allamakee County has 
numerous Oneota sites. The degree of bone preservation and overall 
appearance, such as cranial morphology, dental health, and expression 
of gender-based dimorphic characteristics is consistent with known 
Oneota remains.
    In 1957, human remains representing eight individuals were removed 
from site 13WD6, Woodbury County, IA during salvage excavations 
conducted by the Northwest Chapter of the Iowa Archeological Society 
and placed in the Sanford Museum, Cherokee, IA. In 1979, these remains 
were transferred to the Office of the State Archaeologist of Iowa. No 
known individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    In the 1950s or 1960s, human remains representing two individuals 
were removed from the surface of an eroding river bank on site 13WD8, 
Woodbury County, IA by Ruth Thornton. In 1989, these remains were 
transferred to the Office of the State Archaeologist of Iowa Burials 
Program. No known individuals were identified. No associated funerary 
objects are present.
    In 1960, human remains representing a minimum of 29 individuals 
were removed from site 13AM43, Allamakee County, IA during a road 
construction project by Marshall McKusick, University of Iowa and 
Robert Bray, Effigy Mounds National Monument. Sixteen of these 
individuals were transferred at an unknown date from the Department of 
Anthropology, University of Iowa to the Office of the State 
Archaeologist of Iowa. Thirteen of these individuals went to Effigy 
Mounds and later in the 1960s Robert Bray took them to the University 
of Missouri's Lyman Archaeological Research Center, Miami, MO. In 1994, 
these thirteen indivdiuals were transferred to the Office of the State 
Archaeologist of Iowa. In 1987, additional fragments from this 
excavation were found in the collections of Luther College and 
transferred to the Office of the State Archaeologist of Iowa. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    In 1964, human remains representing thirteen individuals were 
removed from site 13AM103, Allamakee County, IA by Marshall McKusick, 
University of Iowa. At an unknown date, these remains were transferred 
from the University of Iowa Department of Anthropology to the Office of 
the State Archaeologist of Iowa. No known individuals were identified. 
The five associated funerary objects include a bipoint chert knife, 
three mortuary pots, and a bison scapula hoe.
    Around 1965, human remains representing one individual from an 
unknown site were donated to the University of Iowa Geology Department 
by an unknown individual. In 1992, the human remains were transferred 
to the

[[Page 53024]]

Office of the State Archaeologist of Iowa Burials Program. A note 
accompanying the remains suggest an Oneota affiliation ``?Oneota skull 
from pot hunter Alamakee [sic]Co., Ia.'' No known individual was 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The degree of 
bone preservation and overall appearance, such as cranial morphology 
and metric features, are consistent with known Oneota remains.
    Around 1967, human remains representing three individuals were 
removed from an eroding bank at site 13AM269, Allamakee County, IA by 
Ramon and Darlene Gengler. In 1987, these human remains were 
transferred to the Office of the State Archaeologist of Iowa Burials 
Program. No known individuals were identified. The two associated 
funerary objects include a pot sherd and a copper tube.
    In 1972, human remains representing one individual was removed from 
site 13DM101, Des Moines County, IA during an archeological excavation 
conducted by Dean Straffin, Parsons College, Fairfield, IA. In 1994, 
these remains were transferred to the Office of the State Archaeologist 
of Iowa Burials Program. No known individual was identified. No 
associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1987, human remains representing seven individuals from 
northeast Iowa were transferred from Luther College to the Office of 
the State Archaeologist of Iowa Burials Program. No further collection 
information is available. No known individuals were identified. No 
associated funerary objects are present. Although the exact site is 
unknown, northeast Iowa has numerous Oneota sites. The degree of bone 
preservation and overall appearance, such as cranial morphology, dental 
health, and expression of gender-based dimorphic characteristics is 
consistent with known Oneota remains.
    In 1987 and 1995, human remains representing five individuals from 
site 13AM1, Allamakee County were transferred from Luther College to 
the Office of the State Archaeologist of Iowa Burials Program. No 
further collection information is available. No known individuals were 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1988, human remains representing one individual from an unknown 
site were transferred from Luther College to the Office of the State 
Archaeologist of Iowa Burials Program. No further collection 
information is available. No known individual was identified. No 
associated funerary objects are present. The degree of bone 
preservation and overall appearance are consistent with known Oneota 
remains.
    In 1988, human remains representing one individual were removed 
from a cache pit at site 13WD55, Woodbury County by the Office of the 
State Archaeologist of Iowa. No known individual was identified. No 
associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1993 and 1994, human remains representing six individuals were 
removed from site 13WD8 during initial examination and salvage 
excavation of a flood-damaged portion of the site by the Office of the 
State Archaeologist personnel. No known individuals were identified. No 
associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1994, human remains representing one individual were removed 
from site 13AM200, Allamakee County during excavation of a cache pit by 
the Office of the State Archaeologist of Iowa. No known individual was 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1995, human remains representing one indivdiual from the surface 
of site 13AM16, Allamakee County were transferred from Luther College 
to the Office of the State Archaeologist of Iowa. At an unknown date, 
these remains were donated to Luther College by Gavin Sampson. No known 
individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1995, human remains representing two individuals were removed 
from site 13LA1, Louisa County, IA from midden and cache pit features 
during a University of Illinois field school and transferred to the 
Office of the State Archaeologist of Iowa Burials Program. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    At an unknown date, human remains representing six individuals were 
removed from site 13AM60, Allamakee County by an unknown person. In 
1988, these remains were transferred from Luther College to the Office 
of the State Archaeologist of Iowa Burials Program. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present. Site 13AM60 has been identified as an Oneota village and 
cemetery site based on material culture and site organization. The 
degree of bone preservation and overall appearance, such as cranial 
morphology, dental health, and expression of gender-based dimorphic 
characteristics is consistent with known Oneota remains.
    At an unknown date, human remains representing three individuals 
were removed from an unknown site in Lyon County by an unnamed person. 
In 1995, these remains were transferred to the Office of the State 
Archaeologist of Iowa Burials Program by Doug Pfeil who had been given 
the remains by a person wishing to remain anonymous. No known 
individuals were identified. The eleven likely associated funerary 
objects are shell-tempered pot sherds. The degree of bone preservation 
and overall appearance, such as cranial morphology, dental health, and 
expression of gender-based dimorphic characteristics is consistent with 
known Oneota remains.
    The above listed human remains and associated funerary objects have 
been identified as having been removed from Oneota sites within the 
State of Iowa based on archeological surveys of the areas and the types 
of associated funerary objects present. These areas have been further 
identified as Oneota sites based on ethnohistorical evidence, material 
culture similarities, and historical maps. The Ioway and the Otoe-
Missouria peoples have been culturally affiliated with the Oneota based 
on continuities of material culture, and historical documents. Oral 
history evidence presented by representatives of the Iowa Tribe of 
Kansas and Nebraska, the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Otoe-Missouria 
Tribe of Oklahoma further indicate Oneota affiliation with these 
present day tribes.
    Based on the above mentioned information, officials of the Office 
of the State Archaeologist have determined that, pursuant to 43 CFR 
10.2 (d)(1), the human remains listed above represent the physical 
remains of 104 individuals of Native American ancestry. Officials of 
the Office of the State Archaeologist have also determined that, 
pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (3)(A), the 32 objects listed above are 
reasonably believed to have been placed with or near individual human 
remains at the time of death or later as part of the death rite or 
ceremony. Lastly, officials of the Office of the State Archaeologist 
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 Native American human remains and associated funerary 
objects and the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, the Iowa Tribe of 
Oklahoma, and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma.
    This notice has been sent to officials of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas 
and Nebraska, the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe 
of Oklahoma. Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes 
itself to be culturally affiliated with these human remains and 
associated funerary objects should contact Shirley Schermer, Burials 
Program Director, Office of the State Archaeologist, 303 Eastlawn,

[[Page 53025]]

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242; telephone: (319) 335-2400, 
before November 10, 1997. Repatriation of the human remains and 
associated funerary objects to the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, 
the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma 
may begin after that date if no additional claimants come forward.
Dated: October 3, 1997.
Francis P. McManamon,
Departmental Consulting Archeologist,
Manager, Archeology and Ethnography Program.
[FR Doc. 97-26872 Filed 10-9-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-F