[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 188 (Wednesday, September 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52523-52524]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-25369]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Inventory Completion for Native American Human Remains 
in the Possession of the South Dakota State Archaeological Research 
Center, Rapid City, SD

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 (NAGPRA), 43 CFR 10.9, 
of the completion of an inventory of human remains in the possession of 
the South Dakota State Archaeological Research Center, Rapid City, SD.
    A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by South Dakota 
State Archaeological Research Center professional staff in consultation 
with representatives of the Few Tails family, the Oglala Sioux Tribe of 
the Pine Ridge Reservation, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the 
Cheyenne River Reservation, and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud 
Indian Reservation.
    Between 1891 and 1932, human remains representing one individual 
were removed from an unknown location by person(s) unknown. In 1932, 
the Deadwood Pioneer-Times reported that John T. Milek, a lawyer and 
publisher from Sturgis, SD had donated these human remains to the Adams 
Memorial Hall Museum, Deadwood, SD. In that article, these human 
remains were identified as Few Tails, an Oglala Lakota man slain by 
Anglo horse thieves near the Belle Fourche River in Meade County, SD in 
1891. No associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1994, these human remains were transferred from the Adams 
Memorial Hall Museum to the South Dakota State Archaeological Research 
Center for NAGPRA inventory and repatriation. Based on osteological 
analysis, these remains have been identified as Native American man 
between the ages of 40-49, most likely of Oglala descent. Trauma 
present on the skull and mandible are consistent with a violent death. 
Oral tradition of the Few Tails family and historical records indicate 
that the wife of Few Tails, who was present at the incident, survived 
and returned to Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Oral 
tradition also states the family was unable to retrieve the body of Few 
Tails following the incident. The human remains in the possession of 
the South Dakota State Archaeological Society show no evidence of 
inhumation. No evidence contradicts the identification of these human 
remains as Few Trails.
    Sophia Few Tails Lone Hill, great- or great-great-granddaughter of 
Few Tails, on behalf of herself and her brothers Leonard Few Tails and 
Louis Few Tails, and her daughter, Donette Lone Hill, has claimed Few 
Tails' remains as a lineal descendant.
    Based on the above mentioned information, officials of the South 
Dakota State Archaeological Research Center have determined that, 
pursuant to 43 CFR 10.2(d)(1), the human remains listed above represent 
the physical remains of one individual of Native American ancestry. 
Officials of the South Dakota State Archaeological Research Center have 
also determined that, pursuant to 43 CFR 10.2(b)(1), Ms. Sophia Few 
Tails Lone Hill can trace her ancestry directly and without 
interruption by means of the traditional kinship system of the Oglala 
Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation to Few Tails.
    This notice has been sent to Ms. Sophia Few Tails Lone Hill, and 
officials of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation, the 
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Reservation, and the 
Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Any other person 
who believes they are a lineal descendant of Few Tails should contact 
Renee Boen, Curator, State Archaeological Center, South Dakota 
Historical Society, PO Box

[[Page 52524]]

1257, Rapid City, SD 57709-1257; telephone; (605) 394-1936, before 
October 29, 1999. Repatriation of the human remains to Sophia Few Tails 
Lone Hill, on behalf of herself and her brothers Loneard Few Tails and 
Louis Few Tails, and her daughter, Donette Lone Hill may begin after 
that date if no additional claimants come forward.

    Dated: September 24, 1999.
Francis P. McManamon,
Departmental Consulting Archeologist, Manager, Archeology and 
Ethnography Program.
[FR Doc. 99-25369 Filed 9-28-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-M