[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 81 (Wednesday, April 26, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24502-24503]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-10314]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Inventory Completion for Native American Human Remains, 
Associated Funerary Objects, and Unassociated Funerary Objects in the 
Control of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior, 
Washington, DC and in the Possession of the Milwaukee Public Museum, 
Milwaukee, WI

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), 43 CFR 10.9, 
of the completion of an inventory of human remains, associated funerary 
objects, and unassociated funerary objects in the control of the Bureau 
of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior, Washington, DC and in 
the possession of the Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI.
    A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by Milwaukee 
Public Museum professional staff in consultation with representatives 
of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.
    In 1919, human remains representing a minimum of three individuals 
were recovered from the Five Islands Mound Group (47-ME-11) within the 
exterior boundaries of the Menominee reservation during non-legally 
authorize excavations conducted by Samuel A. Barrett, MPM Curator of 
Anthropology, Milwaukee, WI, and Alanson B. Skinner, Museum of the 
American Indian, Heye Foundation, New York, NY. No known individuals 
were identified. The 198 associated funerary objects consist of grit-
tempered, cordmarked sherds and a chert point fragment.
    The Five Islands Mound Group site consists of eight mounds and a 
village occupation. Based on cultural material, this site has been 
dated to the Woodland period.
    The 28 cultural items consist of grit-tempered, cordmarked sherds. 
In 1919, these cultural items were recovered from a mound at an unnamed 
site in Keshena, WI during non-legally authorized excavations within 
the exterior boundaries of the Menominee reservation by Samuel A. 
Barrett, MPM Curator of Anthropology, Milwaukee, WI and Alanson B. 
Skinner, Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, New York, NY.
    In 1921, human remains representing a minimum of seven individuals 
were recovered from an unnamed site near Five Islands (47-ME-12) within 
the exterior boundaries of the Menominee reservation during non-legally 
authorized excavations conducted by Alanson B. Skinner, Museum of the 
American Indian, Heye Foundation, New York, NY. No known individuals 
were identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    This unnamed site near Five Islands has not been completely 
described in excavation records.
    In 1921, human remains representing a minimum of seven individuals 
from the Kakwatch Mound Group (47-ME-6) within the exterior boundaries 
of the Menominee reservation during unauthorized excavations conducted 
by Samuel A. Barrett, MPM Curator of Anthropology, Milwaukee, WI, and 
Alanson B. Skinner, Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, New 
York, NY. No known individuals were identified. The two associated 
funerary objects include a bear jaw and sherds from a grit-tempered, 
cordmarked ceramic pot.
    The 184 cultural items include 169 grit-tempered, cordmarked 
sherds, a reconstructed grit-tempered, cordmarked pot, charcoal, bear 
jaw fragments, faunal remains, a hammerstone, a sandstone abrader, a 
small pitted hammer, a small celt, two stone mortars, two lithic 
projectile points, charred walnut fragments, and lithic debitage. These 
cultural items were excavated from burials from which the human remains 
were not collected

[[Page 24503]]

at the Kakwatch Mound Group (47-ME-6) within the exterior boundaries of 
the Menominee reservation during unauthorized excavations conducted by 
Samuel A. Barrett, MPM Curator of Anthropology, Milwaukee, WI, and 
Alanson B. Skinner, Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, New 
York, NY.
    The Kakwatch Mound Group consists of two mound groups (nine mounds 
total), a village occupation, and numerous refuse pits. Based on 
material culture, the Kakwatch Mound Group has been identified as a 
Woodland occupation.
    In 1921, human remains representing a minimum of five individuals 
were recovered from the Nakuti's Berry Patch Mound Group (47-ME-5) 
within the exterior boundaries of the Menominee reservation during non-
legally authorized excavations conducted by Alanson B. Skinner, MPM 
Curator of Anthropology, Milwaukee, WI. No known individuals were 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1921, human remains representing one individual were recovered 
from the Paiawisit Mound Group (47-ME-58) within the exterior 
boundaries of the Menominee reservation during non-legally authorized 
excavations conducted by Alanson B. Skinner, MPM Curator of 
Anthropology, Milwaukee, WI. No known individual was identified. The 16 
associated funerary objects consist of grit-tempered, cordmarked 
sherds.
    Before 1920, human remains representing one individual were 
recovered from the South Branch Chapel site (47-ME-58) within the 
exterior boundaries of the Menominee reservation during non-legally 
authorized excavations conducted by Charles H. Koonz, Clerk of the 
Indian Agency at Keshena, WI. No known individual was identified. The 
ten associated funerary objects include one conch shell columnella and 
nine shell fragments.
    All human remains from the above-listed sites have been identified 
as Native American. Based on analysis of mound types, site 
descriptions, and stylistic analysis of material culture, the sites 
listed above have been identified as part of the Keshena Focus, which 
has been linked with both the Late Woodland Period Effigy Mound Culture 
and the more general Woodland Period focus.
    Based on the above mentioned information, officials of the Bureau 
of Indian Affairs and the Milwaukee Public Museum have determined that, 
pursuant to 43 CFR 10.2(d)(1), the human remains listed above represent 
the physical remains of a minimum of 24 individuals of Native American 
ancestry. Officials of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Milwaukee 
Public Museum have also determined that, pursuant to 43 CFR 10.2(d)(2), 
the 227 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. Officials of the Bureau of 
Indian Affairs and the Milwaukee Public Museum have determined that, 
pursuant to 43 CFR 10.2(d)(2)(ii), these 212 cultural items 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 and are believed, by a preponderance of the evidence, to have 
been removed from a specific burial site of an Native American 
individual. Lastly, officials of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the 
Milwaukee Public Museum have determined that, pursuant to 43 CFR 
10.2(e), there is a relationship of shared group identity which can be 
reasonably traced between these Native American human remains, 
associated funerary objects, unassociated funerary objects and the 
Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.
    This notice has been sent to officials of the Menominee Indian 
Tribe of Wisconsin, the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of 
Chippewa Indians of the Bad River Reservation, the Forest County 
Potawatomi Community of Wisconsin Potawatomi Indians, the Ho-Chunk 
Nation of Wisconsin, the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior 
Chippewa Indians of the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation, the Lac du 
Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of the Lac du Flambeau 
Reservation, the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin, the Red Cliff Band of Lake 
Superior Chippewa Indians, the Sokaogon Chippewa Community of the Mole 
Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of 
Wisconsin, St. Croix Reservation, and the Stockbridge-Munsee Community 
of Mohican Indians of Wisconsin. Representatives of any other Indian 
tribe that believes itself to be culturally affiliated with these human 
remains, associated funerary objects, and unassociated funerary objects 
should contact Ann McMullen, Ph.D., Curator of North American 
Ethnology, Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 West Wells Street, Milwaukee, 
WI 53233; telephone: (414) 278-2786; fax (414) 278-6100, before May 26, 
2000. Repatriation of the human remains, associated funerary objects to 
the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin may begin after the date if no 
additional claimants come forward.

    Dated: April 10, 2000.
Francis P. McManamon,
Departmental Consulting Archeologist, Manager, Archeology and 
Ethnography Program.
[FR Doc. 00-10314 Filed 4-25-00; 8:45 am]
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