[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 249 (Wednesday, December 27, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81885-81886]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-32918]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Inventory Completion for Native American Human Remains 
and Associated Funerary Objects in the Possession of the Office of the 
State Archaeologist, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

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 and associated 
funerary objects in the possession of the Office of the State 
Archaeologist, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA.
    This notice is published as part of the National Park Service's 
administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA, 43 CFR 10.2 (c). The 
determinations within this notice are the sole responsibility of the 
museum, institution, or Federal agency that has control of these Native 
American human remains and associated funerary objects. The National 
Park Service is not responsible for the determinations within this 
notice.
    A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by the Office 
of the State Archaeologist, University of Iowa professional staff in 
consultation with representatives of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; the 
Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; the 
Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; the 
Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; the 
Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Pojoaque, New Mexico; the 
Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico; the Pueblo of San Juan, New Mexico; 
the Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Sandia, New 
Mexico; the Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Santa Clara, 
New Mexico; the Pueblo of Santo Domingo, New Mexico; the Pueblo of 
Taos, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Zia, 
New Mexico; and the Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico.
    At an unknown date, human remains representing one individual were 
removed from an unknown site near Gran Quivira, Torrance County, NM, by 
an unknown local rancher. At an unknown date, these remains were 
transferred to John Morrie, Ft. Madison, IA. In 1994, the Morrie family 
transferred these remains to the Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist 
Burials Program. No known individual was identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    According to available documentation, these remains were excavated 
from a burial located 14 miles from Grand Quivira National Monument, 
and the remains are those of a ``Piro Pueblo'' person who lived 
approximately 400-700 years ago. The remains were buried sitting up. 
The region around Gran Quivira, known as the Salinas District, was the 
easternmost area of ancient pueblo settlements. From archeological 
evidence, Puebloan peoples built numerous large settlements beginning 
around A.D. 1200 and continuing up to Spanish colonial times. When the 
Spaniards conquered the region in the 17th century, they identified 
several groups among the pueblos, whose members spoke Piro, Tompiro, 
and Southern Tiwa languages. During colonial times, the villages were 
abandoned and the inhabitants were resettled at Isleta del Sur, today 
the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo of Texas, near El Paso, TX, and among other 
Rio Grande pueblos in New Mexico.
    At an unknown date, human remains representing two individuals were 
removed from an unknown site on a ranch near Cuba, Sandoval County, NM, 
by an unknown person. At an unknown date, these remains were 
transferred to John Morrie, Ft. Madison, IA. In 1994, the Morrie family 
transferred these remains to the Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist 
Burials Program. No known individuals were identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    Information provided by Mr. Morrie states that these remains were 
found in isolated ruins, either pithouses or pueblos, and were buried 
sitting up. Pithouses appear during the Basketmaker II period (200 
B.C.-A.D. 400), and above-ground structures begin to appear in 
Basketmaker III-Pueblo I (A.D. 400-900). Isolated pueblos are common 
during Pueblo II (A.D. 900-1100), and are generally replaced by large 
aggregated pueblos during Pueblo III (A.D. 1100-1300). The available 
evidence suggests that these remains date to the late Basketmaker or 
early Pueblo periods. Archeological evidence, including architecture, 
social organization, material culture, and ceremonial practices, 
combined with physical anthropological evidence and oral tradition 
indicate that both the Basketmaker and Pueblo cultures, collectively 
known as Anasazi, are ancestral to the present-day Pueblo peoples of 
the southwestern United States.
    In 1943, human remains representing one individual were removed 
from an unknown site near Truth or Consequences, Sierra County, NM, by 
Powell Eugene Bering. At an unknown date, these remains were 
transferred to John Morrie, Ft. Madison, IA. In 1994, the Morrie family 
transferred these remains to the Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist 
Burials Program. No known individual was identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    These remains have been identified as a person of the Mimbres 
tradition, based on a funerary bowl that is no longer associated with 
the remains. The Mimbres tradition, which flourished in southeastern 
New Mexico circa A.D. 1000-1150, is noted for its distinctive black-on-
white ceramic styles. Mimbres was a local variant of the Mogollon 
culture, which was found across a broad area of Arizona and New Mexico. 
Archeological evidence, including ceramics, art styles, and 
architecture, indicates that the people of the late Mogollon/Mimbres 
tradition were a part of the Pueblo tradition.
    During the 1930's, human remains representing one individual were 
removed from the area of Mesa Verde, Montezuma County, CO, by an 
unknown individual. In 1982, these remains were donated to Iowa State 
University, Ames, IA, and in 1994 were transferred to the Iowa Office 
of the State Archaeologist Burials Program. No known individual was 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    The Mesa Verde area was the center of an important cultural 
development known as the San Juan Anasazi, between A.D. 700 and A.D. 
1300, archeologically classified as Pueblo I-III periods, during which 
people established aggregated agricultural villages with distinctive 
architecture, ceramics, and ceremonial practices. The skull in the 
Office of the State Archaeologist's possession displays marked 
flattening of the back of the skull (posterior parietals) related to 
cradleboard use, a notable feature of the Pueblo period cultural 
practices in the Mesa Verde region. Oral history, supported by the 
archeological evidence for continuity of architecture, social 
organization, ceremonial practices, and material culture, demonstrates 
that the Anasazi of the Mesa Verde region were ancestors of the modern 
Pueblo peoples.
    Based on the above-mentioned information, officials of the Office 
of the State Archaeologist, University of Iowa, have determined that, 
pursuant to 43 CFR 10.2 (d)(1), the human remains listed above 
represent the physical remains of five individuals of Native American 
ancestry. Also, officials of the

[[Page 81886]]

Office of the State Archaeologist, University of Iowa, have determined 
that, pursuant to 43 CFR 10.2 (e), there is a relationship of shared 
group identity that can be reasonably traced between these Native 
American human remains and the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; the Pueblo of 
Acoma, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; the Pueblo of 
Jemez, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; the Pueblo of 
Laguna, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; the Pueblo of 
Picuris, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Pojoaque, New Mexico; the Pueblo of 
San Felipe, New Mexico; the Pueblo of San Juan, New Mexico; the Pueblo 
of San Ildefonso, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico; the 
Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; 
the Pueblo of Santo Domingo, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Taos, New 
Mexico; the Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Zia, New 
Mexico; the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo of Texas; and the Zuni Tribe of the 
Zuni Reservation, New Mexico.
    This notice has been sent to officials of the Hopi Tribe of 
Arizona; the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Cochiti, New 
Mexico; the Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Isleta, New 
Mexico; the Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Nambe, New 
Mexico; the Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Pojoaque, New 
Mexico; the Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico; the Pueblo of San Juan, 
New Mexico; the Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico; the Pueblo of 
Sandia, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico; the Pueblo of 
Santa Clara, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Santo Domingo, New Mexico; the 
Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; the 
Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo of Texas; and the 
Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico. Representatives of any 
other Indian tribe that believes itself to be culturally affiliated 
with these human remains should contact Shirley Schermer, Burials 
Program Director, Office of the State Archaeologist, 700 Clinton Street 
Building, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, telephone (319) 384-
0740, before January 26, 2001. Repatriation of the human remains to the 
Hopi Tribe of Arizona; the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; the Pueblo of 
Cochiti, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico; the Pueblo of 
Isleta, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; the Pueblo of 
Nambe, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; the Pueblo of 
Pojoaque, New Mexico; the Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico; the Pueblo 
of San Juan, New Mexico; the Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico; the 
Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico; the 
Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Santo Domingo, New 
Mexico; the Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico; the Pueblo of Tesuque, New 
Mexico; the Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo of 
Texas; and the Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico may begin 
after that date if no additional claimants come forward.

    Dated: December 11, 2000.
John Robbins,
Assistant Director, Cultural Resources Stewardship and Partnerships.
[FR Doc. 00-32918 Filed 12-26-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-F