[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 228 (Wednesday, November 26, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66483-66484]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-29508]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Inventory Completion: The Colorado College, Colorado 
Springs, CO

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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    Notice is here given in accordance with the Native American Graves 
Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C. 3003, of the 
completion of an inventory of human remains in the possession of The 
Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO. The human remains were removed 
from Pueblo, El Paso, Fremont, Las Animas, and either Lincoln or Elbert 
Counties in eastern Colorado.
    This notice is published as part of the National Park Service's 
administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25 U.S.C. 3003 (d)(3). 
The determinations within this notice are the sole responsibility of 
the museum, institution, or Federal agency that has control of the 
Native American human remains. The National Park Service is not 
responsible for the determinations within this notice.
    A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by The Colorado 
College professional staff in consultation with representatives of the 
Apache Tribe of Oklahoma; Arapahoe Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, 
Wyoming; Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma; Comanche Nation, 
Oklahoma; Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma; Jicarilla Apache Nation, 
New Mexico; Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma; Mescalero Apache Tribe of 
the Mescalero Reservation, New Mexico; Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the 
Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana; Southern Ute Indian 
Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado; Ute Indian Tribe of 
the Uintah & Ouray Reservation, Utah; and Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute 
Mountain Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico & Utah.
    In April 1960, human remains representing one individual were 
removed from Pueblo County, CO, by the Kenneth Englert family and 
donated to The Colorado College soon after (Accession no. 1980.2.3). In 
the summer of 1960, the human remains were sent to the University of 
Kansas for description and analysis and were then returned to The 
Colorado College. No known individual was identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present. Cranial morphology and burial context 
indicate that the human remains are Native American.
    On April 14, 1966, human remains representing two individuals were 
discovered on Kelly Ranch along Horse Creek, approximately 60 miles 
east of Colorado Springs. It is not known whether Kelly Ranch was in 
southern Elbert County or in Lincoln County, CO. Horse Creek runs 
through both counties. Paul Kutsche of The Colorado College 
Anthropology Department retrieved the human remains and brought them 
back to the college. The human remains were curated in the Anthropology 
Department Archaeology Laboratory in Palmer Hall until 1989 and were 
then transferred to the Biological Anthropology Research Laboratory of 
Barnes Science Center (Accession no. 1980.2.4). No known individuals 
were identified. No associated funerary objects are present. Cranial 
morphology indicates that the human remains are Native American.
    In spring of 1968, a young boy found human remains representing a 
minimum of one individual on a hillside south of Stratmoor Hills Golf 
Club, near the ``B'' Street entrance gate of Fort Carson, El Paso 
County, CO. The human remains were removed in July 1968 by Professor 
Michael Nowak of The Colorado College. The human remains were curated 
in the Anthropology Department Archaeology Laboratory in Palmer Hall 
until 1989 and then transferred to the Biological Anthropology Research 
Laboratory of Barnes Science Center (Accession no. 1980.2.5). No known 
individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are present. 
The burial site and context indicate that the human remains are Native 
American.
    On May 3, 1989, human remains representing one individual were 
removed from site 5EP1175 on private land in Colorado Springs, El Paso 
County, CO. The discovery resulted from a construction project. After 
the county coroner and local police determined that the human remains 
were not of forensic significance, Ms. Kim Spurr of The Colorado 
College Anthropology Department took the human remains back to the 
college for study and curation (Accession no. El Paso Cty 050389). No 
known individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present. Cranial morphology and the flexed position of the burial 
indicate that the human remains are Native American.
    In 1985, human remains representing one individual were discovered 
on private land during operations at a gravel pit near Pikes Peak 
Meadows, south of Colorado Springs, El Paso County, CO. After 
investigation by the El Paso County Coroner's Office determined that 
there was no forensic significance, the human remains were transferred 
to the The Colorado College Anthropology Department in Palmer Hall for 
curation and educational purposes (Accession no. El Paso CCO 
85A-235). In 1989, the human remains were moved to the 
Biological Anthropology Research Laboratory in Barnes Science Center. 
No known individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present. Cranial morphology indicates that the human remains are Native 
American.
    In 1989, human remains representing one individual were discovered 
eroding out of a cutbank along State Highway 115, Fremont County, CO. 
After investigation by the Fremont County Coroner's Office determined 
that there was no forensic significance, the human remains were 
transferred to the Biological Anthropology Research Laboratory, Barnes 
Science Center at The Colorado College for curation and educational 
purposes (Accession no. El Paso CCO 082989). No known individual was 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. Cranial 
morphology indicates that the human remains are Native American.
    In 1990, human remains representing one individual were discovered 
eroding from an embankment on private land in Las Animas County, CO. 
After investigation by the Las Animas County Coroner's Office 
determined that there was no forensic significance, the human remains 
were transferred to the Biological Anthropology Research Laboratory in 
Barnes Science Center at The Colorado College for curation and 
educational purposes (Accession no. CCO 071190). No known individual 
was identified. No associated funerary objects are present. Cranial 
morphology

[[Page 66484]]

indicates that the human remains are Native American.
    The map ``Indian Land Areas Judicially Established 1978'' includes 
the eastern Colorado counties of Pueblo, El Paso, Fremont, Lincoln, and 
Elbert in the land aboriginally occupied by the Cheyenne and Arapaho 
tribes. The Colorado Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation 
map ``Estimated Tribal Territories in Colorado During the Late 
Nineteenth Century'' shows the presence of the Apache, Arapaho, 
Cheyenne, Comanche, and Kiowa in all of eastern Colorado. The Southern 
Ute Indian Tribe map ``Original Ute Domain'' includes El Paso, Pueblo, 
Fremont, Las Animas, Lincoln, and Elbert Counties as a part of the 
original domain of the Ute. Official tribal representatives provided 
folklore, oral tradition, geographical, and historical evidence of 
cultural affiliation, all of which indicated that eastern Colorado is a 
part of their traditional territory.
    Officials of The Colorado College have determined that, pursuant to 
25 U.S.C. 3001 (9-10), the human remains listed above represent the 
physical remains of eight individuals of Native American ancestry. 
Officials of The Colorado College also have determined that, pursuant 
to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (2), there is a relationship of shared group identity 
that can be reasonably traced between the Native American human remains 
and the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma; Arapahoe Tribe of the Wind River 
Reservation, Wyoming; Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma; Comanche 
Nation, Oklahoma; Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma; Jicarilla Apache 
Nation, New Mexico; Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma; Mescalero Apache 
Tribe of the Mescalero Reservation, New Mexico; Northern Cheyenne Tribe 
of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana; Southern Ute 
Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado; Ute Indian 
Tribe of the Uintah & Ouray Reservation, Utah; and Ute Mountain Tribe 
of the Ute Mountain Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico & Utah.
    Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes itself to 
be culturally affiliated with the human remains should contact Joyce 
Eastburg, Legal Assistant, The Colorado College, 14 East Cache La 
Poudre Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80903, telephone (719) 389-6703, 
before December 26, 2003. Repatriation of the human remains to the 
Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado may 
proceed after that date if no additional claimants come forward.
    The Colorado College is responsible for notifying the Apache Tribe 
of Oklahoma; Arapahoe Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming; 
Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma; Comanche Nation, Oklahoma; Fort 
Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma; Jicarilla Apache Nation, New Mexico; 
Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma; Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero 
Reservation, New Mexico; Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern 
Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana; Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the 
Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado; Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah & 
Ouray Reservation, Utah; and Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute Mountain 
Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico & Utah that this notice has been 
published.

    Dated: October 28, 2003.
John Robbins,
Assistant Director, Cultural Resources.
[FR Doc. 03-29508 Filed 11-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-50-S