[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 175 (Monday, September 11, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53470-53473]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-14933]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Colorado Museum, 
Boulder, 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 and associated funerary 
objects in the possession of the University of Colorado Museum, 
Boulder, CO. The human remains and associated funerary objects were 
removed from Montezuma County, CO.
    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 in this notice are the sole responsibility of the 
museum, institution, or Federal agency that has control of the Native 
American human remains and associated funerary objects. The National 
Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice.
    A detailed assessment of the human remains and associated funerary 
objects was made by University of Colorado Museum professional staff in 
consultation with representatives of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Navajo 
Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah; Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo 
of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; Pueblo of Jemez, 
New Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; Pueblo of Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo 
of San Felipe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo 
of San Juan, New Mexico; Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa 
Ana, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santo 
Domingo, New Mexico; Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the 
Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado; Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute 
Mountain Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico & Utah; Ysleta del Sur 
Pueblo of Texas; and Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico.
    Between 1954 and 1990, human remains representing a minimum of 229 
individuals were removed from three sites near Yellow Jacket Pueblo 
(5MT1, 5MT2, and 5MT3), Montezuma County, CO, during legally conducted 
excavations by Dr. Joe Ben Wheat and students participating in 
University of Colorado Museum sponsored archeological field schools. 
Human remains and associated funerary objects were physically 
transferred to the museum at the end of each field season through 1990. 
No known individuals were identified. The 488 associated funerary 
objects are 166 ceramic vessels (whole and fragmentary), some of which 
have black-on-white designs, human figures, animal figures, or are gray 
ware; 45 lots of sherds, including 17 single sherds; 5 lots of 
unmodified animal bone; 45 ground stone tools and slabs, including 
manos, hammerstones, axes, tchamahias, and mauls; 17 bone tools, 
including awls, scrapers, and whistles; 16 matting fragments; 8 beads, 
pendants, and ornaments; 28 lots of stone cores and flakes; 1 lot of 
gizzard stone; 125 soil samples; 15 lots of organic material; 13 flaked 
stone tools, including projectile points; 1 sample of adobe material; 
and 3 pieces of ochre.
    The three habitation sites, (identified on the National Register of 
Historic Places as the Joe Ben Wheat Site Complex), are at the head of 
Yellow Jacket Canyon to the west of Tatum Draw and southwest of the 
very large archeological site, Yellow Jacket Pueblo (5MT5). The Yellow 
Jacket burials were predominantly single interments, appearing in a 
wide variety of locations, including abandoned rooms and kivas, storage 
pits, subfloor burial pits, extramural burial pits, and middens.

    The habitation sites were occupied at various times during the 
Basketmaker III, Pueblo II and Pueblo III periods, approximately A.D. 
550-1250, with a temporary abandonment during the Pueblo I period, 
approximately A.D. 750-900. Based on the general continuity in the 
material culture and the architecture of these sites, it appears that 
the community that lived in this area had long-standing ties to the 
region and returned to sites even after migrations away from the locale 
that lasted more than one hundred years.

[[Page 53471]]

However, by the late 13th century, both the Yellow Jacket sites and the 
nearby Mesa Verde region showed no evidence of human habitation. The 
sites are not used again until the 1920s when the locale was 
homesteaded and farmed.
    On an unknown date, probably in the 1920s or early 1930s, human 
remains representing a minimum of one individual were excavated from 
Montezuma Valley, Montezuma County, CO, most likely by Earl Morris, as 
a part of a University of Colorado Museum expedition. The human remains 
were not cataloged until they were donated to the museum by Mr. 
Morris's family in 1962 (Catalog number 4794). No known individual was 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    Based on osteological characteristics and excavator history, the 
human remains are Native American. The osteological characteristics 
indicate the human remains are consistent with better-documented 
Ancestral Puebloan remains from southwestern Colorado dating to circa 
A.D. 750-1300.
    On an unknown date, probably in the 1920s or early 1930s, human 
remains representing a minimum of two individuals were excavated from a 
site or sites near the Yellow Jacket Pueblo ruin, Montezuma County, CO, 
by Earl Morris as a part of a University of Colorado Museum field 
expedition. The human remains were cataloged by the museum in the early 
1930s (Catalog numbers 4795 and 13377). No known individuals were 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    Based on osteological characteristics and excavator history, the 
human remains are Native American. The osteological characteristics 
indicate the human remains are consistent with better-documented 
Ancestral Puebloan remains from southwestern Colorado dating to circa 
A.D. 750-1300.

    Some time in the 1920s or 1930s, human remains representing a 
minimum of one individual were most likely removed from the area of the 
Yellow Jacket Pueblo (5MT5), Montezuma County, CO, by Earl Morris, and 
later cataloged by the museum (Catalog number 4796). No known 
individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    Based on osteological characteristics, the human remains are Native 
American. The extreme wear on the teeth and other osteological 
characteristics are consistent with other Ancestral Puebloan human 
remains from southwestern Colorado dating to circa A.D. 750-1300. 
Museum documentation indicates the human remains date to the Pueblo III 
period.
    In 1955, human remains representing a minimum of one individual 
were surface collected from site 5MT10 in Montezuma County, CO, by Dr. 
J.B. Wheat of the University of Colorado Museum, and cataloged into the 
collection (Catalog number 9279). The site is approximately four miles 
north of Dolores, CO, and half a mile west of the Dolores River. No 
known individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    Based on Dr. Wheat's notes about the styles of pottery sherds and 
architecture, the human remains are Native American, specifically, 
Ancestral Puebloan dating to circa A.D. 750-900.

    In 1956, human remains representing a minimum of four individuals 
were excavated from a site close to the house on the L.A. Simmons farm, 
Montezuma County, CO, by Dr. J.B. Wheat of the University of Colorado 
Museum. The farm is several miles west of the Yellow Jacket Pueblo 
ruin. The excavations were done with the landowner's permission, 
donated to the museum by the landowner, and cataloged into the 
collection (Catalog numbers 19290-19292 and 99524). No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    Based on the archeological context, the human remains are Native 
American. The human remains were found in the fill of a slab-lined room 
that was estimated to date to the Pueblo I period, approximately A.D. 
750-900.

    On an unknown date, human remains representing a minimum of one 
individual were excavated in the area of the Yellow Jacket Pueblo 
(5MT5), Montezuma County, CO, by an unknown individual. The human 
remains were anonymously donated to the museum in the mid-1980s and 
cataloged into the collection (Catalog number 39423). No known 
individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    Osteological characteristics indicate the human remains are Native 
American. Based on the extreme wear on the teeth and other osteological 
characteristics, the human remains are reasonably believed to be 
Ancestral Puebloan and date to between A.D. 750 and 1300.

    In 1987, human remains representing a minimum of two individuals 
were removed from the Yellow Jacket Pueblo (5MT5), Montezuma County, 
CO, by a University of Colorado Museum field school survey and 
cataloged into the collection (Catalog numbers 41400 and 41414). No 
known individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    Based on archeological context, the human remains are Native 
American. Based on the material culture, occupation dates, and 
architecture associated with the site, the human remains date to 
approximately A.D. 1000-1300.
    In 1958, human remains representing a minimum of nine individuals 
were removed from Paul Wilson's farm, Montezuma County, CO, by Dr. J.B. 
Wheat and two graduate students from the University of Colorado Museum 
with permission of the landowner. Several individuals were removed from 
a plowed field by Mr. Wilson prior to the University of Colorado 
Museum's excavation. The Wilson farm is several miles southwest of the 
Yellow Jacket Pueblo (5MT5). A state site-number, 5MT33, was assigned 
to the site by Dr. Wheat, but apparently never registered with the 
state. The human remains were donated to the museum by the landowner 
and cataloged into the museum collections (Catalog numbers 44446-44446-
5). No known individuals were identified. No associated funerary 
objects are present.
    Based on the archeological context, the human remains are Native 
American. Based on the material culture and architecture associated 
with the site, the human remains date to approximately A.D. 550-1300.
    On an unknown date, but probably between the 1960s and 1980s, human 
remains representing a minimum of one individual were excavated from 
one of the sites in the area of the Yellow Jacket Pueblo (5MT5), 
Montezuma County, CO, most likely by a University of Colorado Museum 
field school investigation. In 1993, the fragmentary human remains were 
discovered in museum storage with other human remains from the Yellow 
Jacket area sites. The human remains were assigned a number that 
suggests they came from a University of Colorado Museum field school 
investigation (Catalog number Field 78-22-SOC). No known individual was 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    Based on museum records, the human remains probably come from the 
Yellow Jacket area, but the burial location cannot be specifically 
placed. Based on the archeological context, the human remains are 
Native American and Ancestral Puebloan dating to approximately A.D. 
1000-1300, the date range within the various occupations of the Yellow 
Jacket Pueblo.

    On an unknown date, human remains representing a minimum of two

[[Page 53472]]

individuals were removed from a site near Yellow Jacket Pueblo (5MT5), 
Montezuma County, CO, by an unknown individual. In 1995, the human 
remains were anonymously donated and cataloged into the museum 
collection (Catalog numbers 1995-19-2 (1) and 1995-19-2 (2)). No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    Based on associated notes, the human remains are reasonably 
believed to be Native American. The notes suggest that the human 
remains were excavated from a ``prehistoric'' site close to the Yellow 
Jacket Pueblo site and are reasonably believed to be Ancestral 
Puebloan, dating to approximately A.D. 1000-1300, the date range within 
the various occupations of the Yellow Jacket Pueblo.
    All individuals listed in this Notice of Inventory Completion are 
reasonably believed to be Ancestral Puebloan based on the archeological 
context, biological evidence, or site dating. Biological evidence, such 
as cranial shaping or cradleboarding and extreme tooth wear, are 
typical traits associated with ancestral Puebloans. Archeological 
evidence supports identification with Basketmaker and later Pueblo 
(Hisatsinom, Ancestral Puebloan, or Anasazi) cultures, which 
prehistorically occupied southwestern Colorado. Both Basketmaker and 
Pueblo occupations are represented in the archeology at the Yellow 
Jacket site. Archeologists have noted in the scientific literature the 
striking similarity between the technology and style of material 
culture of 13th century archeological sites in southwestern Colorado 
and the material culture remains of 14th century Puebloan sites in 
Arizona and New Mexico.
    Oral-tradition evidence, which consisted of migration stories, clan 
histories, and origin stories, was provided by representatives of the 
Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah; 
Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Jemez, New Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of San Juan, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Ana, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; Pueblo of Ysleta del Sur, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; and Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New 
Mexico. Folkloric evidence in the form of songs was provided by tribal 
representatives of the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo of Cochiti, 
New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; 
and Pueblo of San Ildefonso New Mexico. Tribal representatives of the 
Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San 
Ildefonso, New Mexico; and Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico provided 
linguistic evidence rooted in place names. Pueblo of Cochiti, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New 
Mexico; and Pueblo of Santa Clara New Mexico provided archeological 
evidence based on architecture and material culture of their shared 
relationship.
    Archeological, historical, and linguistic evidence presently point 
to Navajo migration to the Yellow Jacket and Monument Ruin area after 
A.D. 1300. During consultation, the Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico, 
& Utah emphasized their long presence in the Four Corners and their 
origin in this area, but there is not a preponderance of the evidence 
to support Navajo cultural affiliation to the human remains described 
in this notice.
    Based on a preponderance of evidence, a shared group identity can 
be traced between ancestral Puebloan peoples from Montezuma County, CO, 
including oral tradition, archeology, and scientific studies, and 
modern Puebloan groups. Modern Puebloan peoples are members of the Hopi 
Tribe of Arizona; Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo of Cochiti, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Picuris, New Mexico; Pueblo of Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo of San 
Felipe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo of San 
Juan, New Mexico; Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Ana, 
New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santo Domingo, 
New Mexico; Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; Ysleta del Sur Pueblo of Texas; and Zuni 
Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico.
    Officials of the University of Colorado Museum have determined 
that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (9-10), the human remains described 
above represent the physical remains of at least 253 individuals of 
Native American ancestry. Officials of the University of Colorado 
Museum also have determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (3)(A), 
the 488 objects described 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 
University of Colorado Museum 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 
associated funerary objects and the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Pueblo of 
Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San 
Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Juan, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Sandia, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa 
Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santo Domingo, New Mexico; Pueblo of Taos, 
New Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; 
Ysleta del Sur Pueblo of Texas; and Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, 
New Mexico.
    Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes itself to 
be culturally affiliated with the human remains and associated funerary 
objects should contact Steve Lekson, Curator of Anthropology, 
University of Colorado Museum, Henderson Building, Campus Box 218, 
Boulder, CO 80309-0218, telephone (303) 492-6671, before October 11, 
2006. Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects 
to the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; Pueblo of Jemez, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; Pueblo of Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo 
of San Felipe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo 
of San Juan, New Mexico; Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa 
Ana, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santo 
Domingo, New Mexico; Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; Ysleta del Sur Pueblo of Texas; and 
Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico may proceed after that 
date if no additional claimants come forward.
    University of Colorado Museum is responsible for notifying the Hopi 
Tribe of Arizona; Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah; Pueblo of 
Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Felipe, New

[[Page 53473]]

Mexico; Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Juan, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santo Domingo, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Zia, New Mexico; Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute 
Reservation, Colorado; Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute Mountain 
Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico & Utah; Ysleta del Sur Pueblo of 
Texas; and Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico that this 
notice has been published.

    Dated: August 24, 2006.
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. E6-14933 Filed 9-8-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-50-S