[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 100 (Thursday, May 24, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29177-29178]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9971]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Inventory Completion: Thomas Burke Memorial Washington 
State Museum, University of Washington, Seattle, WA and Central 
Washington University, Department of Anthropology, Ellensburg, WA

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 control of the Thomas Burke Memorial Washington State 
Museum (Burke Museum), University of Washington, Seattle, WA and 
Central Washington University, Department of Anthropology, Ellensburg, 
WA. The human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from 
Klickitat County, WA.
    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 was made by the Burke 
Museum and Central Washington University professional staff in 
consultation with representatives of the Confederated Tribes and Bands 
of the Yakama Nation, Washington; Confederated Tribes of the Colville 
Reservation, Washington; Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla 
Reservation, Oregon; Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs 
Reservation of Oregon; Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho; and Wanapum Band, a 
non-federally recognized Indian group.
    Between 1955 and 1957, human remains representing a minimum of 91 
individuals were removed from the Congdon site (45-KL-41) in Klickitat 
County, WA, by a University of Washington Field Party led by Mr. Robert 
B. Butler. The human remains were transferred to the Burke Museum and 
formally accessioned in 1966 (Burke Accn. 1966-100). In 1974, 
the Burke Museum legally transferred portions of the human remains to 
Central Washington University. No known individuals were identified. 
The 1,049 associated funerary objects are 39 abraders, 4 anvils, 5 
atlatl weights, 1 bone bi-point, 3 bone tools, 2 bowls, 44 chipped 
stone tools, 204 stone choppers, 2 fragments of metal ore (copper and 
iron), 1 stone core, 201 stone discoid, 1 stone drill, 2 stone flakes, 
6 stone gravers, 24 grooved mauls, 82 groundstone tools, 20 
hammerstones, 87 stone mauls, 60 mortars, 58 net weights, 1 stone 
pendant, 38 pestles, 21 piledrivers, 26 stone points, 47 scrapers, 2 
spherical stones, and 68 utilized flakes.
    The Congdon site was first discovered in the 1930s. In 1955, 
amateur archeologists continued to disturb the site and began locating 
human remains. Mr. Butler also began working at this site at this time. 
The site was simultaneously further disturbed by bulldozing in 
preparation for the relocation of a railroad. The site was considered a 
mass burial with complicated stratigraphy, and human remains commingled 
and scattered throughout making identification of individual burials 
impossible. Mr. Butler's excavations focused on salvaging human 
remains; however, no provenience was recorded for the human remains and 
the excavations have limited field documentation.
    Early and late published ethnographic documentation indicates that 
this was the aboriginal territory of the Western Columbia River 
Sahaptins, Wasco, Wishram, Yakima, Walla Walla, Umatilla, Tenino, and 
Skin (Daugherty 1973, Hale 1841, Hunn and French 1998, Stern 1998, 
French and French 1998, Mooney 1896, Murdock 1938, Ray 1936 and 1974, 
Spier 1936). The descendants of the Western Columbia River Sahaptins, 
Wasco, Wishram, Yakima, Walla Walla, Umatilla, Tenino, and Skin are 
members of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, 
Washington; Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla

[[Page 29178]]

Reservation, Oregon; and Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs 
Reservation of Oregon.
    Information provided by representatives of the Confederated Tribes 
and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Washington; Confederated Tribes of the 
Colville Reservation, Washington; Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla 
Reservation, Oregon; Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs 
Reservation of Oregon; Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho; and Wanapum Band, a 
non-federally recognized Indian group, during consultation indicates 
that the aboriginal ancestors occupying the site area were highly 
mobile and traveled widely across the landscape for gathering resources 
as well as trade, and are all part of the more broadly defined Plateau 
cultural community. The descendants of these Plateau communities are 
members of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, 
Washington; Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, 
Washington; Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation, Oregon; 
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon; Nez 
Perce Tribe of Idaho; and Wanapum Band, a non-federally recognized 
Indian group.
    Officials of the Burke Museum and Central Washington University 
have determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (9-10), the human 
remains described above represent the physical remains of 91 
individuals of Native American ancestry. Officials of the Burke Museum 
and Central Washington University also have determined that, pursuant 
to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (3)(A), the 1,049 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 Burke Museum and Central Washington 
University 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 Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama 
Nation, Washington; Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, 
Washington; Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation, Oregon; 
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon; and Nez 
Perce Tribe of Idaho. Furthermore, officials of the Burke Museum and 
Central Washington University have determined that there is a cultural 
relationship between the human remains and associated funerary objects 
and the Wanapum Band, a non-federally recognized Indian group.
    Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes itself to 
be culturally affiliated with the human remains and associated funerary 
objects should contact Dr. Peter Lape, Burke Museum, University of 
Washington, Box 353010, Seattle, WA 98195-3010, telephone (206) 685-
2282 or Lourdes Henebry- DeLeon, NAGPRA Program Director, Central 
Washington University, Department of Anthropology, Mailstop 7544, 
Ellensburg, WA 98926, telephone (509) 963-2671, before June 25, 2007. 
Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects to 
the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Washington; 
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation, Oregon; Confederated 
Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon; Nez Perce Tribe of 
Idaho; and Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, 
Washington, for themselves and on behalf of the Wanapum Band, a non-
federally recognized Indian group, may proceed after that date if no 
additional claimants come forward. The Confederated Tribes of the 
Colville Reservation, Washington; Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla 
Reservation, Oregon; Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs 
Reservation of Oregon; Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho; and Confederated 
Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Washington; and Wanapum Band, 
non-federally recognized Indian group, are claiming jointly all 
cultural items from the Columbia River area in eastern Washington and 
Oregon.
    The Burke Museum is responsible for notifying the Confederated 
Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Washington; Confederated Tribes 
of the Colville Reservation, Washington; Confederated Tribes of the 
Umatilla Reservation, Oregon; Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs 
Reservation of Oregon; Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho; and Wanapum Band, a 
non-federally recognized Indian group that this notice has been 
published.

    Dated: May 14, 2007
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. E7-9971 Filed 5-23-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-50-S