[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 62 (Monday, March 31, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16904-16905]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6557]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of Defense, Army, 
Installation Management Agency-Army Reserve Office, Arlington, VA, and 
University of Utah, Utah Museum of Natural History, Salt Lake City, UT

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 control of the U.S. 
Department of Defense, Army, Installation Management Agency-Army 
Reserve Office, Arlington, VA, and in the physical custody of the 
University of Utah, Utah Museum of Natural History, Salt Lake City, UT. 
The human remains were removed from Fort Douglas, Salt Lake County, UT.
    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. The National Park Service is not responsible 
for the determinations in this notice.
    A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by U.S. 
Department of Defense, Army professional staff in consultation with 
representatives of the Great Basin Inter-Tribal NAGPRA Coalition, 
representing the Big Pine Band of Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Indians 
of the Big Pine Reservation, California; Bridgeport Paiute Indian 
Colony of California; Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater 
Reservation, Nevada; Ely Shoshone Tribe of Nevada; Fort McDermitt 
Paiute and Shoshone Tribes of the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, 
Nevada and Oregon; Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians of the Las Vegas 
Indian Colony, Nevada; Lovelock Paiute Tribe of the Lovelock Indian 
Colony, Nevada; Northwestern Band of Shoshoni Nation of Utah 
(Washakie); Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the 
Bishop Colony, California; Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Lone Pine 
Community of the Lone Pine Reservation, California; Paiute-Shoshone 
Tribe of the Fallon Reservation and Colony, Nevada; Reno-Sparks Indian 
Colony, Nevada; Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming; 
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation of Idaho; 
Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, Nevada; Southern 
Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado; Susanville 
Indian Rancheria, California; Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians 
of Nevada (Four constituent bands: Battle Mountain Band; Elko Band; 
South Fork Band and Wells Band); Washoe Tribe of Nevada & California 
(Carson Colony, Dresslerville Colony, Woodfords Community, Steward 
Community, & Washoe Ranches); and Yomba Shoshone Tribe of the Yomba 
Reservation, Nevada. Representatives of the Death Valley Timbi-Sha 
Shoshone Band of California were also consulted, but are not members of 
the Great-Basin Inter-Tribal NAGPRA Coalition. The Ute Indian Tribe of 
the Uintah & Ouray Reservation, Utah and Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute 
Mountain Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico & Utah were contacted, but 
declined to participate in the consultation.
    On March 16, 1939, human remains representing a minimum of one 
individual were removed from the basement of an officer's quarters on 
Fort Douglas in Salt Lake County, UT, during excavations conducted to 
enlarge the basement area of a ``Sgt. Pooles'' house. The human remains 
were transferred for curation to the University of Utah, Utah Museum of 
Natural History, Salt Lake City, UT, on March 19, 1939. No known 
individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    Information obtained during the inventory conducted by University 
of Utah, Utah Museum of Natural History staff indicates that this 
burial is believed to date to the Archaic period (circa 7,000 B.C. to 
A.D. 800). Since the Archaic period is a continent-wide archeological 
culture period with no known distinctly identifiable ties to any one 
modern tribe, it is unlikely that a specific tribal affiliation can be 
assigned to the Native American human remains. However, a review of the 
available literature demonstrates ethnographically, linguistically, 
and/or archeologically, that the present-day Northern Shoshone, Western 
Shoshone, Eastern Shoshone, and Ute bands and tribes have both historic 
and prehistoric ties to the general geographical area of Fort Douglas. 
Furthermore, Northern Shoshone, Western Shoshone, Eastern Shoshone, and 
Ute bands and tribes have aboriginal ancestral territories that fall 
within the Great Basin culture area encompassing Fort Douglas. The 
present-day descendants of the Northern Shoshone, Western Shoshone, 
Eastern Shoshone, and Ute band and tribes are members of the Big Pine 
Band of Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Indians of the Big Pine 
Reservation, California; Bridgeport Paiute Indian Colony of California; 
Death Valley Timbi-Sha Shoshone Band of California; Duckwater Shoshone 
Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation, Nevada; Ely Shoshone Tribe of 
Nevada; Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes of the Fort McDermitt 
Indian Reservation, Nevada and Oregon; Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute 
Indians of the Las Vegas Indian Colony, Nevada; Lovelock Paiute Tribe 
of the Lovelock Indian Colony, Nevada; Northwestern Band of Shoshoni 
Nation of Utah (Washakie); Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop 
Community of the Bishop Colony, California; Paiute-Shoshone Indians of 
the Lone Pine Community of the Lone Pine Reservation, California; 
Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of the Fallon Reservation and Colony, Nevada; 
Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Nevada;

[[Page 16905]]

Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming; Shoshone-Bannock 
Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation of Idaho; Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of 
the Duck Valley Reservation, Nevada; Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the 
Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado; Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone 
Indians of Nevada; Susanville Indian Rancheria, California; Ute Indian 
Tribe of the Uintah & Ouray Reservation, Utah; Ute Mountain Tribe of 
the Ute Mountain Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico & Utah; Washoe Tribe 
of Nevada & California (Carson Colony, Dresslerville Colony, Woodfords 
Community, Steward Community, & Washoe Ranches); and Yomba Shoshone 
Tribe of the Yomba Reservation, Nevada.
    Officials of the Army, Installation Management Agency-Army Reserve 
Office have determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (9-10), the 
human remains described above represent the physical remains of one 
individual of Native American ancestry. Officials of the Army, 
Installation Management Agency-Army Reserve Office have also determined 
that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (2), a relationship of shared group 
identity cannot reasonably be traced between the Native American human 
remains and any present-day Indian tribe. Lastly, officials of the 
Army, Installation Management Agency-Army Reserve Office determined 
that the physical remains of the one individual of Native American 
ancestry are culturally unidentifiable.
    The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review 
Committee (Review Committee) is responsible for recommending specific 
actions for disposition of culturally unidentifiable human remains. In 
1997, the Army, Installation Management Agency-Army Reserve determined 
that there was not sufficient evidence of a shared group identity 
(cultural affiliation) between the human remains and a particular 
Indian Tribe or Tribes and the human remains were ``culturally 
unidentifiable.'' Officials of the Army, Installation Management 
Agency-Army Reserve requested that the Review Committee recommend 
disposition of the culturally unidentifiable human remains from Fort 
Douglas to the 20 federally recognized tribes that represent the Great 
Basin Inter-Tribal NAGPRA Coalition. The Great Basin Inter-Tribal 
NAGPRA Coalition has adopted a resolution for a joint claim for the 
human remains from Fort Douglas (Great Basin Inter-Tribal NAGPRA 
Coalition Resolution No. 04-001).
    In 2005, a letter from the Review Committee's Designated Federal 
Officer, writing on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior, 
recommended disposition by the Army, Installation Management Agency-
Army Reserve of the physical remains of one individual to the 20 
federally recognized bands and tribes that are members of the Great 
Basin Inter-Tribal NAGPRA Coalition contingent on the publication of a 
Notice of Inventory Completion in the Federal Register. This notice 
fulfills this requirement.
    Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes itself to 
be culturally affiliated with the human remains should contact Mr. 
Richard White, Conservation Chief, ATTN: IMAR-E, 2511 Jefferson Davis 
Highway, 10th Floor, Arlington, VA 22202-3926, telephone (703) 602-
2848, before April 30, 2008. Repatriation of the human remains to the 
Great Basin Inter-Tribal NAGPRA Coalition, on behalf of the Big Pine 
Band of Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Indians of the Big Pine 
Reservation, California; Bridgeport Paiute Indian Colony of California; 
Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation, Nevada; Ely 
Shoshone Tribe of Nevada; Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes of 
the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, Nevada and Oregon; Las Vegas 
Tribe of Paiute Indians of the Las Vegas Indian Colony, Nevada; 
Lovelock Paiute Tribe of the Lovelock Indian Colony, Nevada; 
Northwestern Band of Shoshoni Nation of Utah (Washakie); Paiute-
Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony, 
California; Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Lone Pine Community of the 
Lone Pine Reservation, California; Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of the Fallon 
Reservation and Colony, Nevada; Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Nevada; 
Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming; Shoshone-Bannock 
Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation of Idaho; Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of 
the Duck Valley Reservation, Nevada; Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the 
Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado; Susanville Indian Rancheria, 
California; Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada; Washoe 
Tribe of Nevada & California (Carson Colony, Dresslerville Colony, 
Woodfords Community, Steward Community, & Washoe Ranches); and Yomba 
Shoshone Tribe of the Yomba Reservation, Nevada, may proceed after that 
date if no additional claimants come forward.
    The U.S. Department of Defense, Army, Installation Management 
Agency-Army Reserve Office is responsible for notifying the Big Pine 
Band of Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Indians of the Big Pine 
Reservation, California; Bridgeport Paiute Indian Colony of California; 
Death Valley Timbi-Sha Shoshone Band of California; Duckwater Shoshone 
Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation, Nevada; Ely Shoshone Tribe of 
Nevada; Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes of the Fort McDermitt 
Indian Reservation, Nevada and Oregon; Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute 
Indians of the Las Vegas Indian Colony, Nevada; Lovelock Paiute Tribe 
of the Lovelock Indian Colony, Nevada; Northwestern Band of Shoshoni 
Nation of Utah (Washakie); Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop 
Community of the Bishop Colony, California; Paiute-Shoshone Indians of 
the Lone Pine Community of the Lone Pine Reservation, California; 
Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of the Fallon Reservation and Colony, Nevada; 
Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Nevada; Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River 
Reservation, Wyoming; Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall 
Reservation of Idaho; Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley 
Reservation, Nevada; Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute 
Reservation, Colorado; Susanville Indian Rancheria, California; Te-Moak 
Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada; Ute Indian Tribe of the 
Uintah & Ouray Reservation, Utah; Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute 
Mountain Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico & Utah; Washoe Tribe of 
Nevada & California (Carson Colony, Dresslerville Colony, Woodfords 
Community, Steward Community, & Washoe Ranches); and Yomba Shoshone 
Tribe of the Yomba Reservation, Nevada that this notice has been 
published.

    Dated: February 28, 2008.
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. E8-6557 Filed 3-28-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-50-S