[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 204 (Tuesday, October 21, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62538-62539]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-24964]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Denver Department 
of Anthropology and Museum of Anthropology, Denver, CO; Correction

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; correction.

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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 Denver Department of 
Anthropology and Museum of Anthropology, Denver, 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 cultural 
items. The National Park Service is not responsible for the 
determinations in this notice.
    The notice corrects the cultural affiliation of a minimum of six 
individuals that were described in a Notice of Inventory Completion 
published in the Federal Register of October 4, 2001, (FR Doc 01-24931, 
pages 50676-50677). After further consideration of museum records, 
morphological evidence, and tribal consultation, officials of the 
University of Denver Department of Anthropology and Museum of 
Anthropology have determined that there is not sufficient available 
evidence to lead to a reasonable determination that the six individuals 
(catalog numbers DU6061, DU6068, DU6069, DU6070, and DU6181) are 
culturally affiliated, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (2), and therefore 
are culturally unidentifiable.
    Museum officials contracted a research archeologist and conducted 
additional consultations since October 4, 2001, with representatives of 
the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah; 
Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico (formerly the Pueblo of San Juan); 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 Sandia, 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 Zia, New 
Mexico; and Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico. Reports and 
correspondence was also conducted with representatives from Pueblo of 
Picuris, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San 
Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santo Domingo, New Mexico; and Ysleta 
Del Sur Pueblo of Texas.
    Field notes for the human remains representing the six individuals 
do not exist. The collector, Dr. E.B. Renaud, founder of the University 
of Denver Department of Anthropology, identified the individuals as 
``Pueblo,'' due to cranial reshaping that resulted from 
``cradleboarding.'' Officials at the University of Denver Department of 
Anthropology and Museum of Anthropology recognize that scholars have 
historically attributed the activity of cradleboarding to Pueblo 
Tribes, but during consultation, Pueblo officials cited examples of 
other groups who used cradleboards. In the absence of specific 
archeological dates or any location information, tribal representatives 
agreed that cranial flattening was not specifically a Pueblo cultural 
practice.
    In the Federal Register of October 4, 2001, (FR Doc. 01-24931, 
pages 50676-50677), the Notice of Inventory Completion is corrected by 
deleting paragraph numbers 4 and 5 that describe the six individuals; 
and substituting paragraphs 6 to 9 with the following paragraphs:
    In 1939, human remains representing a minimum of one individual 
(catalog number 1995.1.1) were collected by Theodore Sowers, a graduate 
of the University of Denver. In 1995, his daughters donated the human 
remains to the University of Denver so that they could be repatriated. 
No known individual was identified. The 42 associated funerary objects 
are 9

[[Page 62539]]

projectile points (stemmed, side notched, and corner notched); 1 stone 
pipe (also identified during consultation as a ``cloud blower''); 1 
bone tool (also identified during consultation as a turkey call); 3 
stone knives; 3 stone scrapers; 1 sinker; 2 stone drills; 3 bone awls; 
5 flaked tools; 1 flake; 8 unworked stone; 3 fossils; 1 copper ore 
fragment; and 1 piece of sulfur.
    The human remains and associated funerary objects were originally 
described as being recovered from Mesa Portales, Sandoval County, NM, 
however, additional research has uncovered labels and box tags that 
also indicate Dinwoody Cave and Folsom, NM. The labeling ambiguity 
makes it impossible to identify a site. However, a determination on 
cultural affiliation can be reached through the associated funerary 
objects.
    Diagnostic artifacts appear to span the time period between 6,000 
B.C. and A.D. 500, based on a comparison of five projectile points 
associated with the human remains and the typology established by 
Cynthia Irwin-Williams (1973). The projectile points are interpreted to 
correspond to the Oshara Tradition, and to reflect the transition from 
Archaic to Ancestral Puebloan adaptations. Specifically, the projectile 
points include stemmed, corner-notched, and side-notched tools that 
appear to be of the Jay, Bajada, San Jose, Armijo, and En Medio types 
characterized by Dr. Irwin-Williams. Exploitation of large, medium, and 
small sized fauna, along with natural floral resources is reflected by 
the earlier point styles. The later Armijo and En Medio styles suggest 
a time period where the exploitation of natural and domestic flora was 
practiced. The transition from the Oshara tradition to the Ancestral 
Puebloan is fluid according to Dr. Irwin-Williams. The projectile 
points were also identified as Pueblo by several tribal 
representatives. The remainder of the assemblage associated with the 
individual contains bone and other stone tools that mirror the 
collection of projectile points from the site and indicate a 
transitional and likely multi-component occupation of the site where 
they were collected. It should be noted that the presence of bone tools 
could indicate that human remains and funerary objects were recovered 
from a cave or otherwise sheltered environment that allowed their 
preservation.
    Museum officials have concluded that the material culture and the 
expert opinion of tribal representatives and scholars support an 
Ancestral Puebloan cultural affiliation for the one individual. The 
scientific literature provides significant evidence of cultural 
affiliation between ancestral Puebloan culture and the Pueblos of 
today. Descendants of Puebloan culture are members of the Hopi Tribe of 
Arizona; Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico (formerly the Pueblo of San Juan); 
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 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 Denver Department of Anthropology 
and Museum of Anthropology have determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 
3001 (9-10), the human remains described above represent the physical 
remains of a minimum of one individual of Native American ancestry. 
Officials of the University of Denver Department of Anthropology and 
Museum of Anthropology also have determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 
3001 (3)(A), the 42 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 Denver Department of Anthropology and Museum of 
Anthropology have determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001 (2), the 
preponderance of the evidence supports 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; Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico; 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 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 Dr. Christina Kreps, University of Denver Museum 
of Anthropology, Sturm 146, Denver, CO 80208, telephone (303) 871-2688, 
before November 20, 2008. Repatriation of the human remains and 
associated funerary objects to the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Ohkay 
Owingeh, New Mexico; 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 
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.
    The University of Denver Museum of Anthropology is responsible for 
notifying the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico 
& Utah; Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico; 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 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.

    Dated: February 13, 2008
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
    Editorial Note: This document was received at the Office of the 
Federal Register October 16, 2008.
[FR Doc. E8-24964 Filed 10-20-08; 8:45 am]
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