[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 185 (Friday, September 24, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58429-58430]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-23926]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Inventory Completion: Northwest Museum of Arts & 
Culture, Spokane, 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 possession of the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 
aka Eastern Washington State Historical Society, Spokane, WA. The human 
remains and associated funerary objects were removed from Lincoln, 
Ferry and Stevens Counties, 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 possession 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 
Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture professional staff in consultation 
with representatives of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian 
Reservation, Washington.
    During the period July 1939 to September 1940, human remains and 
associated funerary objects were removed from seven different sites in 
Lincoln, Ferry and Stevens Counties, WA, encompassing a vast, 150-mile 
area. The human remains and associated funerary objects described below 
were excavated by Donald Collier, Alfred E. Hudson and Arlo Ford due to 
the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam and its reservoir (Lake 
Roosevelt), whose waters would soon cover the area. This undertaking 
was known as ``The Columbian Basin Archaeological Survey'' or the 
``Collier, Hudson, and Ford Project.'' It was a multi-institutional 
venture involving the Eastern Washington State Historical Society (now 
Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture), University of Washington, and the 
State College of Washington (now Washington State University). It was 
also a multi-agency venture involving the Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau 
of Indian Affairs, Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Works Project 
Administration (including the National Youth Administration). In 1940, 
the Eastern Washington State Historical Society became the repository 
for the collection, as mandated by the Bureau of Reclamation. Portions 
of the land from which the human remains and associated funerary 
objects derive were non-Federal lands, and other portions were Federal 
lands at the time of removal. Moreover, the Federal lands fell under 
the management authority of several different agencies. Consequently, 
there has been a question of control over the collection. After several 
years of research, the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture has been 
unable to determine additional specifics regarding the control of each 
site. Therefore, absent additional information, the Northwest Museum of 
Arts & Culture is assuming responsibility under NAGPRA with regard to 
publishing this Notice and repatriating the human remains and 
associated funerary objects to the culturally affiliated tribe.
    From 1940 until 1951, the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture was 
the repository for the recovered materials. On February 24, 1951, the 
museum agreed to loan the human remains to the Washington State Museum 
of the University of Washington for scientific study. According to 
letters substantiating the agreement, all the human remains borrowed by 
the University of Washington were returned to the museum on May 29, 
1951, and were repatriated to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville 
Indian Reservation, Washington, in 1979.

[[Page 58430]]

Unfortunately, the repatriation in 1979 was incomplete. In December 
1994, the Thomas Burke Memorial Museum at the University of Washington 
(formerly Washington State Museum) informed the Northwest Museum of 
Arts & Culture that they had found five boxes of skeletal material 
thought to be related to the 1951 loan agreement. In addition, during 
the time between 1951 and 1995, the human remains were the subject of 
additional transfers to various institutions. However, the human 
remains were retrieved and returned to Northwest Museum of Arts & 
Culture between June 15, 1995 and November 5, 1995. This Notice 
includes the human remains and associated funerary objects from the 
seven sites currently in the collection of the Northwest Museum of Arts 
& Culture.
    Human remains representing a minimum of nine individuals were 
removed from Site 2 (45-LI-27), opposite the mouth of the Sanpoil, in 
Lincoln County, WA. No known individuals were identified. The 11 
associated funerary objects are 1 basalt piece, 1 bone awl, 1 unworked 
and worked cache form, 1 scraper, 1 pestle, 1 blade fragment, 1 piece 
of wood, 3 projectile points and 1 knife.
    Human remains representing a minimum of nine individuals were 
removed from Site 7A (45-FE-7), in Ferry County, WA. No known 
individuals were identified. The eight associated funerary objects are 
two rusted iron fragments and six dentalia shell beads.
    Human remains representing a minimum of nine individuals were 
removed from Site 7B (45-FE-7), a half mile up the bank of the Columbia 
from Site 7A, in Ferry County, WA. No known individuals were 
identified. The 52 associated funerary objects are 35 blue glass beads 
and 17 white glass beads.
    Human remains representing a minimum of three individuals were 
removed from Site 13 (45-FE-13), in Ferry County, WA. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    Human remains representing a minimum of one individual were removed 
from Site 21 (45-FE?-21, an unknown area, but most likely in Ferry 
County, WA. No known individual was identified. No associated funerary 
objects are present.
    Human remains representing a minimum of 27 individuals were removed 
from Site 24 (45-FE-24), in Ferry County, WA. No known individuals were 
identified. The 497 associated funerary objects are 2 arrow shaft 
smoothers, 1 bone harpoon, 1 bone awl, 2 knives, 6 projectile points, 1 
string of copper bone beads, 100 dentalia (11 of which are dentalia 
beads), 1 clam shell disc bead, 7 rolled copper beads, 1 hand maul, 4 
bear penis bones, 2 gravers, 13 perforated elk teeth, 1 abalone gorget, 
6 copper pendants, 5 worked bone fragments, 1 copper bracelet, 1 
rectangular perforated copper plate, 52 olivellae, 2 antler digging 
sticks, 270 glass beads, 1 shell bead, 14 sets of wooden burial marker 
sacks and 3 sets of ``fill-over burial'' sacks.
    Human remains representing a minimum of three individuals were 
removed from Site 31 (45-ST-31), one-quarter of a mile above the 
Gifford-Inchelium ferry landing, in Stevens County, WA. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    Extensive historic documentation--original maps, journal entries, 
field notes, newspaper articles, professional journal publications, and 
Archaeology of the Upper Columbia Region, published by Donald Collier, 
Alfred E. Hudson, and Arlo Ford in 1942, and detailing their findings 
of the original excavation--and documented burial practices, associated 
funerary object typology (both pre and post-contact), and three in-
depth osteological studies, all confirm that the human remains are 
Native American.
    Based on the geographic location of the sites, the anthropological 
analyses of the human remains, such as dental attrition and cranial 
deformation, and structural remnants found at the sites (pit and earth 
ovens), it is determined that the human remains and associated funerary 
objects are representative of Plateau Native Culture. The seven sites 
fall within the traditional aboriginal territory of the bands of 
Indians (Wenatchee, Nespelem, Moses-Columbia, Colville, Okanagan, 
Palus, San Poil, Entiat, Chelan, Lake, and Chief Joseph's Band of the 
Nez Perce) that now comprise the Confederated Tribes of the Colville 
Indian Reservation, Washington, who were confederated in 1872. Further, 
the types of burial practices (i.e. pit inhumations and talus slopes) 
and funerary objects (including large amounts of copper), tribal oral 
tradition, and extensive historic documentation of the original 
excavation, all show that the human remains and associated funerary 
objects have direct ancestral ties to the bands of Indians that are now 
represented by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian 
Reservation, Washington.
    Officials of the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture have determined 
that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described above 
represent the physical remains of 61 individuals of Native American 
ancestry. Officials of the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture also have 
determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the 568 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 Northwest Museum 
of Arts & Culture 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 of the Colville Indian 
Reservation, Washington.
    Representatives of any other Indian tribe that believes itself to 
be culturally affiliated with the human remains and associated funerary 
objects should contact Mr. Michael Holloman, Northwest Museum of Arts & 
Culture, 2316 West First Ave., Spokane, WA 99201, telephone (509) 363-
5337, before October 25, 2010. Repatriation of the human remains and 
associated funerary objects to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville 
Indian Reservation, Washington, may proceed after that date if no 
additional claimants come forward.
    The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture is responsible for notifying 
the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation, Washington, 
that this notice has been published.

    Dated: September 10, 2010.
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2010-23926 Filed 9-23-10; 8:45 am]
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