[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 196 (Tuesday, October 11, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 62842]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-26158]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[2253-665]


Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and 
Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard 
University has completed an inventory of human remains, in consultation 
with the appropriate Indian tribes, and has determined that there is a 
cultural affiliation between the human remains and present-day Indian 
tribes. Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be 
culturally affiliated with the human remains may contact the Peabody 
Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. Repatriation 
of the human remains to the Indian tribes stated below may occur if no 
additional claimants come forward.

DATES: Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes it has a 
cultural affiliation with the human remains should contact the Peabody 
Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University at the address 
below by November 10, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Patricia Capone, Repatriation Coordinator, Peabody Museum of 
Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Ave., 
Cambridge, MA 02138, telephone (617) 496-3702.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 
possession of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard 
University (Peabody Museum), Cambridge, MA. The human remains were 
removed from Cayuga County, NY.
    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.

Consultation

    A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by the Peabody 
Museum professional staff in consultation with representatives of the 
Cayuga Nation of New York; Oneida Nation of New York; Oneida Tribe of 
Indians of Wisconsin; Onondaga Nation of New York; Saint Regis Mohawk 
Tribe, New York; Seneca Nation of New York; Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of 
Oklahoma; Tonawanda Band of Seneca Indians of New York; and the 
Tuscarora Nation of New York (hereinafter ``The Tribes'').

History and Description of the Remains

    At an unknown date, human remains representing a minimum of two 
individuals were removed from Cayuga County, NY, by an unknown 
collector. In 1950 the remains were donated to the Peabody Museum by 
the Peabody Museum in Salem, MA (now the Peabody Essex Museum). No 
known individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    Museum documentation describes these individuals as ``Iroquois''. 
The designation ``Iroquois'' post-dates contact between Native American 
groups and Euro-American people in this area and suggests that the 
human remains date to the Historic period (post-A.D. 1540). The western 
portion of central New York, including Cayuga County, is the 
traditional heartland of the Cayuga Nation. Consultation with 
representatives of The Tribes indicates that Cayuga County, NY, was 
inhabited by members of the historic Cayuga Nation. However, The Tribes 
have requested that, due to a shared cultural identity among all 
Iroquois Nations, the remains be affiliated and repatriated 
collectively to The Tribes.

Determinations Made by the Peabody Museum

    Officials of the Peabody Museum have determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of two individuals of 
Native American ancestry.
     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 The Tribes.

Additional Requestors and Disposition

    Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be 
culturally affiliated with the human remains should contact Patricia 
Capone, Repatriation Coordinator, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and 
Ethnology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138, 
telephone (617) 496-3702, before November 10, 2011. Repatriation of the 
human remains to The Tribes may proceed after that date if no 
additional claimants come forward.
    The Peabody Museum is responsible for notifying The Tribes that 
this notice has been published.

    Dated: October 3, 2011.
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2011-26158 Filed 10-7-11; 8:45 am]
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