[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 107 (Monday, June 4, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32986-32989]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-13460]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-10216; 2200-1100-665]


Notice of Inventory Completion: The University of Alabama 
Museums, Tuscaloosa, AL

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The University of Alabama Museums has completed an inventory 
of human remains and associated funerary objects in consultation with 
the appropriate Indian tribes, and has

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determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human 
remains and associated funerary objects and present-day Indian tribes. 
Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be 
culturally affiliated with the human remains and associated funerary 
objects may contact the museums. Repatriation of the human remains and 
associated funerary objects 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 and associated funerary 
objects should contact the University of Alabama Museums at the address 
below by July 5, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Dr. Robert Clouse, Executive Director, University of Alabama 
Museums, Box 870340, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, telephone (205) 348-7552.

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 and 
associated funerary objects in the possession of the University of 
Alabama Museums. The human remains and associated funerary objects were 
removed from the eight sites in Talladega, St. Clair, Cherokee, and 
Etowah counties in Alabama.
    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.

Consultation

    A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by the 
University of Alabama Museums professional staff in consultation with 
representatives of the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town, Oklahoma; 
Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma; Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma; Choctaw Nation 
of Oklahoma; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina; 
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Mississippi; Muscogee (Creek) 
Nation, Oklahoma; Poarch Band of Creek Indians of Alabama; Seminole 
Nation of Oklahoma; Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, Oklahoma; and the United 
Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.

History and Description of the Remains

    In September 1969, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual (HRID 4473) were removed from the Williams site (1Ta200), in 
Talladega County, AL. The remains were exposed by a landowner 
bulldozing a road through a cotton field. University of Alabama 
professional staff removed the remains, which have since been curated 
at the University of Alabama Museums. No known individuals were 
identified. No associated funerary objects were documented as being 
present.
    The mortuary practices exhibited by this burial are consistent with 
known aboriginal practices. Pottery sherds from the site are 
attributable to the McKee Island and Childersburg series. The remains 
date to the 18th century and are associated historically with the 
Coosa-Abhika division of Creek towns. No artifacts of European 
manufacture were observed.
    In 1948, human remains representing, at minimum, 13 individuals 
were removed from the Childersburg site, (1Ta1), in Talladega County, 
AL. These remains include skeletons 1-12 (HRID 3636-3647) as well as 
other human remains from the excavation of Unit 2 (HRID 4468). The 
Childersburg site was excavated by the Alabama Museum of Natural 
History to test the assertion by the United States De Soto Commission 
that this was the town of Coosa visited by De Soto. The remains and 
associated funerary objects have been curated at the University of 
Alabama since excavation. No known individuals were identified. The 58 
associated funerary objects documented are 4 brass buckles/keepers, 1 
lot of over 70 brass buttons, 1 lot of over 44 brass cones, 1 brass 
cylinder, 1 brass ring, 3 brass wire bracelets, 7 unidentified brass 
fragments, 1 copper and wood earring, 1 lot of more than 2,032 glass 
beads, 1 lot of more than 17 shell beads, 1 unidentified bead, 1 gun 
lock, 1 gun butt plate, 1 gun stock, 2 gun barrels, 1 brass ramrod 
support, 8 musket balls, 2 iron buckles, 1 iron handle, 1 iron hasp, 2 
iron knife blades, 2 iron nails, 1 silver wire ring, 2 trade pipes, 1 
lot of wood fragments with red paint, 1 aboriginal ceramic pipe, 1 
pottery vessel fragment, 1 quartz crystal, 1 projectile point, 1 
chipped scraper, 1 animal scapula hoe, 1 unmodified animal tooth, 1 
unmodified deer scapula, 1 lot of charred nutshells, and 1 lot of 
unmodified quartz pebbles. The objects are fragmentary or lack complete 
data in the records. Some objects that appear in the inventory have not 
been found in the collections. These objects are 1 brass button, 1 
brass cylinder, 3 unidentified brass fragments, 1 unidentified bead, 2 
glass beads, 1 gun flint, 1 iron knife blade, 1 iron nail, 1 musket 
ball, 1 projectile point, 1 animal scapula hoe, 1 unmodified animal 
tooth, 1 unmodified deer scapula, 1 lot of charred nut shells, and 1 
lot of unmodified quartz pebbles could not be located in the 
collections. Of the total collection, 40 associated funerary objects 
have been located and are available for repatriation.
    The mortuary practices exhibited at Childersburg are consistent 
with known aboriginal practices. Pottery sherds from the site are 
attributable to the McKee Island and Childersburg series. This human 
remains and associated funerary objects date to the 18th century and 
are associated historically with the Coosa-Abhika division of Creek 
towns. The associated European goods are consistent with this date.
    In 1962, human remains representing, at minimum, 18 individuals 
were removed from the Woods Island site (1Sc40), in St. Clair County, 
AL. These remains include Burials 1-5, 8, 10-11, 13, 15-16, 24, 25, 33, 
39-41, 44, and 46 (HRID 3649-3659, 3662, 3664, and 3667-3671). The 
Woods Island site was excavated by the University of Alabama under 
contract with Alabama Power Company during the construction of Lock 3 
Reservoir, now H. Neeley Henry Lake. The site was encountered by 
construction crews during clearing for construction of Lock 3 Dam, 
which would be positioned across the island. The remains and associated 
funerary objects have been curated at the University of Alabama since 
excavation. No known individuals were identified. The 101 associated 
funerary objects documented include 1 lot of brass arm bands, 1 lot of 
brass beads, 19 brass bells, 1 lot of more than 40 brass bracelets, 1 
lot of brass collars, 1 lot of about 27 brass cones, 3 brass disks, 1 
brass spoon, 1 brass sword hilt and handle, 1 brass wrist band, 5 
fragments of sheet brass, 1 chert abrader, 8 chert bifaces, 1 chert 
flake, 2 chert hammerstones, 15 chert projectile points, 1 chert 
scraper, 1 fragment of fabric with brass beads, 1 lot of about 26,000 
glass beads, 1 glass biface, 1 unidentified gorget, 1 ground hematite, 
7 gun flints, 1 iron axe, 1 iron buckle, 2 iron harpoons, 2 iron hoes, 
6 iron knives, 3 iron nails, 1 iron pin, 2 iron scissors, 1 lead bead, 
1 lot of ochre, 1 lot of pottery vessels, 1 quartzite anvilstone, 1 lot 
of silver buttons, 2 steatite pipes, and 1 trade pipe. The objects are 
fragmentary or lack complete data in the records. Some objects that 
appear in the inventory have not been

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found in the collections. These objects are 1 brass bell, 2 brass 
bracelets, 1 iron buckle, 1 iron hoe, 1 iron nail, 1 iron pin, 1 lot of 
ocher, and 1 unidentified gorget. Of the total collection, 92 
associated funerary objects have been located and are available for 
repatriation.
    The mortuary practices exhibited at Woods Island are consistent 
with known aboriginal practices. Pottery sherds from the site are 
attributable to the McKee Island series. The Woods Island ceramic 
assemblage dates to the period of the late 17th to the early 18th 
century. This site is considered to be directly related to the 
Childersburg series, which is associated historically with the 18th 
century Coosa-Abhika division of Creek towns. The associated European 
goods are consistent with this date.
    In 1958, human remains representing, at minimum, 12 individuals 
were removed from the Bradford Ferry site, (1Ce73), in Cherokee County, 
AL. The remains were removed from nine known burials and three other 
locations (HRID 4453-4462, 4495-4496). The site was excavated by the 
University of Alabama under contract with the Alabama Power Company, 
Birmingham, AL. The excavations were conducted in conjunction with the 
creation of Weiss Lake, which would inundate the site. The remains and 
associated objects have been curated at the University of Alabama since 
excavation. No known individuals were identified. The 15 associated 
funerary objects documented as having been removed from the nine 
burials are 1 boat stone, 3 brass disks, 1 brass ear plug, 1 lot of 
brass and glass beads, 1 lot of glass beads, 2 iron objects (possible 
knife blade and breach plate), 2 chert projectile points, 1 lot of 
chert projectile points, 1 charred wooden object, 1 lot of pottery 
sherds, and 1 lot of ocher. One object that appears in the inventory 
has not been found in the collections. The object is the lot of chert 
projectile points. Of the total collection, 14 associated funerary 
objects have been located and are available for repatriation.
    The mortuary practices exhibited at the Bradford Ferry site are 
consistent with known aboriginal practices. Pottery sherds from the 
site are attributable to the Weiss-area McKee Island series. The 
Bradford Ferry site ceramic assemblage is dated to the early 17th 
century. The associated European goods are consistent with this date. 
This site is considered to be directly ancestral to Childersburg, which 
is historically associated with the 18th century Coosa-Abhika division 
of Creek towns.
    In 1959, human remains representing, at minimum, six individuals 
(HRID 4463, 4493-4494, 4555-4556, 4559) were removed from the Seven 
Springs site, (1Ce101), in Cherokee County, AL. The site was excavated 
by the University of Alabama under contract with the Alabama Power 
Company, Birmingham, AL. The excavations were conducted in conjunction 
with the creation of Weiss Lake, which would inundate the site. The 
remains and associated objects have been curated at the University of 
Alabama since excavation. No known individuals were identified. The 11 
associated funerary objects documented are 1 stone bead, 1 stone 
projectile point, 1 unidentified projectile point, 6 pottery sherds, 1 
bone awl, and 1 turtle shell. Some objects that appear in the inventory 
have not been found in the collections. These objects are the stone 
bead and unidentified projectile point. Of the total collection, nine 
associated funerary objects have been located and are available for 
repatriation.
    The mortuary practices exhibited at the Seven Springs site are 
consistent with known aboriginal practices. Pottery sherds from the 
site are attributable to the Weiss-area McKee Island series. The Seven 
Springs site ceramic assemblage dates to the early 17th century. The 
European goods found elsewhere on the site are consistent with this 
date. This site is considered to be directly related to the 
Childersburg series, which is historically associated with the 18th 
century Coosa-Abhika division of Creek towns.
    In 1947, human remains representing, at minimum, five individuals 
(HRID 3806-3809, 4805) were removed from the Milner site, (1Et1), in 
Etowah County, AL. In the spring of 1947, Mr. L. O. Milner of the Huff 
Sand and Coal Company reported that burials were being uncovered by 
heavy equipment. Personnel from the University of Alabama visited the 
site for two days in May and two days in August. During that time, four 
sets of remains were excavated. Mr. Milner provided a box of mixed 
remains and artifacts recovered by the steam shovel. Analysis of Mr. 
Milner's data and the excavations indicated that the human remains 
represent a minimum of five individuals. Many of the objects were 
subsequently returned to Mr. Milner and are in the possession of his 
heirs. The human remains and associated funerary objects have been 
curated at the University of Alabama since excavation. No known 
individuals were identified. The 67 associated funerary objects 
documented are 1 lot of glass beads, 2 brass arm bands, 8 brass bells 
with textile fragments attached, 1 brass collar, 4 brass cones, 1 iron 
ax, 1 iron knife, 2 iron pins, 3 stone pipes, 1 hammerstone, 1 abrading 
stone, 22 chert chunks, 3 chert flakes, 14 chert projectile points, 1 
lump of galena, 1 occurrence of ocher, and 1 pebble. There are no clear 
records of which associated funerary objects were returned to Mr. 
Milner or retained by the University. Some objects that appear in the 
inventory have not been found in the collections. These objects are 1 
lot of glass beads, 2 brass arm bands, 6 brass bells with textile 
fragments attached, 1 brass collar, 4 brass cones, 1 iron knife, 2 iron 
pins, 3 stone pipes, 1 hammerstone, 1 abrading stone, 22 chert chunks, 
3 chert flakes, 14 chert projectile points, 1 lump of galena, 1 
occurrence of ocher, and 1 pebble. Of the total collection, four 
associated funerary objects have been located and are available for 
repatriation.
    The mortuary practices exhibited at the Milner site are consistent 
with known aboriginal practices. Pottery sherds from the site are 
attributable to the McKee Island series. The Milner site ceramic 
assemblage dates to the mid 17th century. The associated European goods 
are consistent with this date. This site is considered to be directly 
related to the Childersburg series, which is historically associated 
with the 18th century Coosa-Abhika division of Creek towns.
    In 1959, human remains representing, at minimum, two individuals 
(HRID 4469 and 4547) were removed from the Hurley site, (1Ce137), in 
Cherokee County, AL. The site was excavated by the University of 
Florida in conjunction with the University of Alabama excavations under 
contract with the Alabama Power Company, Birmingham, AL. The 
excavations were conducted in conjunction with the creation of Weiss 
Lake, which would inundate the site. The remains and associated objects 
were apparently taken to the University of Florida for a period of time 
but they were returned to the University of Alabama, probably in the 
1960s. No known individuals were identified. The two associated 
funerary objects documented are 1 charred bark and 1 ocher. One object 
that appears in the inventory has not been found in the collections. 
The object is the ocher. Of the total collection, one associated 
funerary object has been located and is available for repatriation.
    The mortuary practices exhibited at the Hurley site are consistent 
with known aboriginal practices. No temporally diagnostic artifacts 
were found with the remains, but the main reported components at the 
site are

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Archaic and Protohistoric. These remains are presumed to be 
Protohistoric. Archeologists have associated the Hurley site with the 
other Weiss area historic sites. Occupation of these sites date to the 
early 17th century and are considered to be directly related to the 
Childersburg series, which is historically associated with the 18th 
century Coosa-Abhika division of Creek towns.
    In 1958, human remains representing, at minimum, two individuals 
(HRID 4549-4550) were removed from the Gilmore Spring site, (1Ce173), 
in Cherokee County, AL. The site was excavated by the University of 
Alabama under contract with the Alabama Power Company, Birmingham, AL. 
The excavations were conducted in conjunction with the creation of 
Weiss Lake, which would inundate the site. The remains and associated 
objects have been curated at the University of Alabama since 
excavation. No known individuals were identified. The one associated 
funerary object documented is 1 lot of undecorated shell tempered 
pottery sherds, described in the field notes as a ``broken pot'' which 
has been located and is available for repatriation.
    The mortuary practices exhibited at the Gilmore Spring site are 
consistent with known aboriginal practices. Pottery sherds from the 
site are attributable to the Weiss-area McKee Island series. The 
Gilmore Spring site ceramic assemblage dates to the early 17th century. 
This site is considered to be directly related to the Childersburg 
series, which is historically associated with the 18th century Coosa-
Abhika division of Creek towns.

Determinations Made by the University of Alabama Museums

    Officials of the University of Alabama Museums have determined 
that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of 59 individuals of 
Native American ancestry.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the 161 objects 
described above that are accounted for in the collections 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.
     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 to the Alabama-Coushatta Tribes of Texas; 
Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town, Oklahoma; Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of 
Florida; Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Oklahoma; Poarch Band of Creek 
Indians of Alabama; Seminole Nation of Oklahoma; Seminole Tribe of 
Florida (Dania, Big Cypress, Brighton, Hollywood & Tampa Reservations); 
and the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, Oklahoma (hereafter referred to as 
``The Tribes'').

Additional Requestors and Disposition

    Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be 
culturally affiliated with the human remains and associated funerary 
objects should contact Dr. Robert Clouse, Executive Director, 
University of Alabama Museums, Box 870340, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, 
telephone (205) 348-7552, before July 5, 2012. Repatriation of the 
human remains and associated funerary objects to The Tribes may proceed 
after that date if no additional claimants come forward.
    The University of Alabama Museums is responsible for notifying The 
Tribes and the Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma; Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma; 
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North 
Carolina; Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Mississippi; and the 
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma that this notice 
has been published.

    Dated: May 30, 2012.
Sherry Hutt,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2012-13460 Filed 6-1-12; 8:45 am]
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