[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 149 (Thursday, August 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46117-46118]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-18924]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-10823; 2200-1100-665]


Notice of Inventory Completion: Thomas Burke Memorial Washington 
State Museum, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Thomas Burke Memorial Washington State Museum (Burke 
Museum) has completed an inventory of human remains and associated 
funerary objects, in consultation with the appropriate Indian tribes, 
and has determined that there is no cultural affiliation between the 
remains and any present-day Indian tribe. Representatives of any Indian 
tribe that believes itself to be culturally affiliated with the human 
remains may contact the Burke Museum. Disposition of the human remains 
and the associated funerary object to the Indian tribes stated below 
may occur if no additional requestors come forward.

DATES: Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes it has a 
cultural affiliation with the human remains should contact the Burke 
Museum at the address below by September 4, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Peter Lape, Burke Museum, University of Washington, Box 
353010, Seattle, WA 98195-3010, telephone (206) 685-3849.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby 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 object in the possession of the Burke Museum. The 
human remains and associated funerary object were removed from an 
unknown location, most likely in the state of Washington.
    This notice is published as part of the National Park Service's 
administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25 U.S.C. 3003(d)(3) and 
43 CFR 10.11(d). 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 Burke 
Museum professional staff in consultation with representatives of the 
Coeur D'Alene Tribe of the Coeur D'Alene Reservation, Idaho; 
Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Washington; 
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Washington; 
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation, Oregon; Confederated 
Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon; Cowlitz Indian Tribe, 
Washington; Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe of Washington; Kalispel Indian 
Community of the Kalispel Reservation, Washington; Lower Elwha Tribal 
Community of the Lower Elwha Reservation, Washington; Lummi Tribe of 
the Lummi Reservation, Washington; Makah Indian Tribe of the Makah 
Indian Reservation, Washington; Muckleshoot Indian Tribe of the 
Muckleshoot Reservation, Washington; Nez Perce Tribe, Idaho (previously 
listed as Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho); Nooksack Indian Tribe of 
Washington; Port Gamble Indian Community of the Port Gamble 
Reservation, Washington; Puyallup Tribe of the Puyallup Reservation, 
Washington; Samish Indian Tribe, Washington; Skokomish Indian Tribe of 
the Skokomish Reservation, Washington; Snoqualmie Tribe, Washington; 
Spokane Tribe of the Spokane Reservation, Washington; Squaxin Island 
Tribe of the Squaxin Island Reservation, Washington; Stillaguamish 
Tribe of Washington; Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port Madison 
Reservation, Washington; Swinomish Indians of the Swinomish 
Reservation, Washington; and the Wanapum Band of Priest Rapids, a non-
Federally recognized Indian group. The following tribes with aboriginal 
territory in the state of Washington were also invited to participate 
but were not involved in consultations: the Confederated Tribes of the 
Chehalis Reservation, Washington; Hoh Indian Tribe of the Hoh Indian 
Reservation, Washington; Nisqually Indian Tribe of the Nisqually 
Reservation, Washington; Quileute Tribe of the Quileute Reservation, 
Washington; Quinault Tribe of the Quinault Reservation, Washington; 
Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe of Washington; Shoalwater Bay Tribe of the 
Shoalwater Bay Indian Reservation, Washington; Tulalip Tribes of the 
Tulalip Reservation, Washington; and the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe of 
Washington.

History and Description of the Remains

    At unknown dates, human remains representing, at minimum, 27 
individuals were removed from unknown sites throughout the state of 
Washington. There is limited or no provenience information for the 
human remains. Based on the fact that they were disassociated from any 
acquisition documentation, they were assigned ``found in collection'' 
accession numbers in 1973 and 1995. These human remains were 
crosschecked against the documentation for human remains known to have 
been missing, but did not match documentation for any specific 
collection. These human remains and the associated funerary object are 
most likely to have been removed from sites within the state of 
Washington. No known individuals were identified. The one associated 
funerary object is a composite artifact bag containing non-human mammal 
bones, shells, a rock, and two twigs.

Determinations Made by the Burke Museum

    Officials of the Burke Museum have determined that:
     Based on cranial morphology, dental traits, taphonomy, and 
museum accession documentation, the human remains are Native American.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), a relationship of shared 
group identity cannot be reasonably traced between the Native American 
human remains and any present-day Indian tribe.
     According to final judgments of the Indian Claims 
Commission, the land from which the Native American human remains and 
the associated funerary object were removed is the aboriginal land of 
the Coeur D'Alene Tribe of the Coeur D'Alene Reservation, Idaho; 
Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Washington; 
Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, Washington; 
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Washington; 
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation, Oregon; Cowlitz Indian 
Tribe, Washington; Hoh Indian Tribe of the Hoh Indian Reservation, 
Washington; Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe of Washington; Kalispel Indian 
Community of the Kalispel Reservation, Washington; Lower Elwha Tribal 
Community of the Lower Elwha Reservation, Washington; Lummi Tribe of 
the Lummi Reservation, Washington; Makah Indian Tribe of the Makah 
Indian Reservation, Washington; Muckleshoot Indian Tribe of the 
Muckleshoot Reservation, Washington; Nisqually Indian Tribe of the 
Nisqually Reservation, Washington; Nez Perce

[[Page 46118]]

Tribe, Idaho (previously listed as Nez Perce of Idaho); Nooksack Indian 
Tribe of Washington; Port Gamble Indian Community of the Port Gamble 
Reservation, Washington; Puyallup Tribe of the Puyallup Reservation, 
Washington; Quileute Tribe of the Quileute Reservation, Washington; 
Quinault Tribe of the Quinault Reservation, Washington; Samish Indian 
Tribe, Washington; Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe of Washington; Shoalwater 
Bay Tribe of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Reservation, Washington; 
Skokomish Indian Tribe of the Skokomish Reservation, Washington; 
Snoqualmie Tribe, Washington; Spokane Tribe of the Spokane Reservation, 
Washington; Squaxin Island Tribe of the Squaxin Island Reservation, 
Washington; Stillaguamish Tribe of Washington; Suquamish Indian Tribe 
of the Port Madison Reservation, Washington; Swinomish Indians of the 
Swinomish Reservation, Washington; Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip 
Reservation, Washington; and the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe of 
Washington (hereafter referred to as ``The Tribes'').
     Multiple lines of evidence, including treaties, Acts of 
Congress, and Executive Orders, indicate that the land from which the 
Native American human remains and the associated funerary object were 
removed is the aboriginal land of The Tribes.
     Other credible lines of evidence, indicate that the land 
from which the Native American human remains and the associated 
funerary object were removed is the aboriginal land of The Tribes; the 
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon; and the 
Wanapum Band of Priest Rapids, a non-Federally recognized Indian group.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of 27 individuals of 
Native American ancestry.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the one object described 
above is 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 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1), the disposition of the 
human remains is to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville 
Reservation, Washington; Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla 
Reservation, Oregon; Lummi Tribe of the Lummi Reservation, Washington; 
Nez Perce Tribe, Idaho (previously listed as Nez Perce of Idaho); 
Samish Indian Tribe, Washington; Spokane Tribe of the Spokane 
Reservation, Washington; Stillaguamish Tribe of Washington; Suquamish 
Indian Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation, Washington; and the 
Wanapum Band of Priest Rapids, a non-Federally recognized Indian group 
(which together, comprise the Washington State Inter-Tribal 
Consortium).
    The Washington State Inter-Tribal Consortium tribes have come 
together to claim the human remains and the associated funerary object 
jointly. The Coeur D'Alene Tribe of the Coeur D'Alene Reservation, 
Idaho; Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Washington; 
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon; 
Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe of Washington; Kalispel Indian Community of 
the Kalispel Reservation, Washington; Lower Elwha Tribal Community of 
the Lower Elwha Reservation, Washington; Nooksack Indian Tribe of 
Washington; Skokomish Indian Tribe of the Skokomish Reservation, 
Washington; and the Squaxin Island Tribe of the Squaxin Island 
Reservation, Washington, have stated their support for repatriation to 
the Washington State Inter-Tribal Consortium tribes.

Additional Requestors and Disposition

    Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be 
culturally affiliated with the human remains or any other Indian tribe 
that believes it satisfies the criteria in 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1) should 
contact Peter Lape, Burke Museum, University of Washington, Box 353010, 
Seattle, WA 98115, telephone (206) 685-3849, before September 4, 2012. 
Disposition of the human remains to the Washington State Inter-Tribal 
Consortium tribes may proceed after that date if no additional 
requestors come forward.
    The Burke Museum is responsible for notifying The Tribes; the 
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon; and the 
Wanapum Band of Priest Rapids, a non-Federally recognized Indian group 
that this notice has been published.

    Dated: July 11, 2012.
David Tarler,
Acting Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2012-18924 Filed 8-1-12; 8:45 am]
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