[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 180 (Monday, September 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57113-57114]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-22751]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-11058; 2200-1100-665]


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
Forest Service, Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest and Pawnee 
National Grasslands, Fort Collins, CO

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, 
Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest and the Pawnee National Grassland 
(ARP) 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 ARP. Disposition of the human remains and 
associated funerary objects to the Indian tribes described 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 ARP at 
the address below by October 17, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Sue Struthers, Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest and 
Pawnee National Grasslands, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building E, Fort 
Collins, CO 80526, telephone (970) 295-6622.

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 located at the University of Colorado 
Museum, Boulder, Colorado, and under the control of the USDA, Forest 
Service, ARP. The human remains and associated funerary objects 
described below were removed from Larimer County, CO.
    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 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

    On May 16th and 17th, 2007, an initial assessment of the human 
remains was made by the ARP professional staff and the University of 
Colorado Natural History Museum, Boulder, CO, professional staff in 
consultation with representatives of the following tribes: Arapaho 
Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming; Cheyenne and Arapaho 
Tribes, Oklahoma (foremerly the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma); 
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Reservation, South 
Dakota; Crow Tribe of Montana; Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma; 
Jicarilla Apache Nation, New Mexico; Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma; 
Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, 
Montana; Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma; Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the 
Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado; Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort 
Berthold Reservation, North Dakota; Ute Indian Tribe of Uintah & Ouray 
Reservation, Utah; and the Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute Mountain 
Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico & Utah. A second consultation meeting 
was held May 2nd and 3rd, 2012, with representatives of the Arapaho 
Tribe of theWind River Reservation, Wyoming; Northern Cheyenne Tribe of 
the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana; and the Southern Ute 
Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado.

History and Description of the Remains

    In August of 1963, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from the Gordon Creek burial site (5LR99), in 
Larimer County, CO. The remains were discovered during the course of a 
watershed improvement project in the Gordon Creek drainage eroding out 
of a stream bank on a tributary of Gordon Creek within the Arapaho and 
Roosevelt National Forest. Excavation was conducted by the Department 
of Anthropology, University of Colorado, with the approval of the USDA, 
Forest Service. After the excavation concluded, the human remains and 
the associated funerary objects were sent to the University of Colorado 
Natural History Museum. No known individuals were identified. The 24 
associated funerary objects are 1 stone tool core; 1 stone biface 
perform tool; 1 stone perform tool; 2 stone biface tool fragments; 7 
stone tool flakes; 1 sample of ochre (hematite); 2 animal bones (large 
mammal hyoid bones with cut marks on the ends); 4 elk incisor teeth; 1 
burnt animal bone; 1 soil sample from burial pit; 1 soil sample labeled 
``attempted C14 sample''; 1 carbonized sap specimen; and 1 lot of 
residue from C14 testing.
    Although the human remains were fragmentary, some of the skeleton 
and associated artifacts were removed from a slump below the burial pit 
and some of the skeleton was in situ, all of the skeletal remains were 
stained with a thick coat of red ocher. The remains were interred in a 
flexed position, in an intentionally formed burial pit. Subsequent 
analysis determined that the remains are those of a 25-30 year old 
American Indian (paleoindian) female and that the burial dates to 
approximately 9,000 year B.P. The Gordon Creek burial site is located 
on lands adjudicated by the Indian Claims Commission as the aboriginal 
lands of the Northern Cheyenne, Cheyenne and Arapaho, and Northern 
Arapaho tribes.

Determinations Made by the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest and 
Pawnee National Grasslands

    Officials of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest and Pawnee 
Grasslands have determined that:
     Based on archaeological evidence 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 
associated funerary objects were removed is the aboriginal land of the 
Arapaho Tribe of theWind River Reservation, Wyoming; Cheyenne and 
Arapaho Tribes, Oklahoma (formerly the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of 
Oklahoma); and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne 
Indian Reservation, Montana.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of one

[[Page 57114]]

(1) individual of Native American ancestry.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the 24 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.
     Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1), the disposition of the 
human remains and associated funerary objects is to the Northern 
Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana.

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 Sue Struthers, Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest and Pawnee 
National Grasslands, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building E, Fort Collins, CO 
80526, telephone (970) 295-6622, before October 17, 2012. Disposition 
of the human remains to Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern 
Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana, may proceed after that date if no 
additional requestors come forward.
    The Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest and Pawnee National 
Grasslands is responsible for notifying the Arapaho Tribe of the Wind 
River Reservation, Wyoming; Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Oklahoma 
(foremerly the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma); Cheyenne River 
Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Reservation, South Dakota; Crow Tribe 
of Montana; Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma; Jicarilla Apache 
Nation, New Mexico; Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma; Northern Cheyenne 
Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana; Pawnee 
Nation of Oklahoma; Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute 
Reservation, Colorado; Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold 
Reservation, North Dakota; Ute Indian Tribe of Uintah & Ouray 
Reservation, Utah; and the Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute Mountain 
Reservation, Dolorado, New Mexico & Utah that this notice has been 
published.

    Dated: August 9, 2012.
Melanie O'Brien,
Acting Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2012-22751 Filed 9-14-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-50-P