[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 11 (Thursday, January 16, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2867-2868]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00750]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-14569; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: California State University, 
Fullerton, CA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The California State University, Fullerton, has completed an 
inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects, in 
consultation with the appropriate Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian 
organizations, and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation 
between the human remains and associated funerary objects and present-
day Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. Lineal descendants 
or representatives of any Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian organization 
not identified in this notice that wish to request transfer of control 
of these human remains and associated funerary objects should submit a 
written request to the California State University, Fullerton. If no 
additional requestors come forward, transfer of control of the human 
remains and associated funerary objects to the lineal descendants, 
Indian tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations stated in this notice 
may proceed.

DATES: Lineal descendants or representatives of any Indian tribe or 
Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice that wish to 
request transfer of control of these human remains and associated 
funerary objects should submit a written request with information in 
support of the request to the California State University, Fullerton, 
at the address in this notice by February 18, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Dr. Mitchell Avila, California State University, Fullerton, 
P.O. Box 6850, Fullerton, CA 92834-6850, telephone (657) 278-3528, 
email [email protected].

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 under the control of the California State 
University, Fullerton. The human remains and associated funerary 
objects were removed from Inyo County, CA.
    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 
California State University, Fullerton, professional staff in 
consultation with representatives of Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens 
Valley (previously listed as the Big Pine Band of Owens Valley Paiute 
Shoshone Indians of the Big Pine Reservation, California); Bishop 
Paiute Tribe (previously listed as the Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the 
Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony, California); Death Valley Timbi-
sha Shoshone Tribe (previously listed as the Death Valley Timbi-Sha 
Shoshone Band of California); Fort Independence Indian Community of 
Paiute Indians of the Fort Independence Reservation, California; Lone 
Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe (previously listed as the Paiute-Shoshone 
Indians of the Lone Pine

[[Page 2868]]

Community of the Lone Pine Reservation, California); and the Kern 
Valley Indian Council, a non-Federally recognized Indian group.

History and Description of the Remains

    In 1966, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from an undesignated site in Inyo County, CA. The human 
remains were reportedly excavated and collected from a small cave in 
the vicinity of Fossil Falls in the Little Lake lava flow by Mr. W. 
Riffle, Mr. M. Purkiss, and two other, unnamed, individuals. The 
excavation and collection was not archeological. The exact burial site 
location is unidentifiable, but was most probably private land. The 
human remains were reportedly in Purkiss' possession until he donated 
the remains to California State University, Fullerton, in 1973. The 
human remains are a partial skeleton, including cranial and a few post-
cranial bones, of a female, age 20-30, with significant teeth wear. No 
known individuals were identified. The three associated funerary 
objects are three small pottery fragments.
    The Little Lake lava flow contains numerous archeological sites and 
petroglyphs which archeological investigations have identified as 
prehistoric in age. The three pottery fragments are archeologically 
consistent with the late prehistoric Intermountain Brownware pottery of 
the region. During consultation, Ms. Irene Button, Tribal Elder, Lone 
Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, suggested that the pottery fragments may 
have been placed to cover the face of the deceased. The skeletal 
morphology is osteologically consistent with that of Native Americans. 
The teeth wear is anthropologically consistent with habitual practice 
of the traditional Paiute and Shoshone method of preparing plant 
material for basket weaving by mastication. The burial site is located 
within the traditional territory of the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe 
(previously listed as the Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Lone Pine 
Community of the Lone Pine Reservation, California) whose members are, 
based on oral tradition, historic, and ethnographic evidence, 
descendants of the prehistoric Owens Valley Paiute and Western Shoshone 
population of the burial site area.

Determinations Made by the California State University, Fullerton

    Officials of the California State University, Fullerton, have 
determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of one individual of 
Native American ancestry.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the three objects 
described in this notice 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 and associated funerary objects and the Lone 
Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe (previously listed as the Paiute-Shoshone 
Indians of the Lone Pine Community of the Lone Pine Reservation, 
California).

Additional Requestors and Disposition

    Lineal descendants or representatives of any Indian tribe or Native 
Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice that wish to 
request transfer of control of these human remains and associated 
funerary objects should submit a written request with information in 
support of the request to Dr. Mitchell Avila, California State 
University, Fullerton, P.O. Box 6850, Fullerton, CA 92834-6850, 
telephone (657) 278-3528, email [email protected], by 
February 18, 2014. After that date, if no additional requestors have 
come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and associated 
funerary objects to the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe (previously 
listed as the Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Lone Pine Community of the 
Lone Pine Reservation, California) may proceed.
    The California State University, Fullerton, is responsible for 
notifying the Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley (previously 
listed as the Big Pine Band of Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Indians of 
the Big Pine Reservation, California); Bishop Paiute Tribe (previously 
listed as the Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the 
Bishop Colony, California); Death Valley Timbi-sha Shoshone Tribe 
(previously listed as the Death Valley Timbi-Sha Shoshone Band of 
California); Fort Independence Indian Community of Paiute Indians of 
the Fort Independence Reservation, California; Lone Pine Paiute-
Shoshone Tribe (previously listed as the Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the 
Lone Pine Community of the Lone Pine Reservation, California); and the 
Kern Valley Indian Council, a non-Federally recognized Indian group 
that this notice has been published.

    Dated: November 25, 2013.
David Tarler,
Acting Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2014-00750 Filed 1-15-14; 8:45 am]
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