[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 221 (Monday, November 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68474-68476]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-27144]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-16959; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: Department of Anthropology and 
Sociology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Anthropology and Sociology at the University 
of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, has completed an inventory of 
human remains, 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 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 should submit a written request to the Department 
of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of Southern 
Mississippi,

[[Page 68475]]

Hattiesburg. If no additional requestors come forward, transfer of 
control of the human remains 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 should submit a 
written request with information in support of the request to the 
Department of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of Southern 
Mississippi, Hattiesburg, at the address in this notice by December 17, 
2014.

ADDRESSES: Marie Elaine Danforth, Professor, Department of Anthropology 
and Sociology, University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Dr. 
#5074, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001, telephone (601) 266-4306, 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 under 
the control of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at the 
University of Southern Mississippii, Hattiesburg.
    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 
Department of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of Southern 
Mississippi professional staff in consultation with representatives of 
the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana; Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; 
The Chickasaw Nation; The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; and the 
Thlopthlocco Tribal Town. The following tribes were invited to consult 
but did not participate: Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; 
Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas (previously listed as the Alabama-
Coushatta Tribes of Texas); Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town; Caddo Nation 
of Oklahoma; Catawba Indian Nation (aka Catawba Tribe of South 
Carolina); Cherokee Nation; Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana; Eastern Band 
of the Cherokee Indians; Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma; Jena Band 
of Choctaw Indians; Kialegge Tribal Town; Miccosukee Tribe of Indians; 
Poarch Band of Creeks (previously listed as the Poarch Band of Creek 
Indians of Alabama); Seminole Tribe of Florida (previously listed as 
the Seminole Tribe of Florida (Dania, Big Cypress, Brighton, Hollywood 
& Tampa Reservations); Shawnee Tribe; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; The 
Quapaw Tribe of Indians; The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma; Tunica-Biloxi 
Indian Tribe; and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in 
Oklahoma.

History and Description of the Remains

    In the mid-1980s, human remains representing, at minimum, three 
individuals were removed from the Taneksanya site (22JA504) in Jackson 
County, MS, under the direction of local archeologist Dale Greenwell. 
Several burials were removed in situ in a soil block and given to the 
Frazier Museum of Natural History at the University of Southern 
Mississippi. In the early 1990s, curation of the human remains was 
transferred to the Department of Anthropology and Sociology. At that 
point, they were removed from the soil block and underwent bio-
archaeological analysis. The human remains were bundle burials and had 
no associated grave goods. Two individuals, a young adult female and a 
young adult male, were somewhat commingled; a third individual, a 
middle adult male, was apparently buried separately. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present. The site likely dates to the Early Woodland period.
    Sometime before 1988, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from the Shirley site (22JA520), Jackson 
County, MS, under the direction of local archeologist Dale Greenwell. A 
student who was involved in the excavation donated the remains to the 
University of Southern Mississippi. The human remains represent the 
essentially complete skeleton of a young to middle adult male. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present. According to information on record at the Mississippi 
Department of Archives and History, the site dates to the Mississippian 
period.
    Between 2008 and 2012, human remains representing, at minimum, five 
individuals were removed from a beach on Greenwood Island, in Jackson 
County, MS. The excavation, conducted under the direction of Marie 
Danforth at the University of Southern Mississippi, was part of a 
project to recover four Mexican War soldiers whose coffins were found 
washing out in the tidal zone. The human remains are believed to have 
eroded out of a Middle Woodland site (22JA516) located just south of 
the 19th century cemetery. The human remains include eight femoral 
diaphyses, two humeral diaphyses, two tibial diaphyses, and fragments 
of mandible, cranium, teeth, clavicle, ulna, foot, vertebrae, scapula 
and unidentified long bone, all belonging to adults. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present. The site dates to the Middle Woodland period.
    Sometime between 1980 and 2006, human remains representing, at 
minimum, five individuals were removed from Deer Island (22HR500), in 
Harrison County, MS. In the mid-1980s, a partial adult femur was 
recovered during surface collection by archeologist Baxter Mann. In 
2006, additional human remains were recovered by archeologist Tony 
Boudreaux, also during surface collection. Elements included two right 
femoral diaphyses, neither of which matched the femur found earlier. In 
May 2014, the University of Southern Mississippi received additional 
human remains that had been recovered from the site by a local 
collector in the 1980s. Elements included two individuals, one a female 
represented by a skull, vertebrae, ribs, arms, and pelvis, and an adult 
of indeterminate sex represented by a tibia fragment and mandible. No 
known individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    At an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from an unknown location, likely from Pinola, 
Simpson County, MS. The human remains were recovered from an estate 
sale for Dr. Alan in Pascagoula, MS, in 2010; a local resident donated 
the remains to the University of Southern Mississippi. The human 
remains were most likely recovered from Dr. Alan's property in Pinola, 
Simpson County, MS. The human remains included a femur, tibia, ulna, 
ilium, and rib, and are consistent with belonging to an adult male. No 
known individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    In the early 1980s, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from site 22 KE511 in Kemper County, MS, by 
archeologists John Blitz and Jerry Voss of the University of Southern 
Mississippi during a survey of Choctaw sites. A small number of human 
remains were recovered from the surface and were sent for curation at 
the Department of Anthropology and Sociology. The highly fragmentary 
remains include

[[Page 68476]]

cranium, one tooth, femur, ulna, tibia, innominate, patella, hand, and 
unidentified bone. No known individuals were identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present. Ceramic sherds recovered from the site 
date the human remains to the protohistoric period.
    At an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, seven 
individuals were removed from Smith Creek site (22WK526) in Wilkinson 
County, MS, by an avocational archeologist. In 2012, the human remains 
were discovered in the avocational archeologist's belongings. The human 
remains include a maxilla and mandible from a 6-10 year old juvenile; a 
humerus from a 2-3 year old juvenile; a femur from an infant; a cranium 
and partial postcranium of a young adult probable female; partial 
crania, representing one adult male, one adult probable male, and one 
adult of indeterminate sex; and postcranial elements including maxilla, 
mandible, ilium, ribs, and vertebrae. No known individuals were 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. Ceramic sherds 
recovered from the site date the human remains to the Late Woodland 
period.
    Based on geographical, archeological, historical, and other 
information, there is a shared group identity between these human 
remains and the Choctaw tribes.

Determinations Made by the University of Southern Mississippi

    Officials of the University of Southern Mississippi have determined 
that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of at least 23 
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 Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and 
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

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 should submit a 
written request with information in support of the request to Marie 
Elaine Danforth, Professor, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, 
University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Dr. #5074, Hattiesburg, 
MS 39406-0001, telephone (601) 266-4306, email [email protected], by 
December 17, 2014. After that date, if no additional requestors have 
come forward, transfer of control of the human remains to the 
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma 
may proceed.
    The University of Southern Mississippi is responsible for notifying 
the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana; Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; 
The Chickasaw Nation; The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; and the 
Thlopthlocco Tribal Town that this notice has been published.

Melanie O'Brien,
Acting Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2014-27144 Filed 11-14-14; 8:45 am]
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