[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 50 (Monday, March 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13614-13615]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05996]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-17615; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of Defense, Army 
Corps of Engineers, Charleston District, Charleston, SC

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Defense, Army Corps of Engineers, 
Charleston District, 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 no cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated 
funerary objects and any present-day Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian 
organizations. 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 U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Charleston District. If no additional requestors come 
forward, transfer of control of the human remains and associated 
funerary objects to the Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations 
stated in this notice may proceed.

DATES: 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 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District at 
the address in this notice by April 15, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Mr. Alan Shirey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston 
District, ATTN: CESAC-PM-PL, 69A Hagood Ave., Charleston, SC 29403-
5107, telephone (843) 329-8166, email [email protected].

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

[[Page 13615]]

of human remains and associated funerary objects under the control of 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District. The human 
remains and funerary objects were removed from Berkeley County, SC.
    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 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 U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District professional staff in 
consultation with representatives the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians 
of Oklahoma; Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town; Catawba Indian Nation (aka 
Catawba Tribe of South Carolina); Cherokee Nation; Delaware Tribe of 
Indians; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; Eastern Shawnee Tribe of 
Oklahoma; Kialegee Tribal Town; Seminole Tribe of Florida (previously 
listed as the Seminole Tribe of Florida (Dania, Big Cypress, Brighton, 
Hollywood & Tampa Reservations)); Shawnee Tribe; The Chickasaw Nation; 
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; 
Thlopthlocco Tribal Town; Tuscarora Nation; and United Keetoowah Band 
of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.

History and Description of the Remains

    Between 1979 and 1981, human remains representing, at minimum, 59 
individuals were removed from the Swamp Site (38BK235), in Berkeley 
County, SC. The site was excavated by the South Carolina Institute of 
Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA) of Columbia, SC, prior to the 
construction of the Cooper River Rediversion Canal. Artifacts were 
stored at SCIAA and the osteological materials (human and animal 
remains) were sent to the University of Missouri, Columbia, for 
analysis. Following analysis, the osteological material was returned to 
SCIAA, which is the current location of the collection. No known 
individuals were identified. The 102,358 associated funerary objects 
are 3 beads, 267 ceramic sherds, 339 concretions, 96,899 faunal 
fragments, 60 fossils (shell and coral), 1,842 lithic flakes 
(orthoquartzite, chert, and quartz), 20 lithic tool fragments, 21 lots 
of faunal fragments, 95 lots of screened material, 25 organics (wood, 
seeds, and snail shell), 1 piece of groundstone, 2,431 pieces of 
miscellaneous stone/pebbles, 97 pieces of charcoal, and 258 pieces of 
ochre (red and yellow).

Determinations Made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston 
District

    Officials of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District 
have determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice are Native American based on the physical 
characteristics of the human remains, the method of interment, the 
objects associated with the interments, and the archaeological context 
of the site.
     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 102,358 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), a relationship of shared 
group identity cannot be reasonably traced between the Native American 
human remains and associated funerary objects and any present-day 
Indian tribe.
     The 1760 Treaty of Pine Tree Hill indicates that the land 
from which the Native American human remains and associated funerary 
objects were removed is aboriginal land of the Catawba Indian Nation 
(aka Catawba Tribe of South Carolina).
     Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1), the disposition of the 
human remains and associated funerary objects may be to the Catawba 
Indian Nation (aka Catawba Tribe of South Carolina).

Additional Requestors and Disposition

    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 Mr. Alan 
Shirey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District, ATTN: CESAC-
PM-PL, 69A Hagood Ave., Charleston, SC 29403-5107, telephone (843) 329-
8166, email [email protected], by April 15, 2015. After that 
date, if no additional requestors have come forward, transfer of 
control of the human remains and associated funerary objects to the 
Catawba Indian Nation (aka Catawba Tribe of South Carolina) may 
proceed.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District is 
responsible for notifying the Catawba Indian Nation (aka Catawba Tribe 
of South Carolina) that this notice has been published.

    Dated: February 3, 2015.
Melanie O'Brien,
Acting Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2015-05996 Filed 3-13-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-50-P