[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 199 (Thursday, October 15, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62097-62098]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-26287]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-19356; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


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, University 
of Washington (Burke Museum) 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 Burke Museum. 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 Burke 
Museum at the address in this notice by November 16, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Peter Lape, Burke Museum, University of Washington, Box 
353010, Seattle, WA 98195, telephone (206) 685-3849 x2, 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 Burke Museum, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. 
The human remains were removed from Pacific County, WA.
    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 Burke 
Museum professional staff in consultation with representatives of the 
Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, Washington and 
Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Reservation 
(previously listed as the Shoalwater Bay Tribe of the Shoalwater Bay 
Indian Reservation, Washington), Washington.

History and Description of the Remains

    In the late 19th or early 20th century, human remains representing, 
at minimum, one individual, were removed from near the mouth of the 
Columbia River in the vicinity of sites 45-PC-25/45-PC-4, a known 
Chinook village and cemetery in Pacific County, WA. The human remains 
were removed by the property owner and donated to the University of 
Washington Anthropology Department in 1959, and subsequently 
accessioned by the Burke Museum in 1964 (Accn. #1964-146). No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    In 1959 and 1976, human remains representing a minimum of one 
individual were removed from the Martin Site (45-PC-7), in Pacific 
County, WA. The human remains excavated in 1959 were removed as part of 
a University of Washington field school excavation conducted by Robert

[[Page 62098]]

Kidd and brought to the Burke Museum in the 1960s. The human remains 
excavated in 1976 were removed as part of an excavation led by Chris 
Brown of Washington State University. The entire collection from this 
excavation was transferred to the Burke Museum from Washington State 
University in 2013. Both the 1959 and 1976 excavations were formally 
accessioned by the Burke Museum in 2013 (Accn. #2013-163). The human 
remains from this site were not identified as human during the 
excavation. Only in 2014 did the Burke Museum identify them as human. 
No known individuals were identified. No funerary objects are present.
    All of the human remains are from sites located in the southwestern 
part of Pacific County, WA. According to historical and anthropological 
sources (Kidd, 1967; Mooney, 1896; Ray, 1938; Ruby 1986; Spier, 1936; 
Suttles 1990), as well as information provided during consultation, 
this area is within the traditional aboriginal territory of the Lower 
Chinook people, which included the northern bank of the Columbia River 
mouth, and lands north along the shore and into Willapa Bay. The people 
of this area spoke the same Chinook dialect and were linguistically 
separate from other Chinook who lived farther up the Columbia River 
(Suttles, 1990). The human remains have been determined to be Native 
American based on archaeological, geographical and osteological 
evidence. Sites 45-PC-25/45-PC-4 were identified as a village site and 
cemetery with pre-historic and historic cultural components by Hudziak 
and Smith in 1948, and by Robert Cook in 1955. Site 45-PC-7 is a large 
site dating from 700-1800 years ago. All of these sites exhibit 
material culture consistent with Chinook culture. Today the Chinook 
people are members of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe of the Shoalwater 
Bay Indian Reservation (previously listed as the Shoalwater Bay Tribe 
of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Reservation, Washington), and the Chinook 
Indian Tribe, a nonfederally recognized Indian group represented by the 
Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Reservation 
(previously listed as the Shoalwater Bay Tribe of the Shoalwater Bay 
Indian Reservation, Washington).

Determinations Made by the Burke Museum

    Officials of the Burke Museum have determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of two 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 Shoalwater Bay Tribe of the Shoalwater Bay 
Indian Reservation, Washington (previously listed as the Shoalwater Bay 
Tribe of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Reservation, Washington).

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 Peter 
Lape, Burke Museum, University of Washington, Box 353010, Seattle, WA 
98195, telephone (206) 685-3849 x2, email [email protected], by November 16, 
2015. After that date, if no additional requestors have come forward, 
transfer of control of the human remains to the Shoalwater Bay Indian 
Tribe of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Reservation (previously listed as 
the Shoalwater Bay Tribe of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Reservation, 
Washington), Washington, may proceed.
    The Burke Museum is responsible for notifying the Confederated 
Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, Washington and Shoalwater Bay 
Indian Tribe of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Reservation (previously 
listed as the Shoalwater Bay Tribe of the Shoalwater Bay Indian 
Reservation, Washington), Washington that this notice has been 
published.

    Dated: September 17, 2015.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2015-26287 Filed 10-14-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-50-P