[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 71 (Wednesday, April 13, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21901-21902]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08450]



[[Page 21901]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-20672; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, 
Bureau of Land Management, Nevada State Office, Reno, NV

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM), Nevada State Office, has completed an inventory of human 
remains, 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 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 should submit a 
written request to the BLM. If no additional requestors come forward, 
transfer of control of the human remains 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 should submit a written 
request with information in support of the request to the BLM at the 
address in this notice by May 13, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Michael Herder, District Manager, Schell Field Office, HC 33 
Box 33500, Ely, NV 98301, telephone (775) 289-1868, email 
[email protected]; and Dayna M. Reale, Archaeologist/Cultural Resource 
Specialist, Schell Field Office, HC 33 Box 33500, Ely, NV 98301, 
telephone (775) 289-1892, 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 U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land 
Management, Nevada State Office, Reno, NV. The human remains were 
removed from the Snake Creek Indian Burial Cave in White Pine County, 
NV.
    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 BLM Schell 
Field Office professional staff in consultation with representatives of 
the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, Nevada and Utah; 
Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation, Nevada; Ely 
Shoshone Tribe of Nevada; Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah (Cedar Band of 
Paiutes, Kanosh Band of Paiutes, Koosharem Band of Paiutes, Indian 
Peaks Band of Paiutes, and Shivwits Band of Paiutes) (formerly Paiute 
Indian Tribe of Utah (Cedar City Band of Paiutes, Kanosh Band of 
Paiutes, Koosharem Band of Paiutes, Indian Peaks Band of Paiutes, and 
Shivwits Band of Paiutes)); Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley 
Reservation, Nevada; Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah; Te-
Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada (Four constituent 
bands: Battle Mountain Band; Elko Band; South Fork Band and Wells 
Band); and the Yomba Shoshone Tribe of the Yomba Reservation, Nevada.

History and Description of the Remains

    On an unknown date between July 1984 and January 1988, human 
remains representing, at minimum, two individuals were removed from 
Snake Creek Indian Burial Cave (Site 26WP23) in White Pine County, NV. 
The BLM Nevada State Office has since placed the human remains at the 
Nevada State Museum in Carson City, NV. The human remains appear to 
have been removed from the cave by a paleontologist conducting research 
in the cave. These human remains are catalogued as AHUR 6024 by the 
Nevada State Museum, Carson City. The human remains were identified as 
one adult and one juvenile of indeterminate sex. No known individuals 
were identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    The burial site is located in a solution karst cave with several 
connected underground chambers, and a vertical entrance that requires 
rappelling in from the ground surface. Entering the cave requires a 
drop of about 35 feet into the main chamber. As a result, it has been a 
natural trap for animals since the Pleistocene period. The remains of 
an ice age camel, horse, wolverine, badger, marten, wolf, and other 
locally extinct fauna along with wood and other organic material, were 
recovered from the cave by paleontological research conducted after the 
removal of the human remains reported in this notice.
    Archeologists in the early to mid-1900s noted cultural materials in 
the cave and on the ground outside the mouth of the cave. Those 
materials, including a ladder and pottery, were identified by 
archeologists in the 1930s and 1950s as ``Puebloan,'' or likely 
associated with the Formative period, which includes several nearby 
sites now known to be large habitation sites associated with the 
Fremont culture. However, these artifacts have not been located in 
current collections and were not found in association with the human 
remains reported here.
    The cave is located in Shoshone, Western Shoshone, or Niwi 
Territory, adjacent to a historic Shoshone community in an area near 
the Nevada-Utah border used traditionally by Shoshone and Goshute 
peoples. In addition, the cave was also used historically as a burial 
place by Goshute and/or Shoshone people. Early 20th century 
archeologists concluded that the cave was a Shoshone burial site, as a 
``cone'' of human remains of Shoshone individuals and their belongings 
was located immediately below the opening of the cave. Consultations 
between the BLM Nevada State Office and various Native American tribes 
suggest that the cave may have been the place where the last Shoshone 
or Goshute Chief was buried. In addition, several tribes have 
previously indicated that the cave is a sacred place, and a prehistoric 
burial site.
    The majority of the human remains in collection AHUR 6024 appear to 
have been buried. They are dark in color, soil-stained, and have dirt, 
root stains, and/or root hairs attached, indicative of either 
interment, or conditions of natural deposition that would occur over 
time. These features indicate the human remains may be several hundred 
to several thousands of years old, depending on preservation, or 
location of deposition within the cave. Given their estimated age, they 
appear to pre-date Euro-American settlement in the region. However, 
given the fact that the human remains are generally fractured, 
represent only scattered portions of the individuals represented, were 
not find in a primary burial context, and were not associated with any 
funerary objects, the BLM could not determine whether the human remains 
are culturally affiliated with any specific modern tribe.

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Determinations Made by the BLM Nevada State Office

    Officials of the BLM Nevada State Office have determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice are Native American based on the location and context of 
the burial site, skeletal analysis, and historic documentation.
     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), a relationship of shared 
group identity cannot be reasonably traced between the Native American 
human remains and any present-day Indian tribe.
     According to the final judgments of the Indian Claims 
Commission or the Court of Federal Claims, the land from which the 
Native American human remains were removed is the aboriginal land of 
the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, Nevada and Utah; 
Ely Shoshone Tribe of Nevada; the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the 
Duckwater Reservation, Nevada; Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck 
Valley Reservation, Nevada; Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of 
Utah; Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada (Four 
constituent bands: Battle Mountain Band; Elko Band; South Fork Band and 
Wells Band); and the Yomba Shoshone Tribe of the Yomba Reservation, 
Nevada.
     Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1), the disposition of the 
human remains may be to the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute 
Reservation, Nevada and Utah; Ely Shoshone Tribe of Nevada; the 
Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation, Nevada; 
Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, Nevada; Skull 
Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah; Te-Moak Tribe of Western 
Shoshone Indians of Nevada (Four constituent bands: Battle Mountain 
Band; Elko Band; South Fork Band and Wells Band); and the Yomba 
Shoshone Tribe of the Yomba Reservation, Nevada.

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 should submit a written request with information 
in support of the request to Michael Herder, District Manager, Ely 
District Office, HC 33 Box 33500, Ely, NV 98301, telephone (775) 289-
1868, email [email protected], by May 13, 2016. After that date, if no 
additional requestors have come forward, transfer of control of the 
human remains to the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, 
Nevada and Utah; Ely Shoshone Tribe of Nevada; the Duckwater Shoshone 
Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation, Nevada; Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of 
the Duck Valley Reservation, Nevada; Skull Valley Band of Goshute 
Indians of Utah; Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada 
(Four constituent bands: Battle Mountain Band; Elko Band; South Fork 
Band and Wells Band); and the Yomba Shoshone Tribe of the Yomba 
Reservation, Nevada may proceed.
    The BLM Nevada State Office is responsible for notifying the 
Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, Nevada and Utah; 
Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation, Nevada; Ely 
Shoshone Tribe of Nevada; Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah (Cedar Band of 
Paiutes, Kanosh Band of Paiutes, Koosharem Band of Paiutes, Indian 
Peaks Band of Paiutes, and Shivwits Band of Paiutes) (formerly Paiute 
Indian Tribe of Utah (Cedar City Band of Paiutes, Kanosh Band of 
Paiutes, Koosharem Band of Paiutes, Indian Peaks Band of Paiutes, and 
Shivwits Band of Paiutes)); Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley 
Reservation, Nevada; Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah; Te-
Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada (Four constituent 
bands: Battle Mountain Band; Elko Band; South Fork Band and Wells 
Band); and the Yomba Shoshone Tribe of the Yomba Reservation, Nevada 
that this notice has been published.

    Dated: March 21, 2016.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2016-08450 Filed 4-12-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-50-P