[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 217 (Wednesday, November 9, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78850-78851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-26976]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-22253; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
Omaha District, Omaha, NE

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District (Omaha 
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 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 Omaha District. 
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 Omaha District at the address in this 
notice by December 9, 2016.

[[Page 78851]]


ADDRESSES: Ms. Sandra Barnum, U.S. Army Engineer District, Omaha, ATTN: 
CENWO-PM-AB, 1616 Capital Avenue, Omaha, NE 68102, telephone, (402) 
995-2674, 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 of human remains and 
associated funerary objects under the control of the Omaha District. 
The human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from one 
site, 39WW7, in Walworth, SD. 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 and associated funerary 
objects was made by State Archaeological Research Center and Omaha 
District professional staff in consultation with representatives of the 
Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota.

History and Description of the Remains

    Between 1954 and 1956, human remains representing, at minimum, 125 
individuals were removed from site 39WW7, also known as Swan Creek 
Site, in Walworth County, SD. The partial human remains of 102 of these 
individuals are currently located at the South Dakota State 
Archaeological Research Center (SARC), under the managerial control of 
the Omaha District.
    The human remains were originally reported to be all stored at the 
W. H. Over Museum, SD, but were transferred to SARC beginning in 1974. 
During the 1980s much of the collection was sent to the University of 
Tennessee, Knoxville, to be inventoried. When returned to SARC, 
inventoried human remains were reburied at site 39ST15 in 1986. Since 
the reburial, however, additional fragmentary human remains of 102 
individuals (mostly individual elements) and 31 associated funerary 
objects have been located in the collections. Human remains of 95 of 
these individuals were identified at SARC and seven of these 
individuals were identified in the collections at the University of 
Wisconsin, Madison. The University of Wisconsin material was 
transferred to SARC in 2015. Currently SARC houses all known materials 
from 39WW7.
    Based on morphological characteristics, archaeological context, and 
associated funerary objects, the remains are determined to be Native 
American. No known individuals were identified. The 31 associated 
funerary objects are 1 basketry fragment, 17 beads, 1 ceramic body 
sherd, 3 projectile point fragments, 2 stone knives, 1 sandstone 
abrader, 1 piece modified shell, 1 piece unmodified shell, 1 squash 
seed, 1 faunal fragment, 1 lot of cedar wood fragments, and 1 lot of 
wood sticks.
    Site 39WW7 is an earthlodge village and associated cemetery. Based 
on village organization, fortifications, geographic location, and 
features, as well as the associated artifact assemblage, the site is 
believed to represent at least two major time periods, the Akaska Focus 
of the Extended Coalescent (AD 1500-1675) and the Le Beau Phase of the 
Post Contact Coalescent (AD 1675-1780) of the Plans Village tradition. 
Based on oral tradition, historic accounts, archaeological evidence, 
geographical location, and physical anthropological interpretations, 
both the Extended and Post Contact Coalescent variants are believed to 
be ancestral Arikara. The Arikara are represented today by the Three 
Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation.

Determinations Made by the Omaha District

    Officials of the Omaha District have determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of 102 individuals of 
Native American ancestry.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the 31 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 Three 
Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota.

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 Ms. Sandra Barnum, U.S. Army Engineer 
District, Omaha, ATTN: CENWO-PM-AB, 1616 Capital Avenue, Omaha, NE 
68102, telephone, (402) 995-2674, email [email protected], 
by December 9, 2016. After that date, if no additional requestors have 
come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and associated 
funerary objects to the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold 
Reservation, North Dakota, may proceed.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District is responsible for 
notifying the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, 
North Dakota, that this notice has been published.

    Dated: October 24, 2016.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2016-26976 Filed 11-8-16; 8:45 am]
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