[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 36 (Friday, February 24, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11638-11640]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-03610]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-22701: PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of Defense, Army 
Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, Omaha, NE, and State Archeological 
Research Center, Rapid City, SD

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

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ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 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 U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, 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 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha 
District at the address in this notice by March 27, 2017.

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 U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Omaha District. The human remains and associated funerary 
objects were removed from multiple counties in the state of South 
Dakota.
    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 the South Dakota State Archeological Research 
Center and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District professional 
staff in consultation with representatives of Three Affiliated Tribes 
of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota.

History and Description of the Remains

    In 1973, human remains representing, at minimum, 1 individual were 
removed from site 39CH206 in Charles Mix County, SD. The human remains 
are presently located at the South Dakota State Archeological Research 
Center (SARC), under the managerial control of the Omaha District. No 
known individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    In August 1973, the University of Arkansas conducted an 
archeological survey of 36 sites along the Fort Randall shoreline under 
a contract with the National Park Service. The purpose was to assess 
damage to sites and make recommendations on site protection. A partial 
cranium was discovered eroding out of the cutbank at 39CH206. The 
collection was originally stored at the National Park Service Midwest 
Archeological Center, Lincoln, NE, and transferred to SARC in the 
1980s. The human remains were sent to the University of Tennessee, 
Knoxville, in 1988 for documentation by a physical anthropologist and 
returned to SARC in 1995. Based on morphological characteristics and 
the site's artifact assemblage, the human remains are determined to be 
Native American.
    Site 39CH206 is located on the east bank of the Missouri River and 
represents a small occupation. Archeologists have suggested an 
association between site 39CH206 and a nearby site, 39CH205. 39CH205 is 
a village whose artifacts indicate an Initial Middle Missouri Tradition 
(A.D. 900-1350) of the Plains Village Period. The Initial Middle 
Missouri Tradition is believed to be ancestral Mandan. The Mandan are 
represented today by Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold 
Reservation.
    In 1965, human remains representing, at minimum, 1 individual were 
removed from site 39HU7 in Hughes County, SD. The human remains are 
presently located at the South Dakota State Archeological Research 
Center (SARC), under the managerial control of the Omaha District. No 
known individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    McClure's Ranch, site 39HU7, was excavated in 1965 by Richard B. 
Johnson for the Smithsonian Institution River Basin Surveys. The site 
collection originally stayed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
until Johnson took a sabbatical in 1978/1979 from Trent University in 
order to complete the site report. The collection was then transferred 
to SARC in 1982. The human remains were sent to the University of 
Tennessee, Knoxville, for inventory in 1986 and returned to SARC in 
1995. Based on morphological characteristics and the site's artifact 
assemblage, the human remains are determined to be Native American.
    Site 39HU7 is a single component earth lodge village site located 
on the north shore of Lake Sharpe in Hughes County, SD. Based on 
evidence from archeological excavations, including house structure and 
the presence of Iona and Talking Crow ceramic wares, the site dates to 
the Felicia phase of the Post-Contact Coalescent variant (A.D. 1690-
1700) of the Plains Village Tradition. Based on archeological, physical 
anthropological, oral tradition, historic evidence, and geography, 
Post-Contact populations are believed to be ancestral Arikara. The 
Arikara are represented today by the Three Affiliated Tribes of the 
Fort Berthold Reservation.
    In 1964, human remains representing, at minimum, 1 individual was 
removed from site 39LM34 in Lyman County, SD. The human remains are 
presently located at the South Dakota State Archeological Research 
Center (SARC), under the managerial control of the Omaha District. No 
known individual was identified. The 12 associated funerary objects are 
7 ceramic body sherds, 1 incomplete sandstone grinding stone, 1 
modified faunal fragment, 1 faunal knife, and 2 charred corn kernels.
    In 1964, Dr. O.L. Mallory re-examined a number of sites after the 
flooding of the Fort Randall Reservoir. At site 39LM34, bank slumping 
exposed a single nearly complete adult male burial and 12 funerary 
objects which were collected and stored at the National Park Service 
Midwest Archeological Center, Lincoln, NE, until 1986. At that time, 
both the human remains and object were transferred to SARC. SARC sent 
the remains of the nearly complete adult male to the University of 
Tennessee, Knoxville, for documentation by a physical anthropologist 
that same year. The majority of the individual was returned to SARC and 
reburied along the Missouri River north of Ft. Pierre in 1991. The 
tibiae and ribs, which had been kept by the University of Tennessee for 
further analysis, were returned to SARC in 1995, and are accounted for 
in this notice. Based on

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morphological characteristics and the site's artifact assemblage, the 
human remains are determined to be Native American.
    Site 39LM34 is an earth lodge village situated on a low terrace of 
the right bank of the Missouri River in central South Dakota. Based on 
the ceramic types (Talking Crow Straight Rim, Iona Indented, and 
Cloistered Rims), and brass and copper ornaments, the site is dated to 
the Post-Contact Coalescent variant (A.D. 1675-1780) of the Plains 
Village Tradition. Based on archeological, physical anthropological, 
oral tradition, historic evidence, and geography, Post-Contact 
populations are believed to be ancestral Arikara. The Arikara are 
represented today by the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold 
Reservation.
    In 1955, human remains representing, at minimum, 4 individuals were 
removed from site 39WW301 in Walworth County, SD. The human remains are 
presently located at the South Dakota State Archeological Research 
Center (SARC), under the managerial control of the Omaha District. No 
known individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    Site 39WW301 was excavated by Wesley R. Hurt, University of South 
Dakota Museum (now known as the W.H. Over Museum) in conjunction with 
the South Dakota Archeological Commission as part of the Smithsonian 
Institute River Basin Surveys in 1955. The human remains of three 
infants and one subadult were collected. Two infants and one subadult 
were found together in a secondary burial. One infant was found in a 
refuse mound.
    Following excavation, the collection became part of the W.H. Over 
Museum collections in Vermillion, SD. The collection was transferred to 
SARC in 1974. In 1978, an infant skull, probably belonging to 
Individual 1, was inventoried at SARC and by the University of 
Tennessee, Knoxville, after which it was reburied in 1986 at site 
39ST15. During a collection review at SARC in 1993, additional human 
remains from Individual 1, as well as remains from Individuals 2, 3, 
and 4 were located. Based on morphological characteristics and the 
site's artifact assemblage, the human remains are determined to be 
Native American.
    Site 39WW301 is a multi-component site on a high terrace above the 
confluence of Swan Creek and the Missouri River in Walworth County, 
north central South Dakota. Based on ceramics, projectile points, 
architectural features, and feature typologies, two components are 
represented--the Akaska Focus of the Extended Coalescent variant (A.D. 
1500-1675) and the LeBeau Phase of the Post-Contact Coalescent variant 
(A.D. 1675-1780). Based on archeological, physical anthropological, 
oral tradition, historic evidence, and geography, Extended and Post-
Contact populations are believed to be ancestral Arikara, but in some 
cases may also represent the Mandan populations. The Mandan and Arikara 
are represented today by the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort 
Berthold Reservation.

Determinations Made by the Omaha District

    Officials of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 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 7 individuals of 
Native American ancestry.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the 12 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 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 March 27, 2017. After that date, if no additional requestors have 
come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and associated 
funerary objects to 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 Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, 
North Dakota, that this notice has been published.

    Dated: January 6, 2017.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2017-03610 Filed 2-23-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-52-P