[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 183 (Friday, September 22, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44450-44452]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-20299]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0023846; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, 
Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region, Sacramento, CA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation 
(Reclamation), Mid-Pacific Regional Office, 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 should submit a written request to Reclamation, Mid-Pacific 
Regional Office. 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. Department of the Interior, Bureau 
of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Regional Office, at the address in this 
notice by October 23, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Melanie Ryan, NAGPRA Specialist/Physical Anthropologist, 
Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Regional Office, MP-153, 2800 
Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825, telephone (916) 978-5526, 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 and 
associated funerary objects under the control of Reclamation, Mid-
Pacific Regional Office, Sacramento, CA. The human remains and 
associated funerary objects were removed from Calaveras and Tuolumne 
Counties, CA.
    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 was made by Reclamation, 
Mid-Pacific Regional Office, professional staff in consultation with 
representatives of the Bishop Paiute Tribe (previously listed as the 
Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony, 
California) and the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of the Tuolumne 
Rancheria of California. The following Indian Tribes were invited to 
consult but did not participate in consultation: The Buena Vista 
Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians; California Valley Miwok Tribe; Chicken 
Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians; Ione Band of Miwok Indians; Jackson 
Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians; Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians; and 
Wilton Rancheria (hereafter referred to as ``The Invited and Consulted 
Tribes'')

History and Description of the Remains

    In August of 1975, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual, were inadvertently removed from the Texas Charley Gulch 
site (CA-CAL-0338, original site number 4-CAL-S-286) in Calaveras 
County, CA. The site was first excavated in 1975 by San Francisco State 
University under the direction of Dr. Michael Moratto. Three burials 
were encountered in two of the units, but the human remains were left 
in situ. In 2013, SFSU notified Reclamation of the existence of an 
isolated left mandibular second premolar in the CA-CAL-0338 collection. 
Physical custody was transferred to Reclamation, Mid-Pacific, on March 
31, 2013. Subsequent reanalysis of the site CA-CAL-0338 faunal 
assemblage by Reclamation, Mid-Pacific, professional staff resulted in 
the identification of an additional 97 pieces of human bone. The 
fragmentary nature of the remains precluded determination of age or 
sex. No known individual was identified. The five associated funerary 
objects include four Olivella shell beads and one Haliotis disc. A 
sixth grave item, a bone awl fragment was not among the items 
transferred by San Francisco State University to Reclamation, Mid-
Pacific, in 2013.
    Age estimates of CA-CAL-0338 are based on temporally-diagnostic 
artifacts and radiocarbon dates. Uncalibrated \14\C dates of 320 80 BP (Unit I-100-N, I-9040) and 405 80 BP (Unit G-
100-S, I-9039) suggest a Late Horizon occupation for all three burials. 
However, the carbon samples were not directly associated with the 
remains; rather they were extracted from undifferentiated midden 
deposits in the general vicinity of the burials. The single Type M1a 
Olivella bead found in association with Burial 3 suggests that this 
individual was interred sometime between the beginning of the Middle 
Period (circa 200 B.C.) and the end of Phase 1 of the Late Period 
(circa A.D. 1500). The Type G2b Olivella beads, while not definitively 
associated with Burials 2 and 5, are temporally diagnostic for the 
timespan between the Early/Middle

[[Page 44451]]

Period Transition (circa 500-200 B.C.) and the end of the Middle Period 
(circa A.D. 1000). A single H3b Haliotis flat disc is consistent with 
an occupation sometime prior to circa A.D. 500.
    As the foregoing makes clear, there is a fundamental disagreement 
between the radiometric data and the index artifacts for two of the 
three burials. The radiocarbon data suggests that all three burials 
date to circa A.D. 1500, which would indicate a clear relationship with 
the modern-day Me-Wuk. In the case of Burial 3, this estimate is 
supported by the Type M1a bead, which overlaps with the radiocarbon 
date at the extreme end of its temporal distribution. However, the 
shell beads found with Burials 2 and 5 indicate a much earlier 
occupation, perhaps as early as 200 B.C. Overlap in the temporal ranges 
of Olivella G2b beads and Haliotis H3b flat disc suggest that Burials 2 
and 5 were interred no later than A.D. 500.
    Contextual ambiguity for both the radiometric and index artifacts 
are not resolvable, rendering these data largely equivocal. For Burial 
3, the sum totality of the evidence is unambiguous and clearly 
indicates a cultural affiliation with the present-day Me-Wuk. In the 
absence of any quantitative method for determining interment dates for 
Burials 2 and 5, the existence of traditional tribal lands of the 
present-day Me-Wuk in the same geographical area is taken as prima 
facie evidence of continuous occupation of the site from antiquity into 
the ethnographic present.
    In August of 1972, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual, were removed from site CA-TUO-0313 in Tuolumne County, CA. 
Human remains consisting of one right patella, one proximal hand 
phalanx, one middle hand phalanx, and one cervical vertebra were 
encountered by the excavators. In 2016, re-examination of the faunal 
assemblage by Reclamation professional staff identified additional 
human remains consisting of one ischium fragment (side indeterminate), 
one left pubis fragment, and four pieces of unidentified human bone. 
The human remains represent one adult of indeterminate sex. No known 
individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are present. 
The vertical distribution of human remains within a single unit 
suggests the disturbed interment of a single individual. The 
preponderance of the available evidence indicates that the human 
remains are culturally affiliated with the present-day Me-Wuk/Miwok.
    In August of 1972, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual, were removed from site CA-TUO-0314 in Tuolumne County, CA. 
Human remains consisting of a fragment of a cervical vertebra and a rib 
were encountered by the excavators. In 2016, re-examination of the 
faunal assemblage by Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region, professional 
staff identified additional human remains consisting of one vertebra 
fragment, one cervical vertebra, one rib, one first rib, and seventeen 
sternum fragments. The human remains represent one adult of 
indeterminate sex. No known individual was identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present. The vertical distribution of human 
remains within a single unit suggests the disturbed interment of a 
single individual. The bulk of the site CA-TUO-0314 artifact inventory 
consists of historic artifacts and suggest the possibility that the 
historic component of the site was accumulated through aboriginal 
activities. The artifacts are concentrated on the surface and upper 
levels, but occur in decreasing frequency all the way to the base of 
the deposit. Based on the artifact and contextual evidence, both 
Johnson (1973:79) and Moratto et al. (1988:193-194) estimate a brief-
but-intensive occupation during the Gold Rush period. The preponderance 
of the available evidence indicates that the human remains are 
culturally affiliated with the present-day Me-Wuk/Miwok.
    In August of 1972, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual, were removed from site CA-TUO-0307 in Tuolumne County, CA. 
The human remains consist of a fragment of a right femoral head and a 
nearly-complete left third metacarpal and represent one adult of 
indeterminate sex. No known individual was identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present. The small size of the site CA-TUO-0307 
artifact inventory precludes any precise temporal placement, but two 
artifacts in the collection are temporally diagnostic. A single 
Stockton Serrated projectile point suggests an occupation in the middle 
of the Late Prehistoric period (A.D. 700-1100). A single Type H1a 
Olivella bead is temporally diagnostic to the Early Mission period 
(A.D. 1770-1800). Additionally, relatively few historic artifacts were 
present at site CA-TUO-0307. Most artifacts were found in the upper 
excavation levels, and none exhibiting any evidence of aboriginal use 
and/or modification. This site falls within the aboriginal lands of the 
Me-Wuk (Heizer 1978:ix, 400). Taken together, these data indicate an 
occupation beginning sometime during the Late Prehistoric period, 
probably no earlier than approximately A.D. 1200-1300. The 
preponderance of the evidence suggests that the human remains are 
culturally affiliated with the present-day Me-Wuk.
    The collection from sites CA-TUO-0313, CA-TUO-0314, and CA-TUO-0307 
was made by University of California Field School, Davis, under the 
direction of Patti Johnson. Excavation of the sites was done in 
compliance with an agreement between the National Park Service and the 
Foundation for Archaeological Research, Phase IV, of the New Melones 
Reservoir Archaeological Project. In 1978, ownership of the New Melones 
Dam and Reservoir transferred to the Department of the Interior, who 
directed Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region, to be responsible for its 
operation and maintenance. The archeological collections resulting from 
the construction project were also transferred to Reclamation, Mid-
Pacific Region. In 2014, the collection was moved to the New Melones 
Curation Facility (NMCF) located near the New Melones Visitors Center, 
Tuolumne County, CA. No intact burials were recorded during the 
excavations.

Determinations Made by the Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region

    Officials of the Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region, have 
determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of a minimum of four 
individuals of Native American ancestry.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the five 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 the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians; 
California Valley Miwok Tribe; Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk 
Indians; Ione Band of Miwok Indians; Jackson Rancheria of Me-Wuk 
Indians; Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians; Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk 
Indians of the Tuolumne Rancheria of California; and Wilton Rancheria.

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 Melanie 
Ryan,

[[Page 44452]]

NAGPRA Specialist/Physical Anthropologist, Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-
Pacific Office, MP-153, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825, 
telephone (916) 978-5526, email [email protected], by October 23, 2017. 
After that date, if no additional requestors have come forward, 
transfer of control of the human remains and associated funerary 
objects to the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians; California 
Valley Miwok Tribe; Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians; Ione 
Band of Miwok Indians; Jackson Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians; Shingle 
Springs Band of Miwok Indians; Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of the 
Tuolumne Rancheria of California; and Wilton Rancheria may proceed.
    The Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region, is responsible for 
notifying The Invited and Consulted Tribes that this notice has been 
published.

    Dated: August 1, 2017.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2017-20299 Filed 9-21-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P