[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 37 (Friday, February 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8104-8105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-03755]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0024990; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: San Luis Obispo County 
Archaeological Society, San Luis Obispo, CA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The San Luis Obispo County Archaeological Society (SLOCAS), 
assisted by the Fowler Museum at UCLA, 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 SLOCAS. 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 SLOCAS at 
the address in this notice by March 26, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Christina MacDonald, SLOCAS, P.O. Box 109, San Luis Obispo, 
CA 93406, telephone (805) 549-3493, 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 SLOCAS, San Luis Obispo, CA. The human remains were 
removed from Los Osos, San Luis Obispo County, 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. 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 Fowler 
Museum at UCLA professional staff in consultation with representatives 
of Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians of the Santa Ynez 
Reservation, California, and the Northern Chumash Tribe, a non-
federally recognized Indian group.

History and Description of the Remains

    In 2014, human remains representing, at minimum, two individuals 
were identified in an archived collection at SLOCAS from CA-SLO-14, 
also known as the Sweet Springs and/or the Cypress Village site, which 
is located in Los Osos, San Luis Obispo County, CA. Between 1970 and 
1975, Jay Von Werlhoff directed excavations at CA-SLO-14 with the 
assistance of his students at Cuesta College and Cal Poly San Luis 
Obispo, as well as members of SLOCAS. Following completion of the 
excavation, SLOCAS took possession of the collection. Neither Von 
Werlhoff nor SLOCAS ever published a report on this work. Later work at 
the site produced material that yielded a radiocarbon date of 3706 BP.
    Between 2005 and 2014, archeological studies were conducted at CA-
SLO-14 by Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc., as part of 
a wastewater management (sewer) project undertaken by San Luis Obispo 
(SLO) County Public Works. Far Western and SLO County contacted SLOCAS 
and arranged the loan of the materials collected from CA-SLO-14 by Jay 
Von Werlhoff in the 1970s. Far Western used the Von Werlhoff collection 
for comparison with the collection recovered as part of the SLO County

[[Page 8105]]

Public Works project. As part of mitigation of the effect of the SLO 
County project on CA-SLO-14, Far Western reanalyzed the Von Werlhoff 
collection faunal material. As a result, Far Western discovered that 
human remains had been incorrectly identified as faunal material. Wendy 
Teeter of The Fowler Museum at UCLA and Karimah Kennedy Richardson of 
the Autry Museum performed a human remains analysis of these materials 
on July 21, 2017. No known individuals were identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    SLOCAS determined the human remains from CA-SLO-14 are culturally 
affiliated with the Chumash due to past consultation efforts of SLO 
County regarding human remains from CA-SLO-14. The Santa Ynez Band of 
Chumash Indians (SYBCI) is the only federally recognized Chumash tribe. 
In an MOA between SLO County and SYBCI, the SYBCI were identified as 
the federally recognized tribe with cultural affiliation to CA-SLO-14. 
Ethnographic evidence also points to the Chumash as being culturally 
affiliated with the area where CA-SLO-14 is located as it is near the 
village site of Petpatsu which has been attributed to the Chumash in 
Randall Milliken and John Johnson's 2005 publication An Ethnogeography 
of Salinan and Northern Chumash Communities--1769 to 1810 (p. 87, 100).

Determinations Made by SLOCAS

    Officials of SLOCAS 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 the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission 
Indians of the Santa Ynez Reservation, California.

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 Christina 
MacDonald, SLOCAS, P.O. Box 109, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406, telephone 
(805) 549-3493, email [email protected], by March 26, 2018. After 
that date, if no additional requestors have come forward, transfer of 
control of the human remains to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission 
Indians of the Santa Ynez Reservation, California, may proceed.
    SLOCAS is responsible for notifying the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash 
Mission Indians of the Santa Ynez Reservation, California, and the 
Northern Chumash Tribe, a non-federally recognized Indian group, that 
this notice has been published.

    Dated: February 2, 2018.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2018-03755 Filed 2-22-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-52-P