[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 4, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14490-14492]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-06835]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0025171; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: La Plata County Historical 
Society, Durango, CO

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The La Plata County Historical Society 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 and associated funerary objects should submit a 
written request to the La Plata County Historical Society. 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 La Plata 
County Historical Society at the address in this notice by May 4, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Kathy McKenzie, Board President, La Plata County Historical 
Society, 3065 W 2nd Avenue, Durango, CO 81301, telephone (970) 259-
2402, 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 La Plata County Historical Society, Durango, CO. The 
human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from 
multiple counties in Colorado and New Mexico.
    This notice is published as part of the National Park Service's 
administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25 U.S.C. 3003(d)(3) and 
43 CFR 10.11(d). 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 La Plata 
County Historical Society (LPCHS) professional staff in partnership 
with Dr. Dawn Mulhern, biological anthropologist from Fort Lewis 
College, and in consultation with representatives of Hopi Tribe of 
Arizona; Jicarilla Apache Nation, New Mexico; Kewa Pueblo, New Mexico 
(previously listed as the Pueblo of Santo Domingo); Ohkay Owingeh, New 
Mexico (previously listed as the Pueblo of San Juan); Pueblo of Acoma, 
New Mexico; Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San 
Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa 
Ana, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Taos, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; 
Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado; 
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe (previously listed as the Ute Mountain Tribe of 
the Ute Mountain Reservation, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah); Ysleta 
del Sur Pueblo (previously listed as the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo of 
Texas); and the Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico.

History and Descriptions of Remains

    In 1936, human remains representing, at minimum, 22 individuals 
were

[[Page 14491]]

excavated from an archeological site within the city limits of Durango, 
CO, by members of the National Youth Administration under the 
supervision of avocational archeologist Helen Daniels, of Durango, CO, 
and the Durango Public Library. These human remains were excavated from 
a late Basketmaker III or early Pueblo I site with a pitstructure, 
midden, and room blocks. The site was being destroyed by a gravel pit 
operated by the City of Durango. In 2017, the site was given a 
Smithsonian Site Number 5LP11284. The human remains were taken to the 
Durango Public Library for cleaning, display, and storage. At some 
unknown time, the human remains were transferred to the private 
residence of Helen Daniels until they were donated to the LPCHS in 
1989. No known individuals were identified. No associated funerary 
objects are present in the collection of LPCHS.
    In 1937, human remains representing, at minimum, 27 individuals 
were excavated from an archeological site on private lands near Dove 
Creek in Dolores County, CO, by members of the National Youth 
Administration under the supervision of avocational archeologist Lola 
Sanders of Durango, CO, and the Durango Public Library. These human 
remains were excavated from a Pueblo II/III site with a kiva, midden, 
and room block. The human remains and artifacts were taken to the 
Durango Public Library for cleaning, display, and storage. At some 
unknown time, the human remains were transferred to the private 
residence of Helen Daniels until they were donated to the LPCHS in 
1989. No known individuals were identified. No associated funerary 
objects are present in the collection of LPCHS.
    In 1957, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were excavated from an archeological site on private property by 
amateur archeologist George Stewart of Durango, CO. The site is or was 
in the vicinity of Navajo Reservoir in Rio Arriba County, NM. The site 
consisted of ruins that date from the Basketmaker II through Pueblo I 
periods. The human remains and associated funerary object were in the 
possession of Mr. Stewart until they were donated to the LPCHS in 1978. 
No known individuals were identified. The one associated funerary 
object is a broken Bluff Black-on-Red bowl.
    In 1957, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were excavated from an archeological site on private property by 
amateur archeologist George Steward, of Durango, CO. The site is or was 
in the vicinity of Red Mesa, in La Plata County, CO. The site consisted 
of ruins that date from the late Basketmaker III through Pueblo I 
period. The human remains and associated funerary object were in the 
possession of Mr. Stewart until they were donated to the LPCHS in 1978. 
No known individuals were identified. The one associated funerary 
object is a complete Bluff Black-on-Red bowl.
    Between 1957 and 1965, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were excavated from an archeological site on private 
property by amateur archeologist George Stewart of Durango, CO. The 
site is or was in the vicinity of Navajo Reservoir in Rio Arriba 
County, NM. The site consisted of ruins that date from the Basketmaker 
II through Pueblo I periods. The human remains were in the possession 
of Mr. Stewart until they were donated to the LPCHS in 1978. No known 
individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1963, human remains representing, at minimum, two individuals 
were excavated by avocational archeologist Helen Daniels of Durango, 
CO. The human remains were identified as having originated from Cahone 
Mesa near Dove Creek in Dolores or Montezuma Counties, CO. Written on 
the two skulls is ``PIII'' meaning Pueblo III. The human remains were 
in the possession of Ms. Daniels until they were donated to the LPCHS 
in 1989. No known individuals were identified. No associated funerary 
objects are present.
    In 1963, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were excavated by avocational archeologist Helen Daniels of Durango, 
CO. The human remains were identified as having originated from an 
archeological site near Dulce, in Rio Arriba County, NM, and perhaps 
from the site known as ``Dulce Ruin.'' The human remains were in the 
possession of Ms. Daniels until they were donated to the LPCHS in 1989. 
No known individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    In 1968, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were excavated by avocational archeologist Helen Daniels of Durango, 
CO. The human remains were identified as having originated from the 
archeological site of Dulce Ruin near Dulce in Rio Arriba County, NM. 
The human remains were in the possession of Ms. Daniels until they were 
donated to the LPCHS in 1989. No known individual was identified. No 
associated funerary objects are present.
    At an unknown time, human remains representing, at minimum, two 
individuals were excavated from an archeological site in southwest 
Colorado, possibly by Helen Daniels of Durango, CO. These were two of 
several skulls that were in a box marked ``skulls'' in the possession 
of Ms. Daniels until they were donated to the LPCHS in 1989. No site/
provenience information is available for the human remains. The history 
of the collection supports the human remains as having been excavated 
from an Ancestral Puebloan site(s). The two skulls exhibit cranial 
deformation which is consistent with the custom of cradle boarding 
practiced by Ancestral Puebloan Tribes. No known individuals were 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    These human remains and associated funerary objects are, or are 
likely to be, from Ancestral Puebloan sites dating from the Basketmaker 
III (A.D. 500) to the Pueblo III (A.D. 1300) periods. Archeological 
evidence indicates that human remains and associated funerary objects 
can be classified as Ancestral Pueblo, but that no more specific 
cultural affiliation can be assigned reliably enough to make an 
affiliation statement to any particular Puebloan group. Cultural 
affiliation studies consulted include those from Mesa Verde, Navajo 
Reservoir, Canyons of the Ancients, Animas La Plata, and San Juan 
District. Each of these studies establishes cultural affiliation of the 
ancient Mesa Verde pueblos with the 21 federally recognized Pueblo 
Tribes of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Most of the reports conclude 
that the preponderance of evidence points to a cultural affiliation 
between the Keresan and Tanoan speakers of the Rio Grande (Animas-La 
Plata Project and Canyons of the Ancients National Monument). The 
cultural affiliation study for the Navajo Reservoir Project concludes 
that prehistoric inhabitants of the Piedra River area in southwest 
Colorado possess a shared group identity with the Towa (Jemez) 
speakers. The Hopi Tribe claimed cultural affiliation with the 
Basketmaker II site of Falls Creek Shelters in the Animas Drainage near 
Durango.
    The preponderance of geographical, kinship, archeological, 
biological, linguistic, oral tradition, folklore, and ethnohistorical 
and/or historic evidence, as well as expert opinion, supports the 
conclusion that Ancestral Puebloan sites are culturally affiliated with 
modern Puebloan Tribes.
    The possibility of shared group identity between the Athapaskan-
speaking tribes of the Southwest (Navajo and Jicarilla Apache) and 
Ancestral Puebloans, as well as the Ute tribes and Ancestral Puebloans 
was also considered, but cultural affiliation was not supported by a 
preponderance of

[[Page 14492]]

evidence. The Athapaskan-speaking Tribes of the Southwest have 
geographic, folklore, oral tradition, ethnohistorical, and/or 
historical ties to the area. Cross-cultural influences and 
intermarriage with Pueblos also support a relationship of shared group 
identity between Athapaskan and Pueblo groups. However, current 
archeological evidence does not support a common Athapaskan and Pueblo 
origin prior to about A.D. 1500. Thus, from an archeological 
perspective, the evidence does not support cultural affiliation for the 
Athapaskan-speaking Tribes with these Basketmaker and Pueblo period 
human remains and associated funerary objects. The Southern Ute Indian 
Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and 
the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation have 
geographic, ethnohistorical, and/or historical ties to the area and 
linguistic ties to the Hopi tribe. Intermarriage with Pueblo peoples is 
also recognized as a potential link between these groups. However, the 
body of evidence does not collectively support a common Ute and Pueblo 
origin. Therefore, a preponderance of evidence does not support 
cultural affiliation for the contemporary Ute tribes with these 
Basketmaker and Pueblo period human remains and associated funerary 
objects.

Determinations Made by the La Plata County Historical Society, Durango, 
CO

    Officials of the La Plata County Historical Society have determined 
that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice are Native American based on the collection history and 
biological analysis.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of 58 individuals of 
Native American ancestry.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the two 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), a relationship of shared 
group identity can be reasonably traced between the Native American 
human remains and the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Kewa Pueblo, New Mexico 
(previously listed as the Pueblo of Santo Domingo); Ohkay Owingeh, New 
Mexico (previously listed as the Pueblo of San Juan); Pueblo of Acoma, 
New Mexico; Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San 
Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa 
Ana, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Taos, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; 
Ysleta del Sur Pueblo (previously listed as the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo 
of Texas); and the Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico, 
hereafter referred to as ``The Tribes.''
     Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1), the disposition of the 
human remains may be to The Tribes.

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 Kathy McKenzie, Board President, La Plata 
County Historical Society, 3065 W 2nd Avenue, Durango, CO 81301, 
telephone (970) 259-2402 email [email protected], by May 4, 
2018. After that date, if no additional requestors have come forward, 
transfer of control of the human remains to The Tribes may proceed.
    The La Plata County Historical Society is responsible for notifying 
The Tribes that this notice has been published.

    Dated: March 5, 2018.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2018-06835 Filed 4-3-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-52-P