[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 164 (Thursday, August 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42688-42689]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-18201]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0026060; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: The State Center Community 
College District--Fresno City College, Fresno, CA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The State Center Community College District--Fresno City 
College 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 State Center 
Community College District--Fresno City College. 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 State Center Community College District--
Fresno City College at the address in this notice by September 24, 
2018.

ADDRESSES: Dr. Margaret Mericle, Fresno City College of The State 
Center Community College District, 1101 East University Avenue, Fresno, 
CA 93741, telephone (559) 442-8210, 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 the State Center 
Community College District--Fresno City College, Fresno, CA. The human 
remains and associated funerary objects were removed from the Hanse 
site, Kings 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 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 the State 
Center Community College District--Fresno City College professional 
staff in consultation with representatives of the Big Sandy Rancheria 
of Western Mono Indians of California (previously listed as the Big 
Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians of California); Buena Vista Rancheria 
of Me-Wuk Indians of California; Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians 
of California; Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California; 
Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California; Picayune Rancheria 
of Chukchansi Indians of California; Santa Rosa Indian Community of the 
Santa Rosa Rancheria, California; Shingle Springs Band of Miwok 
Indians, Shingle Springs Rancheria (Verona Tract), California; Table 
Mountain Rancheria (previously listed as the Table Mountain Rancheria 
of California); Tejon Indian Tribe; Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule 
River Reservation, California; and Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of 
the Tuolumne Rancheria of California.
    The California Valley Miwok Tribe, California; Chicken Ranch 
Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California; For McDermitt Paiute and 
Shoshone Tribes of the Fort McDermitt Reservation, Nevada and Oregon; 
Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California; Jackson Band of Miwuk Indians 
(previously listed as the Jackson Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of 
California); Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of the Pyramid Lake Reservation, 
Nevada; Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Nevada, Walker River Paiute Tribe of 
the Walker River Reservation, Nevada; and Yerington Paiute Tribe of the 
Yerington Colony & Campbell Ranch, Nevada were contacted and invited to 
consult, but did not participate.
    Two non-federally recognized groups, the Dunlap Band of Mono 
Indians and Traditional Choinumni Tribe, were consulted. One non-
federally recognized group, the Wukchumni Tribe, was invited to 
consult, but did not participate. Hereafter, all tribes listed in this 
section are referred to as ``The Consulted and Notified Tribes.''

History and Description of the Remains

    In 1975, human remains representing, at minimum, three individuals 
were removed from the Hanse site in Kings County, CA. Fresno City 
College instructor Don Wren and his students (and possibly Dudley 
Varner of California State University, Fresno) were involved in a 
salvage excavation of at least 13 burials in response to vandalism at 
the site. In January 2017, an osteological examination of the faunal 
collections was conducted to determine if human remains were present. 
That examination resulted in the identification of the human remains 
described in this inventory. The human remains represent one adult of 
indeterminate sex, one sub-adult of indeterminate sex, and one sub-
adult (neonatal) of indeterminate sex. The three individuals are 
represented by a total of 248 fragments. No known individuals were 
identified. The 75 associated funerary objects: are 57 lots of shell 
beads, one lot of bone beads, one lot of steatite beads, two lots of 
shell buttons, one lot of shell pendants, one lot of shell artifacts, 
three lots of shell fragments, two lots of steatite sherds, and seven 
lots of mixed materials.

Determinations Made by the State Center Community College District--
Fresno City College

    Officials of the State Center Community College District--Fresno 
City College have determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of three individuals of 
Native American ancestry, based on their archeological context.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the 75 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 Santa 
Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria, California, based on 
geographic information and oral tradition.

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

[[Page 42689]]

the request to Dr. Margaret Mericle, Fresno City College of The State 
Center Community College District, 1101 East University Avenue, Fresno, 
CA 93741, telephone (559) 442-8210, email 
[email protected], by September 24, 2018. After that 
date, if no additional requestors have come forward, transfer of 
control of the human remains and associated funerary objects to the 
Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria, California may 
proceed.
    The State Center Community College District--Fresno City College is 
responsible for notifying The Consulted and Notified Tribes that this 
notice has been published.

    Dated: July 17, 2018.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2018-18201 Filed 8-22-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-52-P