[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 220 (Wednesday, November 14, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56869-56871]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-24765]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA- NPS0026865; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
Albuquerque District, Trinidad Lake, CO

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque 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 no cultural 
affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects 
and any present-day Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. 
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, Albuquerque 
District. If no additional requestors come forward, transfer of control 
of the human remains and associated funerary objects 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 and associated funerary 
objects should submit a written request with information in support of 
the request to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District, 
at the address in this notice by December 14, 2018.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District, ATTN: 
George MacDonell, 4101 Jefferson Plaza NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109, 
telephone (505) 342-3281, 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 U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Albuquerque District. The human remains and associated 
funerary objects were removed from fee-titled property at Trinidad 
Lake, Las Animas County, CO.
    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 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 
Albuquerque District professional staff in consultation with 
representatives of the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma; Arapaho Tribe of the 
Wind River Reservation, Wyoming; Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Oklahoma 
(previously listed as the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma); 
Comanche Nation, Oklahoma; Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma; Hopi 
Tribe of Arizona; Jicarilla Apache Nation, New Mexico; Kewa Pueblo, New 
Mexico (previously listed as the Pueblo of Santo Domingo); Kiowa Indian 
Tribe of Oklahoma; Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Reservation, 
New Mexico; Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah; Northern 
Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana; 
Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico (previously listed as the Pueblo of San 
Juan); Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma; 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 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 & Utah); White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache 
Reservation, Arizona; Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, 
Waco & Tawakonie), Oklahoma; Ysleta del Sur Pueblo (previously listed 
as the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo of Texas); and Zuni Tribe of the Zuni 
Reservation, New Mexico, hereafter referred to as ``The Consulting 
Tribes.''

History and Description of the Remains

    Between 1963 and 1976, human remains representing, at minimum, nine 
individuals were removed from the Leone Bluff site, 5LA1211, in Las 
Animas County, CO. Excavations at the site were undertaken in advance 
of the construction of Trinidad Dam and Reservoir by Trinidad State 
Junior College archeologists Galen Baker (1963, 1965), Edwin Guilinger 
(1967), Stephen Ireland (1969-1972), and Gerald Bair (1975, 1976). All 
human remains and associated funerary objects have been stored at the 
Louden-Henritze Archeology Museum in Trinidad, CO, since their 
excavation. Individuals from the Leone Bluff site include an adult 
female, adult male, two infants of undetermined sex, four adolescents 
of undetermined sex, and an adult of undetermined sex. No known 
individuals were identified. The 19 associated funerary objects are: 
two groundstone implements, one lithic core, one lithic flake, two 
incised bone beads, three lots of fire-cracked rock fragments, one lot 
of burned jacal, one lot of bone and seed beads, one lot of snail 
beads, three lots of unidentified animal bone, two small lots of 
charcoal, one lot of micro lithic debitage, and one lot of organic 
material from flotation samples.
    In 1963, human remains representing, at minimum, two individuals 
were removed from archeological site 5LA1413 in Las Animas County, CO. 
Excavations at the site were undertaken in advance of the construction 
of Trinidad Dam and Reservoir by Trinidad State Junior College 
archeologist Galen Baker. All human remains have been stored at the 
Louden-Henritze Archeology Museum in Trinidad, CO, since their 
excavation. The two individuals include a young adult female and an 
infant of

[[Page 56870]]

undetermined sex. No known individuals were identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    In 1952 and 1953, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from archeological site 5LA1415 in Las Animas 
County, CO. Excavations at the site were undertaken in advance of the 
construction of Trinidad Dam and Reservoir by archeologist Haldon 
Chase. All human remains have been stored at the Louden-Henritze 
Archeology Museum in Trinidad, CO, since their excavation. The 
individual is an adult of undetermined sex. No known individuals were 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    Between 1954 and 1977, human remains representing, at minimum, 21 
individuals were removed from the Sopris archeological site, 5LA1416, 
in Las Animas County, CO. Archeological investigations, including 
excavation, were undertaken at the site in advance of the construction 
of Trinidad Dam and Reservoir starting in 1954 and 1957 by Herb Dick, 
and followed by Trinidad State Junior College archeologists Galen Baker 
(1964, 1965), Stephen Ireland (1970, 1971, 1972, 1974), and Gerald Bair 
(1975, 1976, 1977). All human remains and associated funerary objects 
have been stored at the Louden-Henritze Archeology Museum in Trinidad, 
CO, since their excavation. The 21 individuals include three infants of 
undetermined sex, two children of undetermined sex, two adolescents of 
undetermined sex, three adolescent females, one young adult of 
undetermined sex, one young adult male, one adult female, six adult 
males, and two adults of undetermined sex. No known individuals were 
identified. The 2,349 associated funerary objects are: 26 pieces of 
lithic debitage, three projectile points, one lithic biface tool, 16 
faunal remains, 603 bone beads, five incised bone beads, 1,475 snail 
shell beads, 10 seed beads, three bone wrenches, one bone awl, 36 
pottery sherds, two corn cobs, one antler tine fragment, one piece of 
graphite, four snail shells, 43 lots of basket and matting impressions 
in soil, seven lots of bulks soil samples form burials, 33 lots of 
unsorted flotation samples taken from burials, two lots of snail 
shells, one lot of shell beads, two lots of shell fragments, seven lots 
of snail shell beads, 17 lots of bone beads, five lots of seed beads, 
eight lots of seeds, 11 lots of lithic debitage, three lots of 
charcoal, four lots of mixed fire-cracked rock and charcoal, three lots 
of corn cobs, and 16 lots of faunal remains.
    In 1963, human remains representing, at minimum, three individuals 
were removed from archeological site 5LA1418 in Las Animas County, CO. 
Excavations at the site were undertaken in advance of the construction 
of Trinidad Dam and Reservoir by Trinidad State Junior College 
archeologist Galen Baker. All human remains have been stored at the 
Louden-Henritze Archeology Museum in Trinidad, CO, since their 
excavation. The three individuals include an infant of undetermined 
sex, an adolescent of undetermined sex, and an adult male. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    In 1964 and 1968, human remains representing, at minimum, five 
individuals were removed from the Messina Bluff site, 5LA1424, in Las 
Animas County, CO. Excavations at the site were undertaken in advance 
of the construction of Trinidad Dam and Reservoir by Trinidad State 
Junior College archeologists Galen Baker (1964) and Edwin Guilinger 
(1968). All human remains and associated funerary objects have been 
stored at the Louden-Henritze Archeology Museum in Trinidad, CO, since 
their excavation. Individuals from the Messina Bluff Site include two 
infants of undetermined sex, two adolescents of undetermined sex, and 
an adult of undetermined sex. No known individuals were identified. The 
seven associated funerary objects are one groundstone mano, one lithic 
flake, one lithic biface, one lithic core, and three faunal bones.
    Between 1950 and 1972, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from archeological site 5LA1426 in Las Animas 
County, CO. Excavation and site collection at the site were undertaken 
in advance of the construction of Trinidad Dam and Reservoir by 
Trinidad State Junior College archeologists. All human remains have 
been stored at the Louden-Henritze Archeology Museum in Trinidad, CO, 
since their excavation. The single individual is an adolescent of 
undetermined sex. No known individuals were identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    In 1967, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from archeological site 5LA1450 in Las Animas County, CO. 
Excavation at the site was undertaken in advance of the construction of 
Trinidad Dam and Reservoir by Trinidad State Junior College 
archeologist Edwin Guilinger. All human remains have been stored at the 
Louden-Henritze Archeology Museum in Trinidad, CO, since their 
excavation. The single individual is an adolescent of undetermined sex. 
No known individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects 
are present.
    In 1970, human remains representing, at minimum, two individuals 
were removed from archeological site 5LA1478 in Las Animas County, CO. 
Excavation at the site was undertaken by Trinidad State Junior College 
archeologist Stephen Ireland due to the discovery of human burials 
during gravel quarry operations. All human remains and associated 
funerary objects have been stored at the Louden-Henritze Archeology 
Museum in Trinidad, CO, since their excavation. The individuals include 
a middle-aged, adult female and an adolescent female. No known 
individuals were identified. The 188 associated funerary objects are: 
One shell pendant, 166 bone beads, 13 animal bone fragments, three 
lithic flakes, one groundstone mano, one polishing stone, one burned 
corn cob, one seed/nut hull, and one lot of animal bone fragments.
    In 1963, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from archeological site 5LA1523 in Las Animas County, CO. 
Excavations at the site were undertaken in advance of the construction 
of Trinidad Dam and Reservoir by Trinidad State Junior College 
archeologist Galen Baker. All human remains have been stored at the 
Louden-Henritze Archeology Museum in Trinidad, CO, since their 
excavation. The single individual is a young adult female. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    Between 1950 and 1974, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from the Blasi Place archeological site in Las 
Animas County, CO. Excavation at the site was undertaken by 
archeologist Herb Dick due to the inadvertent discovery of a human 
burial. All human remains have been stored at the Louden-Henritze 
Archeology Museum in Trinidad, CO since their excavation. The 
individual is an adolescent of undetermined sex. No known individuals 
were identified. No associated funerary objects are present.

Determinations Made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque 
District

    Officials of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District 
have determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice are Native American based on morphological 
characteristics of the skeletal remains, archeological context, and 
diagnostic artifacts associated with the human remains.

[[Page 56871]]

     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of 48 individuals of 
Native American ancestry.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the 2,563 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 cannot be reasonably traced between the Native American 
human remains and associated funerary objects and any present-day 
Indian Tribe.
     According to final judgments of the Indian Claims 
Commission or the Court of Federal Claims, the land from which the 
Native American human remains and associated funerary objects were 
removed is the aboriginal land of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, New 
Mexico.
     Treaties in 1851 and 1865 indicate that the land from 
which the Native American human remains and associated funerary objects 
were removed is the aboriginal land of the Arapaho Tribe of the Wind 
River Reservation, Wyoming; Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Oklahoma 
(previously listed as the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma); 
Comanche Nation, Oklahoma; and the Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma.
     Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1), the disposition of the 
human remains and associated funerary objects may be to the Arapaho 
Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming; Cheyenne and Arapaho 
Tribes, Oklahoma (previously listed as the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of 
Oklahoma); Comanche Nation, Oklahoma; Jicarilla Apache Nation, New 
Mexico; and the Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma.

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 and associated funerary objects should submit a 
written request with information in support of the request to U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District, ATTN: George MacDonell, 4101 
Jefferson Plaza NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109, telephone (505) 342-3281, 
email [email protected], by December 14, 2018. After 
that date, if no additional requestors have come forward, transfer of 
control of the human remains and associated funerary objects to the 
Arapaho Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming; Cheyenne and 
Arapaho Tribes, Oklahoma (previously listed as the Cheyenne-Arapaho 
Tribes of Oklahoma); Comanche Nation, Oklahoma; Jicarilla Apache 
Nation, New Mexico; and the Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma may proceed.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District is 
responsible for notifying The Consulted Tribes that this notice has 
been published.

    Dated: October 22, 2018.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2018-24765 Filed 11-13-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-52-P