[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 135 (Monday, July 15, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33782-33784]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-14934]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0028204; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, 
Bureau of Reclamation, Nebraska-Kansas Area Office, McCook, NE, and 
History Nebraska (Formerly the Nebraska State Historical Society), 
Lincoln, NE

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Nebraska-Kansas Area Office of the Bureau of Reclamation, 
and History Nebraska (formerly the Nebraska State Historical Society) 
have completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary 
objects, in consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes or Native 
Hawaiian organizations, and have 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 History Nebraska. 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 History Nebraska at the address in this 
notice by August 14, 2019.

[[Page 33783]]


ADDRESSES: Rob Bozell, History Nebraska, 5050 N 32nd Street, Lincoln, 
NE 68504, telephone (402) 525-1624, 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. Department of 
the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Nebraska-Kansas Area Office, 
McCook, NE, and in the physical custody of History Nebraska (formerly 
the Nebraska State Historical Society), Lincoln, NE. The human remains 
were removed from Dawson, Frontier, Garfield, and Hitchcock Counties, 
NE.
    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 Bureau 
of Reclamation, Nebraska-Kansas Area Office and History Nebraska 
professional staff in consultation with representatives of the Arapaho 
Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming; Iowa Tribe of Kansas and 
Nebraska; Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma; Northern Cheyenne Tribe of 
the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana; Omaha Tribe of 
Nebraska; Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma; Ponca Tribe of Nebraska; Santee 
Sioux Nation, Nebraska; Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse 
Reservation, South Dakota; and the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.
    The Apache Tribe of Oklahoma; Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the 
Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana; Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, 
Oklahoma (previously listed as the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of 
Oklahoma); Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River 
Reservation, South Dakota; Comanche Nation, Oklahoma; Crow Creek Sioux 
Tribe of the Crow Creek Reservation, South Dakota; Crow Tribe of 
Montana; Delaware Nation, Oklahoma; Delaware Tribe of Indians; Iowa 
Tribe of Oklahoma; Kaw Nation, Oklahoma; Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of 
the Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas; Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma; Lower 
Brule Sioux Tribe of the Lower Brule Reservation, South Dakota; Oglala 
Sioux Tribe (previously listed as the Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine 
Ridge Reservation, South Dakota); Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, 
Oklahoma; Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; Prairie Band Potawatomi 
Nation (previously listed as the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation, 
Kansas); Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian Reservation, South 
Dakota; Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska; Sac & Fox 
Nation, Oklahoma; Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa; Spirit 
Lake Tribe, North Dakota; Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North & South 
Dakota; Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North 
Dakota; Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco & 
Tawakonie), Oklahoma; and the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota were 
invited to consult but did not participate.
    Hereafter, all the Indian Tribes listed in this section are 
referred to as ``The Consulted and Invited Tribes.''

History and Description of the Remains

    In 1972, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from archeological site 25DS108 in Dawson County, NE. The 
human remains were excavated by the University of Nebraska, Lincoln 
during archeological investigations of the proposed Mid-State 
Irrigation Project under a contract with the National Park Service. In 
2011, the human remains were discovered and removed from the 25DS108 
archeological collection during a curation project conducted by History 
Nebraska under an agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation. The human 
remains represent one individual of unknown sex and age. No known 
individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    In 1933, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from the Mousel site 25FT5-A in Frontier County, NE. The 
human remains were excavated by History Nebraska during archeological 
investigations. The human remains represent one individual of unknown 
age or sex. No known individuals were identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    In 1988, human remains, representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from the Keith site 25FT18-A in Frontier County, NE. The 
human remains, called the Red Ochre Burial, were removed by the Bureau 
of Reclamation due to exposure on a receding shoreline at Medicine 
Creek Reservoir. The human remains represent one (probably female) 
child 3-7 years of age. No known individuals were identified. The 17 
associated funerary objects are one lot of red ochre, one complete 
bead, one bead fragment, one marine shell bead, one bone awl, one 
modified mussel shell fragment, one lot of unmodified mussel shells, 
three chipped stone scrapers, one chipped stone projectile point, one 
lot of pottery sherds, one lot of soils, one lot of seeds, one lot of 
snail shells, one small chipped stone flake fragment, and one lot of 
chipped stone flaking debris.
    In 1947, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from Feature 20 at the Keith site 25FT18-B in Frontier 
County, NE. The human remains were excavated by the Smithsonian 
Institution-River Basin Surveys during archeological investigations. In 
2011, the human remains were discovered and removed from the 25FT18 
archeological collection during a curation project conducted by History 
Nebraska under an agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation. The human 
remains represent one individual of unknown sex and age. No known 
individuals were identified. The 18 associated funerary objects are 
unmodified small animal bones and unmodified freshwater mussel shells.
    In 1976, human remains representing, at minimum, eight individuals 
were removed from archeological site 25FT21 in Frontier County, NE. The 
human remains were exhumed by the University of Nebraska State Museum 
following reports of looting and exposure at the site. The human 
remains represent eight individuals--one subadult 2 to 4 years of age 
(25FT21-A); three adults of unknown age or sex (25FT21-B, 25FT21-E, 
25FT21-G); one male older than 16 (25FT21-C); one subadult of unknown 
sex (25FT21-D); one adult of unknown sex older than 16 (25FT21-F); and 
one adult of unknown sex older than 24 (25FT21-H). No known individuals 
were identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    From 1947 to 1950, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from ``Occupation Level II'' at the Allen site 
25FT50 in Frontier County, NE. The human remains were excavated by the 
University of Nebraska State Museum during archeological 
investigations. In 2011, the human remains were discovered and removed 
from the 25FT50 archeological collection during a curation project 
conducted by History Nebraska under an agreement with the Bureau of 
Reclamation. The human remains represent one individual of unknown sex 
and age. No known individuals were identified. No associated funerary 
objects are present.

[[Page 33784]]

    In 1982, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from archeological site 25GF13 in Garfield County, NE. The 
human remains were excavated by the University of Nebraska, Lincoln 
working under a contract with the Bureau of Reclamation during 
construction of the Mirdan Canal project. The human remains represent 
one adult female of unknown age. No known individuals were identified. 
No associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1950, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from the Carmody site 25HK7 in Hitchcock County, NE. The 
human remains were excavated by History Nebraska during the course of 
archeological investigations conducted prior to the construction of the 
Trenton Dam. The human remains represent one adult of unknown sex and 
age. No known individuals were identified. The one associated funerary 
object is a mussel shell.
    In 1971, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from archeological site 25HK16 in Hitchcock County, NE. 
The human remains were discovered by a private individual eroding into 
the Swanson Reservoir. The human remains represent an elderly female. 
No known individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects 
are present.
    The human remains listed in this notice were determined to be 
Native American based on archeological context, burial patterns, 
osteology, or associated diagnostic artifacts. Based on oral tradition 
and archeological evidence, the Bureau of Reclamation and History 
Nebraska have determined there is a relationship of shared group 
identity that can be reasonably traced between the human remains and 
associated funerary objects listed in this notice and the Native 
American people that are represented today by 37 Indian Tribes.

Determinations Made by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of 
Reclamation, Nebraska-Kansas Area Office and History Nebraska

    Officials of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of 
Reclamation, Nebraska-Kansas Area Office and History Nebraska have 
determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of 16 individuals of 
Native American ancestry.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the 36 objects described 
in this notice that 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 
Consulted and Invited Tribes.

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 the request to Rob Bozell, History Nebraska, 5050 N 32nd 
Street Lincoln, NE 68504, telephone (402) 525-1624, email 
[email protected], by August 14, 2019. After that date, if no 
additional requestors have come forward, transfer of control of the 
human remains and associated funerary objects to The Consulted and 
Invited Tribes may proceed.
    The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, 
Nebraska-Kansas Area Office is responsible for notifying The Consulted 
and Invited Tribes that this notice has been published.

    Dated: June 13, 2019.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2019-14934 Filed 7-12-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-52-P