[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5024-5025]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01351]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0029326; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Tennessee, 
Department of Anthropology, Knoxville, TN

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The University of Tennessee, Department of Anthropology (UTK) 
has 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 UTK. 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 UTK at the address in this notice by February 
27, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Dr. Robert Hinde, University of Tennessee, Office of the 
Provost, 527 Andy Holt Tower, Knoxville, TN 37996-0152, telephone (865) 
974-2445, email [email protected] and [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 University of 
Tennessee, Department of Anthropology, Knoxville, TN. The human remains 
and associated funerary objects were removed from Morton County, ND; 
Campbell County, SD; and Lyman County, SD.
    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 UTK 
professional staff in consultation with representatives of the Three 
Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota.

History and Description of the Remains

    In the summer of 1960, human remains representing, at minimum, two 
individuals were removed from 32MO11, the Huff site, in Morton County, 
ND. The excavation was directed by W. Raymond Wood under a grant from 
the State Historical Society of North Dakota and the National Park 
Service (NPS). Post-excavation, Wood transferred the human skeletal 
remains to the State Historical Society of North Dakota. In October 
1960, Wood had Norman Paulson transfer the human skeletal remains to 
William Bass at the University of Kansas. In 1971, when Bass moved from 
Kansas to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), he took at 
least two skeletal individuals from the Huff site, 32MO11, with him. 
The individual in Burial 1 is a female, 45 to 50 years old. The 
individual in Burial 3 is a female, 45 to 50 years old. (A third 
individual, in Burial 2, was not found at UTK during the 2017-2019 
final inventory and documentation search, and it is unclear whether the 
State Historical Society of North Dakota ever transferred the human 
remains of that individual). No known individuals were identified. No 
associated funerary objects are present.
    The Huff site, 32MO11, is considered to be a relatively short-term 
fortified site occupied during the Terminal Middle Missouri period. 
Radiocarbon dating, with a 2-sigma probability range, dates the site 
between A.D. 1431 and 1496 (Johnson 2007:73). The Huff site is located 
about 19 miles south of the town of Mandan. The Terminal Middle 
Missouri Period, together with the earlier Extended Middle Missouri 
Period and the later Heart River phase, are ``thought to represent an 
unbroken Mandan cultural continuum from the historically documented 
villages in the Heart region back to about AD 1000'' (Johnson 
2007:109). Today, the Mandan are part of the Mandan, Hidatsa and 
Arikara Nation, known as the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort 
Berthold Reservation, North Dakota.
    Between 1957 and 1959, human remains representing, at minimum, 41 
individuals were removed from 39CA4, the Anton Rygh site, in Campbell 
County, SD, under the direction of Alfred W. Bowers as part of the 
Missouri River Basin Project. Post-excavation, Bowers transferred these 
human skeletal remains to the University of Idaho, Moscow. In January 
1974, the Chairman of the Sociology/Anthropology Department of the 
University of Idaho, Moscow, Roderick Sprague, transferred the human 
skeletal remains to William Bass at UTK. The human skeletal remains 
belong to nine infants and eight children of indeterminate sex, four 
adolescents, and 20 adults. Three of the adolescent individuals are of 
indeterminate sex, and one is probably male. Of the adults, six are 
probably male, 10 probably female, and four are of indeterminate sex. 
No known individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects 
are present.
    Site 39CA4 is a large, multi-component earth lodge village, part of 
the Plains Village Tradition. It is a fortified village site covering 
around 11-12 acres, and at least two occupations are suggested by the 
archeological evidence. The first occupation dates to the Extended 
Middle Missouri period (A.D 1000-1500), while the second

[[Page 5025]]

occupation dates to the Extended Coalescent (A.D. 1500-1675) and Post 
Contact Coalescent (A.D. 1675-1780) periods. Anthropological, 
archeological and biological evidence support a finding that during the 
Extended Middle Missouri period, this area lay within the ancestral 
Mandan territory, and that during the Extended Coalescent and Post 
Contact Coalescent periods, this area lay within the ancestral Arikara 
territory. Today, the Mandan and Arikara are part of the Mandan, 
Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, known as the Three Affiliated Tribes of the 
Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota.
    In 1956, human remains representing, at minimum, five individuals 
were removed from 39CA6, the Bamble site, in Campbell County, SD, by 
David Baerreis, John Dallman and others from the University of 
Wisconsin under the Inter-Agency Salvage Program in the Missouri Basin. 
Post-excavation, these human skeletal remains were presumably 
transferred to the University of Wisconsin. At an unknown date, likely 
post 1956 and pre-1990s, the human skeletal remains were transferred 
from the University of Wisconsin to William Bass at UTK. The individual 
in Burial 2/1 is an adult male, 40-45 years old; the individual in 
Burial 2/2 is an adult female, 22-24 years old; the individual in 
Burial 2/3 is a newborn infant, sex indeterminate; the individual in 
Burial 2/4 is an adult, probably male, 35+ years old; and the 
individual in Burial 2/5 is an adult, probably female, 50+ years old. 
No known individuals were identified. The one associated funerary 
object is an animal bone.
    At an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from 39CA6, the Bamble site, in Campbell 
County, SD. This individual, a child, was not assigned a burial number. 
A note accompanying the human remains stated ``donated by Earl Burns.'' 
At an unknown date, these human remains were transferred to William 
Bass at UTK. This skeletal individual is a child, 2-4 years old, of 
indeterminate sex. No known individuals were identified. The 17 
associated funerary objects are seven animal bones, eight ceramic 
fragments, one antler, and one rock.
    Site 39CA6, the Bamble site, is a fortified village dating to the 
Extended Coalescent period, circa A.D. 1500-1675. Artifacts from 
previous excavations at the site show a mix of indigenous and European 
materials, such as glass beads and brass items. Burial practices 
include primary interments covered with wood, representative of the 
Akaska Focus. Based on oral tradition, archeological evidence, 
geographical location, historic accounts, and osteological 
interpretations, the people of the Extended Coalescent period are 
believed to be ancestral Arikara. Today, the Arikara are part of the 
Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, known as the Three Affiliated 
Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota.
    In 1959, human remains representing, at minimum, three individuals 
were removed from 39LM227, the Stricker Mound site in Lyman County, SD, 
by Carlyle Smith of the University of Kansas, Museum of Natural 
History, under a cooperative agreement with the NPS. Presumably, Smith 
transferred the human remains to the University of Kansas, as William 
Bass and Richard Jantz studied them there in 1962. In 1971, Bass 
transferred the human remains to UTK. The first individual is an adult 
male, 30-35 years old; the second individual is a newborn infant of 
indeterminate sex; and the third individual is an adult male, 50+ years 
old. No known individuals were identified. The 53 associated funerary 
objects are one soil sample, three animal teeth, 36 animal bone 
fragments, nine lithic flakes, two projectile points, one sandstone 
tool, and one bivalve.
    According to Bass and Jantz (1965:20), the Stricker site, 39LM1, 
contained a burial mound later designated 39LM227. Archeological 
evidence places the Stricker site (39LM1) in the Extended Coalescent 
period (A.D. 1500-1675). Although it is unclear if the burial was 
contemporaneous with the settlement or a later intrusion, a projectile 
point found with the first individual does fit within the Extended 
Coalescent period. Anthropological, archeological and biological 
evidence support a finding that the people of the Extended Coalescent 
and the later Post Contact Coalescent periods in this region are 
ancestral Arikara. Today, the Arikara are part of the Mandan, Hidatsa 
and Arikara Nation, known as the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort 
Berthold Reservation, North Dakota.
    Based on morphological features, site and burial context, and 
associated funerary objects, UTK has determined that the human remains 
in this notice are of Native American ancestry. Additionally, based 
upon the historical record, anthropological and archeological evidence, 
site analysis, osteological analysis, and tribal consultation, UTK 
believes that there is a relationship of shared group identity that can 
be reasonably traced between these Native American human remains and 
associated funerary objects and the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort 
Berthold Reservation, North Dakota.

Determinations Made by the University of Tennessee, Department of 
Anthropology

    Officials of the University of Tennessee, Department of 
Anthropology have determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of 52 individuals of 
Native American ancestry.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the 71 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 Three 
Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota.

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 Dr. Robert Hinde, University of Tennessee, 
Office of the Provost, 527 Andy Holt Tower, Knoxville, TN 37996-0152, 
telephone (865) 974-2445, email [email protected] and [email protected], by 
February 27, 2020. After that date, if no additional requestors have 
come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and associated 
funerary objects to the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold 
Reservation, North Dakota, may proceed.
    The University of Tennessee, Department of Anthropology is 
responsible for notifying the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort 
Berthold Reservation, North Dakota, that this notice has been 
published.

    Dated: November 14, 2019.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2020-01351 Filed 1-27-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-52-P