[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 155 (Tuesday, August 11, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48554-48556]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-17486]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0030596; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: Denver Museum of Nature & 
Science, Denver, CO, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest 
Service, Gila National Forest, Silver City, NM

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the U.S. Department 
of Agriculture, Forest Service, Gila National Forest (USFS Gila 
National Forest) 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 the 
Denver Museum of Nature & Science. 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 Denver Museum of Nature & Science at the 
address in this notice by September 10, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Stephen E. Nash, Director of Anthropology and Senior Curator 
of Archaeology, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., 
Denver, CO 80205, telephone (303) 370-6056, 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, some of which are under the control of the 
Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver, CO, and some of which are 
under the control of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest 
Service, Gila National Forest, Silver City, NM. The human remains and 
associated funerary objects were removed from Catron County, NM. The 
human remains of 49 individuals and 30 associated funerary objects were 
removed from private lands, and the human remains of five individuals 
were removed from Federal land belonging to the Gila National Forest.
    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 Denver 
Museum of Nature & Science professional staff in consultation with 
representatives of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Pueblo of Acoma, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; 
and the Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico.

History and Description of the Remains

    Between 1977 and 1993, human remains representing, at minimum, 54 
individuals were removed from LA 3009 (a.k.a. the W.S. Ranch Site), LA 
33704 (a.k.a. the Eva Faust Site), WS-5 (no known LA number), LA 29372 
(a.k.a. WS-17 and HO Bar Site), LA 2949 (a.k.a. Apache Creek Pueblo), 
and LA 4437 (a.k.a. Devil's Park Pueblo) in Catron County, NM, during 
excavations by the University of Texas at Austin, under the direction 
of Dr. James Neely. Following excavation, these human remains and 
associated funerary objects were curated at the Texas Archaeological 
Research Laboratory (TARL) in Austin, TX. Since 2017, the Denver Museum 
of Nature & Science (DMNS) has had possession of the human remains and 
associated funerary objects removed during the excavations from private 
lands, and has had custody of the human remains removed during the 
excavations from Federal land

[[Page 48555]]

belonging to the Gila National Forest. No known individuals were 
identified.
    Site number LA 3099 (a.k.a. the WS Ranch Site, McKeen Site, and NM 
5:9:2) is located on both private lands and Federal land belonging to 
the Gila National Forest. Made up of at least six masonry room blocks 
that surround two or more great kivas, arranged around a possible 
plaza, it was excavated by the University of Texas from 1977 to 1993. 
The human remains of 45 individuals and 30 associated funerary objects 
were collected from private lands belonging to the WS Ranch Site, and 
the human remains of one individual were collected from Federal land 
belonging to the Gila National Forest. The 30 associated funerary 
objects are three bone tools, eight chipped stone tools, two ground 
stone tools, two miscellaneous stone objects, three whole ceramic 
vessels, four cloth fragments, one twine fragment, one hide fragment, 
one shell bracelet, three shells, one matrix sample, and one pigment 
sample. Based upon material culture, architecture, and site 
organization, this site has been identified as an Upland Mogollon 
pithouse and pueblo community that was occupied ca. A.D. 600-1300.
    Site number LA 33704 (a.k.a. the Eva Faust Site) is located on 
private lands. A Late Pithouse (A.D. 600-1000) to early Pueblo (A.D. 
1000-1175) Reserve/Three Circle Phase site, it was partially excavated 
by the University of Texas in 1986. The human remains of one individual 
were collected from LA 33704. Based upon material culture, 
architecture, and site organization, the site has been identified as an 
Upland Mogollon pithouse and pueblo community that was occupied ca. 
A.D. 600-1175.
    The WS-5 site is located on private lands. It was heavily damaged 
in the 1970s by looters, whose bulldozer cuts exposed the central 
masonry room block of a purported early Pueblo structure. The human 
remains of two individuals were recovered in 1986. Based on material 
culture, architecture, and site organization, this site has been 
identified as an Upland Mogollon pueblo community that was occupied ca. 
A.D. 1000-1175.
    WS-17 (a.k.a. LA29372, the HO BAR site) is located on private 
lands. It is a Late Archaic/Early Pithouse period site. The human 
remains of one individual were collected. Based upon material culture, 
architecture, and site organization, the site has been identified as an 
Upland Mogollon pithouse community that was occupied ca. A.D. 600-1175.
    LA2949 (a.k.a. Apache Creek Pueblo) is located on Federal land 
belonging to the Gila National Forest. It is an Early/Late Pueblo site 
containing numerous room blocks and a kiva component. The human remains 
of two individuals were collected. Based upon material culture, 
architecture, and site organization, Apache Creek Pueblo has been 
identified as an Upland Mogollon pueblo community that was occupied ca. 
A.D. 1100-1250.
    LA4437 (a.k.a. Devil's Park Pueblo) is located on Federal land 
belonging to the Gila National Forest. It is an Early Pueblo site 
containing visible masonry room blocks and a kiva. The human remains of 
two individuals were collected. Based upon material culture, 
architecture, and site organization, Devil's Park Pueblo has been 
identified as an Upland Mogollon pueblo community that was occupied ca. 
A.D. 1100-1175.
    Archeologists have used the term Upland Mogollon to define the 
archeological complex represented by the sites described in this 
notice. Material culture characteristics of these traditions include a 
temporal progression from earlier pit houses to later masonry pueblos, 
villages organized in room blocks of contiguous dwellings and 
associated with plazas, rectangular kivas, polished and painted 
decorated ceramics, unpainted corrugated ceramics, inhumation burials, 
cradleboard cranial deformation, grooved stone axes, and bone 
artifacts. Archeologists have observed strong similarities between 
these archeological groups and present-day Puebloan Tribes. The 
similarities in ceramic traditions, burial practices, architectural 
forms, and settlement patterns have led archeologists to believe the 
prehistoric inhabitants of the Mogollon Rim region migrated north and 
west to the Hopi mesas and north and east to the Zuni River Valley. 
Certain objects found in Upland Mogollon archeological sites strongly 
resemble ritual paraphernalia used by Puebloan Tribes in continuing 
religious practices.
    Based on their material culture, architecture, and organizational 
structure, WS Ranch Site, Eva Faust Site, WS-5, WS-17, Apache Creek 
Pueblo, and Devil's Park Pueblo have been identified as Upland Mogollon 
masonry pueblo and pithouse complexes that were occupied between ca. 
A.D. 200 and 1300. Continuities between ethnographic and archeological 
materials, Native American oral traditions, geography, and expert 
opinion, support the determination by the Denver Museum of Nature & 
Science and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Gila 
National Forest, that the 54 individuals and 30 associated funerary 
objects in this notice are culturally affiliated with all 24 Puebloan 
tribes in the American Southwest.

Determinations Made by the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Gila National Forest

    Officials of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Gila National Forest have 
determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of 54 individuals of 
Native American ancestry.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the 30 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 Hopi 
Tribe of Arizona; Kewa Pueblo, New Mexico (previously listed as Pueblo 
of Santo Domingo); Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico (previously listed as 
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 Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo of Texas); and the Zuni Tribe of the 
Zuni Reservation, New Mexico (hereafter referred to as ``The 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 Stephen E. Nash, Director of Anthropology and 
Senior Curator of Archaeology, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 
Colorado Blvd., Denver,

[[Page 48556]]

CO 80205, telephone (303) 370-6056, email [email protected], by 
September 10, 2020. After that date, if no additional requestors have 
come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and associated 
funerary objects to The Tribes may proceed.
    The Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, Forest Service, Gila National Forest are responsible for 
notifying The Tribes that this notice has been published.

    Dated: July 7, 2020.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2020-17486 Filed 8-10-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P