[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 177 (Friday, September 11, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56271-56273]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-20069]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0030682; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: Michigan State University, East 
Lansing, MI

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Michigan State University 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 
Tribes 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 Michigan 
State University. 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 Tribes 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 Michigan State University at the address in this notice 
by October 13, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judith Stoddart, Associate Provost for 
University Collections and Arts Initiatives, Michigan State University, 
466 W Circle Drive, East Lansing, MI 48824-1044, telephone (517) 432-
2524, 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 Michigan State 
University, East Lansing, MI. The human remains and associated funerary 
objects were removed from Arenac, Clinton, Huron, Iosco, and Midland 
Counties, MI.
    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 Michigan 
State University professional staff in consultation with 
representatives of the Bay Mills Indian Community, Michigan; Grand 
Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Michigan; Hannahville 
Indian Community, Michigan; Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Michigan; 
Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Michigan; 
Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Michigan; Little Traverse Bay 
Bands of Odawa Indians, Michigan; Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of 
Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan; Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the 
Potawatomi, Michigan (previously listed as Huron Potawatomi, Inc.); 
Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Michigan and Indiana; Saginaw 
Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan; Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa 
Indians, Michigan; and two non-federally recognized Indian groups, the 
Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and the Grand River Band 
of Ottawa Indians (hereafter referred to as ``The Consulted Tribes and 
Groups'').
    An invitation to consult was extended to the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe 
of

[[Page 56272]]

Indians of Oklahoma; Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of 
Chippewa Indians of the Bad River Reservation, Wisconsin; Chippewa Cree 
Indians of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana (previously listed as 
Chippewa-Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana); Citizen 
Potawatomi Nation, Oklahoma; Delaware Nation, Oklahoma; Delaware Tribe 
of Indians; Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma; Forest County Potawatomi 
Community, Wisconsin; Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas; Kickapoo 
Tribe of Indians of the Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas; Kickapoo Tribe 
of Oklahoma; Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians 
of Wisconsin; Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of 
the Lac du Flambeau Reservation of Wisconsin; Little Shell Tribe of 
Chippewa Indians of Montana; Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin; Miami 
Tribe of Oklahoma; Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota (Six component 
reservations: Bois Forte Band (Nett Lake); Fond du Lac Band; Grand 
Portage Band; Leech Lake Band; Mille Lacs Band; White Earth Band); 
Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma; Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; Prairie 
Band Potawatomi Nation (previously listed as Prairie Band of Potawatomi 
Nation, Kansas); Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of 
Wisconsin; Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Minnesota; Sac & Fox 
Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska; Sac & Fox Nation, Oklahoma; 
Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa; Seneca Nation of Indians 
(previously listed as Seneca Nation of New York); Seneca-Cayuga Nation 
(previously listed as Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma); Shawnee Tribe; 
Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Wisconsin; St. Croix Chippewa Indians of 
Wisconsin; Stockbridge Munsee Community, Wisconsin; Tonawanda Band of 
Seneca (previously listed as Tonawanda Band of Seneca Indians of New 
York); Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota; and 
the Wyandotte Nation, hereafter referred to as ``The Invited Tribes.''

History and Description of the Remains

    On August 14, 1971, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from the AuGres site (20AC19), AuGres Township, 
Arenac County, MI. The human remains (4321.1, 4321.2, 4321.3, 4321.4b, 
4321.5) and associated funerary objects were encountered by a 
construction crew. On October 23, 1974, the human remains were 
transferred to the Michigan State University Museum. No known 
individual was identified. The 66 associated funerary objects are one 
lot of beads (4321), one seed bead (4321.1), one lot of a glass bottle 
fragments, one grommet (4321.1), one lot of kettle scrap (4321.1), one 
rolled piece of flat lead or pewter (4321.1), one lot of rusted iron 
fragments (4321.1), one lot of flakes (4321.2), one lot of sherds 
(4321.2), one lot of vessel fragments (4321.2), nine worked lithics 
(4321.2), one charcoal sample (4321.3), one retouched flake (4321.3), 
eight flakes (4321.3), one lot of snail shell fragments (4321.3), five 
lithics (4321.5), one core (4321.4a), 12 flakes (4321.4a), two 
retouched flakes (4321.4a), two glass bottles (4321.4a), one lot of 
flakes (4321.4b), 10 utilized flakes and a projectile point fragment 
(4321.4b), one lot of snail shell fragments (4321.4b), and two lots of 
soil samples (4321.4b).
    In 1969, human remains representing, at minimum, 17 individuals 
were removed from the Cutler site (20CL108), Clinton County, MI. 
Michigan State University graduate student Marla Buckmaster removed the 
human remains (3477) from a gravel pit located on property owned by 
Neal Cutler. No known individuals were identified. The 32 associated 
funerary objects are 11 lots of carbon samples (3477), one flake, 15 
lots of ceramic sherds, and five ceramic sherds.
    During the spring of 1966, human remains representing, at minimum, 
six individuals were removed from the Matthews site (20CL61), Clinton 
County, MI. Clyde Anderson, a resident of St. Johns, removed the human 
remains, as well as associated funerary objects, while exploring the 
area in search of an early nineteenth-century Native American village. 
He reburied the human remains in the summer of 1966. Later in 1966, the 
Upper Grand Valley Chapter of the Michigan Archaeological Society 
(UGVC) re-excavated the human remains. In 1970, UGVC donated the human 
remains and associated funerary objects to Michigan State University. 
No known individuals were identified. The 93 associated funerary 
objects are one lot of bark, one lot of beads with metal, one lot of 
beads and string, four lots of seed beads, one lot of spun beads, one 
lot of blanket twill with silver brooch impressions, two lots of 
fabric, one lot of fabric (weave and fiber), one lot of fabric and seed 
beads, one lot of felt-like fabric, three individual fabrics, four lots 
of fiber, one fiber, one lot of iron fragments, one lot of iron pieces, 
two lots of iron nails, one lot of organic matter, one lot of silver, 
one lot of wood fragments, three armbands, one bauble, two blankets, 
one box of fragmentary wood containing feathers, one brooch fragment, 
two brooches with diamond holes, one ear bob, one ear wheel, four 
gorgets, eight gunflints, one jewelry made of pewter, two knives, one 
knife with handle, one piece of leather, one piece of knotted leather, 
one lithic, one piece of woven matting, one nail, one pail fragment, 
one pail rim fragment, nine photos, one silk scarf, two lead shots, one 
spoon, three strike-a-lites, one strike-a-lite fragment, six tacks, and 
six tubes. (One funerary object, a pipe, is missing from the 
collection.)
    On an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, two 
individuals were removed from the Kleinfeld site, Huron County, MI, and 
were transferred to Michigan State University's Forensic Anthropology 
Laboratory. No known individuals were identified. The one associated 
funerary object is a lot of lithics.
    On an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from the Pinnebog site, which is believed to be 
in Huron County, MI. No known individual was identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    In 1980, human remains representing, at minimum, 11 individuals 
were removed from the Brandt site (20IS46), Oscoda Township, Iosco 
County, MI. The human remains (5279) were discovered by the property 
owner, William Brandt, during trenching construction. The site, which 
was turned out to be a Late Archaic burial ground cemetery, was then 
excavated by Ms. Barbara Mead, Assistant Archaeologist of the Michigan 
Bureau of History, and Michigan State University graduate student 
Robert Kingsley. Following excavation, the human remains were 
transferred to Michigan State University, where they underwent 
examination by Anthropology Professor Dr. Norman Sauer and graduate 
student David A. Barondess. On September 11, 2019, the State of 
Michigan transferred control of two associated funerary objects to 
Michigan State University. No known individuals were identified. The 
two associated funerary objects are two side-notched projectile points 
(20IS46-1 and 20IS46-2).
    On June 30, 2017, human remains representing, at minimum, two 
individuals were removed from an unnamed site (20MD310), Midland 
County, MI. The human remains (FA 040-17-I-01, FA 040-17-I-02) were 
disturbed during the construction of a house foundation. Property owner 
Stephen Jenkins contacted the Michigan State Police, which assigned the 
human remains a case number (FA 040-17). On July 17, 2017, the human 
remains and an associated funerary object were

[[Page 56273]]

transferred to Michigan State University's Forensic Anthropology 
Laboratory, where the remains were analyzed by Anthropology Professor 
Dr. Joseph Hefner. No known individuals were identified. The one 
associated funerary object is a hatchet head (FA-040-17).

Determinations Made by Michigan State University

    Officials of Michigan State University have determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice are Native American based on archeological context, 
biological evidence, and geographic location.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of 40 individuals of 
Native American ancestry.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the 195 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 Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of 
Michigan.
     Treaties, Acts of Congress, or Executive Orders indicate 
that the land from which the Native American human remains and 
associated funerary objects were removed is the aboriginal land of the 
Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians of the 
Bad River Reservation, Wisconsin; Bay Mills Indian Community, Michigan; 
Chippewa Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana 
(previously listed as Chippewa-Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's 
Reservation, Montana); Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa 
Indians, Michigan; Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Michigan; Lac Courte 
Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin; Lac du 
Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of the Lac du Flambeau 
Reservation of Wisconsin; Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior 
Chippewa Indians of Michigan; Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of 
Montana; Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota (Six component 
reservations: Bois Forte Band (Nett Lake); Fond du Lac Band; Grand 
Portage Band; Leech Lake Band; Mille Lacs Band; White Earth Band); Red 
Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin; Red Lake 
Band of Chippewa Indians, Minnesota; Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of 
Michigan; Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Michigan; 
Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Wisconsin; St. Croix Chippewa Indians of 
Wisconsin; and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North 
Dakota.
     According to other authoritative government sources, the 
land from which the Native American human remains and associated 
funerary objects were removed is the aboriginal land of the Miami Tribe 
of Oklahoma; Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska; Sac & 
Fox Nation, Oklahoma; and the Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in 
Iowa.
     Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1), the disposition of the 
human remains and associated funerary objects may be to the Bad River 
Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians of the Bad River 
Reservation, Wisconsin; Bay Mills Indian Community, Michigan; Chippewa 
Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana (previously listed 
as Chippewa-Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana); 
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Michigan; Keweenaw 
Bay Indian Community, Michigan; Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake 
Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin; Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake 
Superior Chippewa Indians of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation of 
Wisconsin; Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of 
Michigan; Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana; Miami 
Tribe of Oklahoma; Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota (Six component 
reservations: Bois Forte Band (Nett Lake); Fond du Lac Band; Grand 
Portage Band; Leech Lake Band; Mille Lacs Band; White Earth Band); Red 
Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin; Red Lake 
Band of Chippewa Indians, Minnesota; Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in 
Kansas and Nebraska; Sac & Fox Nation, Oklahoma; Sac & Fox Tribe of the 
Mississippi in Iowa; Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan; Sault 
Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Michigan; Sokaogon Chippewa 
Community, Wisconsin; St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin; and the 
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota (hereafter 
referred to as ``The Tribes'').

Additional Requestors and Disposition

    Representatives of any Indian Tribes 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 Judith Stoddart, Associate Provost for University 
Collections and Arts Initiatives, Michigan State University, 466 W 
Circle Drive, East Lansing, MI 48824-1044, telephone (517) 432-2524, 
email [email protected], by October 13, 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.
    Michigan State University is responsible for notifying The Tribes, 
The Consulted Tribes and Groups, and The Invited Tribes that this 
notice has been published.

    Dated: August 14, 2020.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation 
Act (NAGPRA) Program.
[FR Doc. 2020-20069 Filed 9-10-20; 8:45 am]
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