[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 11, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61361-61362]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-22042]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0034593; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: William and Mary, Department of 
Anthropology, Williamsburg, VA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The William and Mary, Department of Anthropology has completed 
an inventory of human remains, in consultation with the appropriate 
Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations, and has determined that 
there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains 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 should submit a written request to William and 
Mary's Anthropology Department. If no additional requestors come 
forward, transfer of control of the human remains 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 should submit a 
written request with information in support of the request to William 
and Mary's Anthropology Department at the address in this notice by 
November 10, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Martin Gallivan, Anthropology 
Department, William and Mary, P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187-
8795, telephone (757) 221-3622, 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 under 
the control of William and Mary, Department of Anthropology, 
Williamsburg, VA. The human remains were removed from Smyth County, VA.
    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. The National Park Service is not responsible 
for the determinations in this notice.

Consultation

    A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by William and 
Mary's Anthropology Department professional staff in consultation with 
representatives of the Chickahominy Indian Tribe; Monacan Indian 
Nation; Nansemond Indian Nation (previously listed as Nansemond Indian 
Tribe); Pamunkey Indian Tribe; Rappahannock Tribe, Inc.; Upper 
Mattaponi Tribe; and the Mattaponi Indian Tribe, a non-federally 
recognized Indian group (hereafter referred to as ``The Consulted 
Tribes and Group'').

[[Page 61362]]

History and Description of the Remains

    At an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, two 
individuals were removed from Smyth County, VA. Writing on one of the 
skeletal elements (a cranium) states ``Found in a dry cave near 
Saltville, Smyth Co. VA.'' The exact site is uncertain but is possibly 
Site 44SM0028. The human remains have been in the possession of William 
and Mary's Anthropology Department since the 1960s and might have been 
acquired by the College in 1963. Collectively, the two individuals are 
represented by one cranium, one cranial vault, and a set of teeth 
embedded in soil. No known individuals were identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    The Monacan Indian Nation of Virginia and the Cherokee Tribes 
including Cherokee Nation, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and United 
Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, consider Smyth County to encompass 
their ancestral and historic territory. This oral traditional 
information is supported by archival, ethnographic, archeological, and 
oral history studies.

Determinations Made by the William and Mary, Department of Anthropology

    Officials of the William and Mary, 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 two individuals of 
Native American ancestry.
     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 the Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band of 
Cherokee Indians; Monacan Indian Nation; and the United Keetoowah Band 
of Cherokee Indians (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 should submit a 
written request with information in support of the request to Martin 
Gallivan, Anthropology Department, College of William and Mary, P.O. 
Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795, telephone (757) 221-3622, email 
[email protected], by November 10, 2022. After that date, if no additional 
requestors have come forward, transfer of control of the human remains 
to The Tribes may proceed.
    The William and Mary, Department of Anthropology is responsible for 
notifying The Tribes and The Consulted Tribes and Group that this 
notice has been published.

    Dated: September 27, 2022.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2022-22042 Filed 10-7-22; 8:45 am]
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