[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 222 (Friday, November 18, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69326-69329]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-25137]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0034877; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and 
Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard 
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 
object and any present-day Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian 
organizations. 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 
object should submit a written request to the Peabody Museum of 
Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. If no additional 
requestors come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and 
associated funerary object to the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian 
organizations stated in this notice may proceed.

DATES: Representatives of any Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian 
organization not identified in this notice that wish to request 
transfer of control of these

[[Page 69327]]

human remains and associated funerary object should submit a written 
request with information in support of the request to the Peabody 
Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University at the address 
in this notice by December 19, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane Pickering, William & Muriel 
Seabury Howells Director, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, 
Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, telephone 
(617) 496-2374, 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 Peabody Museum of 
Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. The human 
remains and associated funerary object were removed from Barnstable, 
Bristol, Dukes, and Plymouth Counties, MA.
    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 
object. The National Park Service is not responsible for the 
determinations in this notice.

Consultation

    A detailed assessment of the human remains and associated funerary 
objects was made by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology 
professional staff in consultation with representatives of the Mashpee 
Wampanoag Tribe (previously listed as Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal 
Council, Inc.); Narragansett Indian Tribe; Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head 
(Aquinnah); and the Assonet Band of the Wampanoag Nation, a non-
federally recognized Indian group (hereafter referred to as ``The 
Consulted Tribes and Group'').

History and Description of the Remains

Barnstable County, MA

    In 1901, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed by an unknown person from an unknown site in Osterville. 
In 1901 or 1902, Dr. S.W. Driver donated these human remains to the 
Peabody Museum through Dr. Frederic Ward Putnam. The human remains are 
postcranial fragments belonging to an adult female. No known individual 
was identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    In the spring of 1921, human remains representing, at minimum, 
three individuals were removed by Charles C. Owen from Grand Island in 
Osterville. In December of 1921, A.A. Marsters donated these human 
remains to the Peabody Museum. The human remains are cranial and 
postcranial elements belonging to two adult males and one adult of 
unknown sex. No known individuals were identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    In March of 1934, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed by Lauchlan M. Crocker, the Sheriff of 
Barnstable County, from an unknown site in Barnstable. That same month, 
Crocker donated these human remains to the Peabody Museum. The human 
remains were recorded as being 12 feet underground. The human remains 
are cranial and postcranial fragments belonging to an adult female. No 
known individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    At an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed by Edward H. Rogers from an unknown site in 
Provincetown. Rogers donated these human remains to the Robert S. 
Peabody Institute, which in turn donated them to the Peabody Museum in 
December of 1937. The human remains are the partial cranium and 
postcranial elements belonging to an adult female. No known individual 
was identified. The one associated funerary object is a projectile 
point. As the point's shape most likely falls within the ``Neville'' 
tradition, it is a modified Neville point. The Neville tradition is 
associated with the Middle Archaic period in southeastern New England 
(ca. 8000-6000 B.P.).
    In 1947, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed by Ross Moffett from the Hillside site in Truro. That same 
year, Moffett donated these human remains to the Peabody Museum. The 
human remains were located in a brownish-black, sandy midden layer. 
Moffett's descriptions of grit-tempered pottery known as Early Woodland 
Period Vinette I and Fox Creek style projectile points--these are not 
in the collections of the Peabody Museum--suggest that this interment 
most likely dates from the Early to Middle Woodland Period (3000-1000 
B.P.). The human remains are the nearly complete skeleton belonging to 
a subadult male. No known individual was identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    At an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed by Deputy Sheriff Louis Cataldo from the Indian 
Neck site in Wellfleet. In March of 1966, Cataldo donated these human 
remains to the Peabody Museum through Dr. Edward Hunt. The human 
remains are the partial cranium and postcranial elements belonging to 
an adult male. No known individual was identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    In 1867, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed by Dr. Jeffries Wyman from the Cotuit port shell heap and 
donated by him to the Peabody Museum. The human remains are postcranial 
fragments belonging to an adult of unknown sex. No known individual was 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    In February of 1970, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed by the Bourne Police from an unknown site in 
Buzzards Bay in Bourne. Deputy Sheriff Cataldo donated these human 
remains to the Peabody Museum. The human remains were removed from a 
depth of approximately 30 feet. The human remains are the nearly 
complete cranium belonging to an adult female. No known individual was 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.

Bristol County, MA

    In July of 1945, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed by workmen while excavating a sewer on the 
property of John Martin in Taunton. That same month, Dr. Alan Richards 
Moritz of Harvard University's Department of Legal Medicine donated 
these human remains to the Peabody Museum. The human remains are the 
partial cranium and postcranial fragments belonging to an adult female. 
No known individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    At an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed by an unknown person from an unknown site in 
New Bedford. These human remains were given to the Robert S. Peabody 
Institute, which in turn presented them to the Peabody Museum in 
February of 1963. The human remains are the partial cranium belonging 
to an adult male. No known individual was identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present.

Dukes County, MA

    In 1914, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed by Edward Wigglesworth from Wasque Point on Martha's 
Vineyard. In

[[Page 69328]]

July of 1914, Curtis N. Smith donated these human remains to the 
Peabody Museum. The human remains are cranial and postcranial fragments 
belonging to an adult of unknown sex. No known individual was 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    At an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed by Dr. Charles T. Jackson from an ``Indian 
burial place'' on Martha's Vineyard. Jackson presented these remains to 
the Boston Society for Medical Improvement (BSMI). In June of 1889, the 
cabinet of the BSMI was officially transferred to the Warren Anatomical 
Museum, Harvard University (WAM), and in May of 1959, WAM transferred 
the human remains to the Peabody Museum. The original inventory of the 
human remains describes the burial location as full of small shells and 
notes that many of the bodies in the burial place were interred in an 
erect posture surrounded by shells. The human remains are the nearly 
complete cranium belonging to an adult female. No known individual was 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.

Plymouth County, MA

    In March of 1940, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed by Norman Merry, Arthur Chandler, and 
Superintendent Sherman from an unknown site in Lakeville. That same 
month, Dr. Alan Richards Moritz of Harvard University's Department of 
Legal Medicine donated these human remains to the Peabody Museum. The 
human remains are postcranial fragments belonging to an adult of 
unknown sex. No known individual was identified. No associated funerary 
objects are present.
    At an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed by Dr. Charles T. Jackson from a refuse heap in 
Plymouth. In November of 1943, the Boston Society of Natural History 
donated these human remains to the Peabody Museum through Dr. Frederic 
T. Lewis. The human remains are postcranial fragments belonging to an 
adult of unknown sex. No known individual was identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    In May of 1946, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed by Dr. Raymond G. Vinal from an unknown site in 
Norwell. Vinal turned these human remains over to the Massachusetts 
State Police, who delivered them to Harvard University's Department of 
Legal Medicine. That same month, Dr. Alan Richards Moritz of the 
Department of Legal Medicine donated these human remains to the Peabody 
Museum. The human remains were found buried 2.5-3 feet beneath the 
ground in gravel resembling hard-packed sand. The human remains are 
cranial and postcranial fragments belonging to an adult male. No known 
individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    In April of 1947, human remains representing, at minimum, two 
individuals were removed by Dr. Maurice Robbins and William Bell Taylor 
from the Taylor Farm Site, 19Pl165, in North Middleboro. In May of 
1947, Robbins donated these human remains to the Peabody Museum. The 
human remains are the partial cranium and postcranial elements 
belonging to two adult females. No known individuals were identified. 
No associated funerary objects are present.
    At an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed by an unknown person from an unknown site in 
Middleboro. In December of 1883, J. Collins Warren donated these human 
remains to the Warren Anatomical Museum, Harvard University (WAM) as 
part of the J. Mason Warren Collection, and in May of 1959, WAM 
transferred them to the Peabody Museum. The human remains are the 
nearly complete cranium belonging to an adult male. No known individual 
was identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
    In August of 1961, human remains representing, at minimum, seven 
individuals were removed by a member of the Cohannet Chapter of the 
Massachusetts Archaeological Society named ``Curtis'' from the 
Wapanucket 8 site in Middleboro. In September of 1961, the 
Massachusetts Archaeological Society, through Maurice Robbins, donated 
the human remains to the Peabody Museum. The human remains were found 
in a burial feature consisting of burned and unburned bones capped by a 
layer of red paint. Radiocarbon dates, artifacts diagnostic of the 
Archaic period, and the cremation burial suggest that this site and 
interment dates to the Late Archaic Period (5000-3000 B.P.). The human 
remains are cranial and postcranial fragments belonging to two infants 
of unknown sex, one child of unknown sex, one subadult of unknown sex, 
one adult male, one adult female, and one adult of unknown sex. No 
known individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are 
present.

Determinations Made by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, 
Harvard University

    Officials of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, 
Harvard University have determined that:
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice are Native American based on osteological analysis, 
archeological context, and museum records.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described 
in this notice represent the physical remains of 27 individuals of 
Native American ancestry.
     Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the one object described 
in this notice is 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 object and any present-day Indian 
Tribe.
     Treaties, Acts of Congress, or Executive Orders, indicate 
that the land from which the Native American human remains and 
associated funerary object were removed is the aboriginal land of the 
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (previously listed as Mashpee Wampanoag Indian 
Tribal Council, Inc.) and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) 
(hereafter referred to as ``The Tribes'').
     Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.11(c)(1), the disposition of the 
human remains and associated funerary object may be to The Tribes.

Additional Requestors and Disposition

    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 object should submit a 
written request with information in support of the request to Jane 
Pickering, William & Muriel Seabury Howells Director, Peabody Museum of 
Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, 
Cambridge, MA 02138, telephone (617) 496-2374, email 
[email protected], by December 19, 2022. After that date, if 
no additional requestors have come forward, transfer of control of the 
human remains and associated funerary object to The Tribes may proceed.
    The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University 
is responsible for notifying The Consulted Tribes and Group that this 
notice has been published.


[[Page 69329]]


    Dated: November 9, 2022.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2022-25137 Filed 11-17-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P