[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 91 (Thursday, May 11, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30340-30342]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-10032]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0035850; 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: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and 
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Tennessee, Department of 
Anthropology (UTK), has completed an inventory of human remains and 
associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural 
affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects 
and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The 
human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from Benton, 
Henry, Humphreys, Stewart, and Williamson Counties, TN, as well as from 
an unknown county in TN.

DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary 
objects in this notice may occur on or after June 12, 2023.

[[Page 30341]]


ADDRESSES: Dr. Ozlem Kilic, University of Tennessee, Office of the 
Provost, 527 Andy Holt Tower, Knoxville, TN 37996-0152, telephone (865) 
974-2454, email [email protected] and [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is published as part of the 
National Park Service's administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA. 
The determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of UTK. 
The National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in 
this notice. Additional information on the determinations in this 
notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in the 
inventory or related records held by UTK.

Description

    Likely in 1991, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from Benton County, TN, near Pilot Knob State 
Park, by an unknown individual. That year, these human remains were 
turned over to law enforcement officials and transferred to the 
Forensic Anthropology Center (FAC) at UTK (case number 91-39). They 
remained at the FAC until 2022, at which time they were transferred to 
the UTK Office of Repatriation (OR). No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    On July 15, 1992, human remains representing, at minimum, four 
individuals were removed from Kentucky Lake, in Henry County, TN, by a 
mussel diver. These human remains were taken to local law enforcement 
officials, who then transferred them to William Bass at UTK. Following 
Bass' examination, the human remains were housed at the FAC (case 
number 92-19). They remained at the FAC until 2022, at which time they 
were transferred to the OR. The one associated funerary object is one 
lot consisting of lithics.
    On September 2, 1985, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from the bank of Kentucky Lake in Humphreys 
County, TN. An individual saw the ancestral human remains while fishing 
nearby and alerted local law enforcement officials, who contacted 
William Bass at UTK to examine the human remains. Following Bass' 
assessment (completed on September 9, 1985), the human remains were 
transferred to the FAC (case number 85-20). They remained at the FAC 
until 2022, at which time they were transferred to the OR. No 
associated funerary objects are present.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, three individuals were 
removed from the bank of an unknown region of the Cumberland River in 
Stewart County, TN. They were removed by an unknown individual and 
turned over to law enforcement officials, who contacted William Bass at 
UTK and transferred the human remains to UTK for examination. Following 
the examination, the human remains were housed at the FAC (case number 
94-42). They remained at the FAC until 2022, at which time they were 
transferred to the OR. No associated funerary objects are present.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed 
from an unknown area near the Tennessee River, in Stewart County, TN. 
The discoverer, a man from Clarksville, TN, took these ancestral human 
remains to local law enforcement officials, who sent them to UTK for 
examination on November 2, 1997. Following examination by William Bass, 
the human remains were housed by the FAC (case number 97-31). They 
remained at the FAC until 2022, at which time they were transferred to 
the OR. No associated funerary objects are present.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed 
from the shore of the Harpeth River in Williams County, TN. On March 
10, 1996, law enforcement officials were called to the scene after 
these ancestral human remains were found by a boy playing near the 
river. The human remains were sent to the FAC for analysis (case number 
96-12). They remained at the FAC until 2022, when they were transferred 
to the OR. No associated funerary objects are present.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were found 
in Williamson County, TN. On April 8, 2002, a man alerted law 
enforcement officials that his cousin had discovered these ancestral 
human remains in a box in a barn. On April 13, 2006, local law 
enforcement officials transferred the human remains to the FAC for 
examination (case number 06-10). They remained at the FAC until 2022, 
at which time they were transferred to the OR. The one associated 
funerary object is one lot consisting of lithics.
    Sometime prior to 1982, human remains representing, at minimum, 
four individuals were removed from an unknown archeological site in the 
Kentucky Lake region by Dr. Bobby Brown. Dr. Brown transferred these 
human remains to the University of Iowa Office of the State 
Archaeologist (UIOSA). Based on correspondence, in January of 1983, 
UIOSA transferred the human remains to William Bass at UTK, and since 
that date, the human remains have been housed there. The two associated 
funerary objects are one lot consisting of ceramics and one lot 
consisting of shells.

Cultural Affiliation

    The human remains and associated funerary objects in this notice 
are connected to one or more identifiable earlier groups, tribes, 
peoples, or cultures. There is a relationship of shared group identity 
between the identifiable earlier groups, tribes, peoples, or cultures 
and one or more Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. The 
following types of information were used to reasonably trace the 
relationship: archeological, biological, geographical, and historical.

Determinations

    Pursuant to NAGPRA and its implementing regulations, and after 
consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian 
organizations, UTK has determined that:
     The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of 16 individuals of Native American ancestry.
     The four 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.
     There is a relationship of shared group identity that can 
be reasonably traced between the human remains and associated funerary 
objects described in this notice and the Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band 
of Cherokee Indians; The Chickasaw Nation; and the United Keetoowah 
Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.

Requests for Repatriation

    Written requests for repatriation of the human remains and 
associated funerary objects in this notice must be sent to the 
Responsible Official identified in ADDRESSES. Requests for repatriation 
may be submitted by:
    1. Any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian 
organizations identified in this notice.
    2. Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian 
organization not identified in this notice who shows, by a 
preponderance of the evidence, that the requestor is a lineal 
descendant or a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian 
organization.
    Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects 
in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after June 12, 2023. If 
competing requests for repatriation are received, UTK must determine 
the most appropriate requestor prior to

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repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the human remains and 
associated funerary objects are considered a single request and not 
competing requests. UTK is responsible for sending a copy of this 
notice to the Indian Tribes identified in this notice.
    Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.9, 10.10, 
and 10.14.

    Dated: May 5, 2023.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2023-10032 Filed 5-10-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P