[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 238 (Wednesday, December 13, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86362-86364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-27370]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0037056; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, 
Bureau of Reclamation, Missouri Basin Region, Nebraska-Kansas Area 
Office, McCook, NE

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and 
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau 
of Reclamation, Nebraska-Kansas Area Office (Reclamation Nebraska-
Kansas Area Office) 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 Jewell, 
Mitchell, Norton, and Phillips Counties, KS, and from Frontier County, 
NE.

DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary 
objects in this notice may occur on or after January 12, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Catherine Griffin, Bureau of Reclamation, Nebraska-Kansas 
Area Office, 1706 West 3rd Street, McCook, NE 69001, telephone (308) 
345-8324, email [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 the 
Reclamation Nebraska-Kansas Area Office. 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 the Reclamation Nebraska-Kansas Area Office.

Description

14JW-HOFTS

    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed 
from Jewell County, KS. Sometime prior to 1982, a private citizen 
reported that human remains were exposed on the south shore of Lovewell 
Reservoir. Native American archeological sites with fragmentary human 
remains are known to erode from the south shore of Lovewell Reservoir. 
These sites date to either the Plains Woodland period (A.D. 1-1000) or 
Plains Village period (A.D. 1000-1500). The Kansas Historical Society 
(KHS) assigned Unmarked Burial Sites (UBS) case number UBS 1991-52 to 
the human remains. The box was labelled ``Hofts Collection.'' In 1995, 
Reclamation transferred the human remains to the Wichita State 
University's Biological Anthropology Laboratory (WSU-BAL) for inventory 
and secure storage. The fragmentary human remains belong to a young 
adult, probably female, 20 to 30 years of age. No associated funerary 
objects are present.

14JW312

    Human remains representing, at minimum, 11 individuals were removed 
from Jewell County, KS. In 1982, the KHS, working under a cooperative 
agreement with Reclamation, excavated fragmentary and poorly preserved 
human remains that were eroding into Lovewell Reservoir at site 
14JW312, aka the Begin Ossuary. KHS excavated an estimated 10 sets of 
commingled human remains from a burial pit, and one set of human 
remains from an extended primary burial. KHS assigned case number UBS 
1989-29 to the human remains. In 1995, Reclamation transferred the 
human remains and associated funerary objects to WSU-BAL for inventory 
and secure storage. The fragmentary human remains collected from 
14JW312 belong to an infant, a child, an adolescent, and male and 
female adults. The four associated funerary objects are one shell disc 
bead, one lot consisting of pottery sherds (from at least two different 
vessels), one lot consisting of chipped stone debitage, and one lot 
consisting of unmodified deer bones. The associated funerary objects 
date to the Upper Republican phase of the Central Plains Tradition 
(A.D. 950-1400).

14ML1

    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed 
from Mitchell County, KS. In 1952, the Smithsonian Institution's River 
Basin Surveys (SI-RBS) recommended that a salvage excavation be 
conducted at the late prehistoric village site 14ML1, aka the Glen 
Elder Site, prior to its destruction by construction of Glen Elder Dam. 
In 1963, the University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL) excavated site 14ML1 
under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service (NPS). The 
1963 excavation recovered two human bones from a filled pit. In 2001, 
graduate students working on faunal and artifact curation found 
additional human remains within the 14ML1 archeological collection. The 
archeological materials from 14ML1 date to the Central Plains Tradition 
(A.D. 1000-1500). In 2001, Reclamation transferred the human remains to 
WSU-BAL for inventory and secure storage. The fragmentary human remains 
collected from 14ML1 belong to a mature adult of unknown sex. No 
associated funerary objects are present.

14ML5

    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed 
from Mitchell County, KS. In 1952, the SI-RBS recommended that a 
salvage excavation be conducted at the late prehistoric village site 
14ML5 prior to its inundation by Glen Elder Dam and Waconda Lake. From 
1964 to 1965, the UNL excavated site 14ML5 under a cooperative 
agreement with the NPS. UNL excavated two earthen lodge floors and an 
extramural work area. Human remains were excavated from an unknown area 
within the site. The archeological materials from site 14ML5 are 
associated with the Solomon River phase of the Central Plains Tradition

[[Page 86363]]

(A.D. 1000-1300). In 1992, Reclamation transferred the human remains to 
WSU-BAL for inventory and secure storage. The human remains collected 
from 14ML5 belong to an infant or a young child less than seven years 
of age. No associated funerary objects are present.

14ML11

    Human remains representing, at minimum, two individuals were 
removed from Mitchell County, KS. In 1952, the SI-RBS recommended that 
a salvage excavation be conducted at the late prehistoric village site 
14ML11 prior to its being inundated by Glen Elder Dam and Waconda Lake. 
From 1965 to 1967, the UNL excavated site 14ML11 under a cooperative 
agreement with the NPS. UNL excavated an earthen lodge floor, where 
they found one nearly complete infant skeleton and one set of adult 
human remains. The archeological materials from the site are associated 
with the Solomon River phase of the Central Plains Tradition (A.D. 
1000-1300). In 1998, Reclamation transferred the human remains to WSU-
BAL for inventory and secure storage. The human remains belong to an 
infant or a young child less than four years in age, and a mature adult 
of indeterminate sex. No associated funerary objects are present.

14ML15

    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed 
from Mitchell County, KS. In 1952, the SI-RBS recommended that a 
salvage excavation be conducted at the late prehistoric village site 
14ML15 prior to its being inundated by Glen Elder Dam and Waconda Lake. 
In 1964 and 1965, the UNL excavated site 14ML15 under a cooperative 
agreement with the NPS. Human remains were present in one of four 
earthen lodge floors excavated by the UNL. The archeological materials 
from the site are associated with the Central Plains Tradition (A.D. 
1000-1500). In 1992, Reclamation transferred the human remains to WSU-
BAL for inventory and secure storage. The human remains collected from 
14ML15 belong to a young adult female, 20 to 35 years of age. No 
associated funerary objects are present.

14ML16

    Human remains representing, at minimum, 33 individuals were removed 
from Mitchell County, KS. In 1952, the SI-RBS recommended that a 
salvage excavation be conducted at the late prehistoric village site 
14ML16 prior to its being inundated by Glen Elder Dam and Waconda Lake. 
In 1964 and 1965, the UNL excavated site 14ML16 under a cooperative 
agreement with the NPS. UNL excavated flexed and commingled burials 
from several pit features within earthen lodge floors. The 
archeological materials from the site are associated with the Central 
Plains Tradition (A.D. 1000-1500). KHS assigned case number UBS 1995-9 
to the human remains. In 1992, Reclamation transferred the human 
remains and associated funerary objects to WSU-BAL for inventory and 
secure storage. The fragmentary human remains collected from 14ML16 
belong to a fetus, an infant, a child, an adolescent, a young adult, 
and mature adults of both sexes. The nine associated funerary objects 
are one lot consisting of unworked faunal bones, one lot consisting of 
worked faunal bones, one lot consisting of chipped stone debris, one 
lot consisting of chipped stone tools, one lot consisting of pottery 
sherds, one lot consisting of shell beads, one lot consisting of 
miscellaneous shells, one marine shell gorget, and one lot consisting 
of charcoal.

14NT11

    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed 
from Norton County, KS. In 1962, the UNL surveyed and excavated site 
14NT11 under a cooperative agreement with the NPS, prior to the site 
being inundated by Norton Dam and Keith Sebelius Lake. The site's 
Plains Woodland period (A.D. 1-1000) component included an undisturbed 
midden and subterranean pit features containing charred corn and bison 
faunal remains. During a NAGPRA inventory in 1998, UNL identified the 
human remains, and in 1999, Reclamation transferred the human remains 
to WSU-BAL for inventory and secure storage. The human remains 
collected from 14NT11 belong to a child between 7.5 and 12.5 years of 
age and of unknown sex. No associated funerary objects are present.

14PH10

    Human remains representing, at minimum, three individuals were 
removed from Phillips County, KS. In 1952, the SI-RBS recorded site 
14PH10, aka the West Island Site, but did not recommend an excavation. 
In 1963, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) employee discovered 
human remains and artifacts eroding from site because of exposure 
during low lake levels at Kirwin Reservoir. That same year, the KHS 
State Archeologist, working under a cooperative agreement with the NPS, 
conducted an initial excavation, during which human remains were 
collected from the surface of the island's eroding shelf. In 1965, 
archeologists from the University of Kansas, Lawrence (KU), working 
under a cooperative agreement with the NPS, excavated the site and 
collected additional human remains. The archeological materials from 
the site date to the Keith phase of the Plains Woodland period (A.D. 
600-800). The human remains collected in 1963, which are securely 
stored at KHS (case number UBS 1990-25), belong to one adult male 
between 34 and 40 years of age, and one adult female of unknown age. 
The human remains collected in 1965, which are securely stored at KU 
(accession number 698.1996), belong to one adult, probably female based 
on the presence of a wide sciatic notch of the innominate. No 
associated funerary objects are present.

14PH305

    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed 
from Phillips County, KS. In 1978, KHS, working under a contract with 
the FWS, surveyed and tested site 14PH305 during an archeological 
survey of the Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge. The surveyors collected 
artifacts and bone from the surface of the site and excavated at least 
one soil core probe. The archeological materials from the site date to 
the Plains Woodland period (A.D. 1-1000). In 2000, Dr. Michael Finnegan 
at Forensic Anthropological Consultants in Manhattan, KS, inventoried 
the human remains, but could not determine the age, sex, or ancestry of 
the individual. In 2023, Reclamation conducted a repository facility 
review of KHS and became aware of the human remains from 14PH305. The 
human remains are securely stored at KHS (case number UBS-2000.15). No 
associated funerary objects are present.

25FT--

    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed 
from Frontier County, NE. Sometime prior to 1982, a private individual 
collected a human skull from Harry Strunk Lake and subsequently donated 
it to the University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM). The reported 
discovery location is near two archeological sites--25FT18, a Plains 
Woodland period site (A.D. 1-1000), and 25FT20, a Central Plains 
Tradition site (A.D. 1000-1500). In 1995, UNSM transferred the donated 
remains to Reclamation. Prior to Reclamation's possession, the skull 
had been reconstructed and coated in a shellac-like substance. In 2017, 
Dr. E. Melanie Ryan, Reclamation's California-Great Basin Region, 
Regional NAGPRA

[[Page 86364]]

Program Manager, determined that the human remains belonged to an 
individual of Native American ancestry, based on non-metric cranial 
traits. In 2019, Reclamation transferred the human remains to WSU-BAL 
for secure storage. The human remains belong to an adult male, 18 to 42 
years of age. No associated funerary objects are present.

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: anthropological, archeological, geographical, linguistic, 
oral traditional, other relevant information, and expert opinion.

Determinations

    Pursuant to NAGPRA and its implementing regulations, and after 
consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian 
organizations, the Reclamation Nebraska-Kansas Area Office has 
determined that:
     The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of 56 individuals of Native American ancestry.
     The 13 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 Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma; 
Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota; 
and the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco, & 
Tawakonie), 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 January 12, 2024. 
If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Reclamation 
Nebraska-Kansas Area Office must determine the most appropriate 
requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the 
human remains and associated funerary objects are considered a single 
request and not competing requests. The Reclamation Nebraska-Kansas 
Area Office 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: December 6, 2023.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2023-27370 Filed 12-12-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P