[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 245 (Friday, December 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 88642]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28190]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0037137; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion Amendment: Western Washington 
University, Department of Anthropology, Bellingham, WA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; amendment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and 
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Western Washington University (WWU) has 
amended a Notice of Inventory Completion published in the Federal 
Register on April 22, 2022. This notice amends the minimum number of 
individuals in a collection removed from Skagit County, WA.

DATES: Repatriation of the human remains in this notice may occur on or 
after January 22, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Dr. Judith Pine, Western Washington University, Department 
of Anthropology, Arntzen Hall 340, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 
98225, telephone (360) 650-4783, 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 WWU. 
The National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in 
this notice. Additional information on the amendments and 
determinations in this notice, including the results of consultation, 
can be found in the inventory or related records held by WWU.

Amendment

    This notice amends the determinations published in a Notice of 
Inventory Completion in the Federal Register (87 FR 24196, April 22, 
2022). Repatriation of the items in the original Notice of Inventory 
Completion has not occurred. In 2023, elements that were originally 
described as ``unidentified'' were reviewed by an osteologist. As a 
result of this review, the minimum number of individuals has increased 
from three to four individuals.
    From Site 45-SK-37 in Skagit County, WA, four individuals were 
removed (previously identified as three individuals).

Determinations (as Amended)

    Pursuant to NAGPRA and its implementing regulations, and after 
consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian 
organizations, WWU has determined that:
     The human remains described in this amended notice 
represent the physical remains of four individuals of Native American 
ancestry.
     There is a relationship of shared group identity that can 
be reasonably traced between the human remains described in this notice 
and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.

Requests for Repatriation

    Written requests for repatriation of the human remains 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 in this notice to a requestor may 
occur on or after January 22, 2024. If competing requests for 
repatriation are received, WWU must determine the most appropriate 
requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the 
human remains are considered a single request and not competing 
requests. WWU is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the 
Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations 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, 
10.13, and 10.14.

    Dated: December 13, 2023.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2023-28190 Filed 12-21-23; 8:45 am]
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