[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 403-404]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28914]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0037158; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, 
National Park Service, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, 
Chillicothe, OH

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 U.S. Department of the Interior, 
National Park Service, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park 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 Ross County, OH.

DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary 
objects in this notice may occur on or after February 2, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Chris Alford, Superintendent, Hopewell Culture National 
Historical Park, 16062 State Route 104, Chillicothe, OH 45601, 
telephone (740) 774-1126, 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 
Superintendent, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. Additional 
information on the determinations in this notice, including the results 
of consultation, can be found in the inventory or related records held 
by Hopewell Culture National Historical Park.

Description

    Human remains representing, at minimum, two individuals were 
removed from the Hopewell Mound Group (33RO27) or a nearby locale in 
Ross County, OH, most likely in the late 19th century by a member of 
the Biszantz family. A collection including these human remains and 
funerary objects was gifted to Mound City National Monument (now 
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park) by Miss Anna Biszantz in 
1964. The 167 associated funerary objects are four ceramic sherds, one 
ceramic disk, one copper earspool fragment, three cut mica disks, four 
chert bifaces, two quartz bifaces, three prismatic blades, one hematite 
ring, one chlorite schist gorget, one fragmented chisel of meteoric 
iron, two fragments of galena, 10 shark teeth fragments, three 
fragments of crystal quartz objects, 20 animal teeth, 105 shell beads, 
four bone beads, one faunal remain, and one animal bone object.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed 
from the Mound City Group, Ross County, OH, between 1917 and 1921 by a 
Lt. Kuhn. The human remains were removed from federal property and were 
accessioned into the collections at Mound City Group National Monument 
(now Hopewell Culture National Historical Park). The human remains most 
probably date to the Middle Woodland period. No associated funerary 
objects are present.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, six individuals were 
removed from the Mound City Group, Ross County, OH between 1920 and 
1921 by William C. Mills of the Ohio State Archaeological and 
Historical Society (now Ohio History Connection). The human remains and 
funerary objects were removed from federal property and were 
accessioned into the collections at Mound City Group National Monument 
(now Hopewell Culture National Historical Park). The human remains most 
probably date to the Middle Woodland period. The 279 associated 
funerary objects are one copper axe, one copper headplate, one copper 
headdress, four copper strips, 14 copper beads, one copper earspool, 
two obsidian bifaces, one chert biface, one quartz fragment, six marine 
shell containers, 34 stones, 204 mica, and nine pearls.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, 25 individuals were removed 
from the Mound City Group, Ross County, OH in 1963 by James Brown. The 
human remains and funerary objects were removed from federal property 
and were accessioned into the collections at Mound City Group National 
Monument (now Hopewell Culture National Historical Park). The human 
remains and funerary objects most probably date to the Middle Woodland 
period. The 381 associated funerary objects are 11 pearl beads, 31 
shell beads, two prismatic blades, four bone artifacts, one stone celt, 
one copper celt, one copper headplate, nine chert bifaces, eight copper 
artifacts, six fossilized coral, 178 faunal remains, one obsidian 
flake, 100 mica, one pipe, eight shells and shell fragments, five 
ceramic sherds, three red ocher fragments, and 11 stones.
    Human remains representing one individual were removed from the 
Mound City Group, Ross County, OH in 1965 by National Park Service 
archeologist Lee Hanson. The human remains were removed from federal 
property and were accessioned into the collections at Mound City Group 
National Monument (now Hopewell Culture National Historical Park). The 
human remains most probably date to the Middle Woodland period. No 
associated funerary objects are present.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, six individuals were 
removed from the Mound City Group, Ross County, OH in 1971 by Raymond 
S. Baby and colleagues of the Ohio Historical Society (now Ohio History 
Connection). The human remains and funerary objects were removed from 
federal property and were accessioned into the collections at Mound 
City Group National Monument (now Hopewell Culture National Historical 
Park). The human remains and funerary objects most probably date to the 
Middle Woodland period. The 389 associated funerary objects are six 
shell fragments, 123 mica, 31 chert flakes, 55 ceramic sherds, one 
fossil, 118 faunal remains, two chert tools, one prismatic blade, one 
chert biface, and 51 stones.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed 
from the Mound City Group, Ross County, OH in 1972 by Bert Drennan of 
the Ohio Historical Society (now Ohio History Connection). The human 
remains were removed from federal property and were accessioned into 
the collections at Mound City Group National Monument (now Hopewell 
Culture National Historical Park). The human remains most probably date 
to the Middle Woodland period. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed 
from the Mound City Group, Ross County, OH in 1973 by Raymond S. Baby 
and Bert Drennan of the Ohio Historical Society (now Ohio History 
Connection). The human remains and funerary objects were removed from 
federal property and were accessioned into the collections at Mound 
City Group National Monument (now Hopewell Culture National Historical

[[Page 404]]

Park). The human remains most probably date to the Middle Woodland 
period. The 59 associated funerary objects are 59 faunal remains.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, three individuals were 
removed from the Mound City Group, Ross County, OH in 1975 by Raymond 
S. Baby of the Ohio Historical Society (now Ohio History Connection). 
The human remains were removed from federal property and were 
accessioned into the collections at Mound City Group National Monument 
(now Hopewell Culture National Historical Park). The human remains most 
probably date to the Middle Woodland period. The nine associated 
funerary objects are two shell fragments, three faunal remains, two 
mica, one ceramic sherd, and one prismatic blade.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, 11 individuals were removed 
from the Mound City Group, Ross County, OH between 1920 and 1975 by an 
unknown individual or individuals. The human remains and funerary 
objects were removed from federal property and were accessioned into 
the collections at Mound City Group National Monument (now Hopewell 
Culture National Historical Park). The human remains and associated 
funerary objects most probably date to the Middle Woodland period. The 
84 associated funerary objects are 28 shark teeth, seven shell beads, 
six bone beads, three animal teeth, 10 mica, and 30 faunal remains.

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 information, archeological information, 
geographical information, historical information, linguistics, oral 
tradition.

Determinations

    Pursuant to NAGPRA and its implementing regulations, and after 
consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian 
organizations, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park has determined 
that:
     The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of 57 individuals of Native American ancestry.
     The 1,368 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 Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of 
Indians of Oklahoma; Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma; and the Shawnee 
Tribe.

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 February 2, 2024. 
If competing requests for repatriation are received, Hopewell Culture 
National Historical Park 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. Hopewell Culture National Historical Park 
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, 
and 10.14.

    Dated: December 20, 2023.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2023-28914 Filed 1-2-24; 8:45 am]
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