[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 38 (Monday, February 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14102-14104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03795]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0037441; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: Office of the State Archaeologist 
Bioarchaeology Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

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 Office of the State Archaeologist 
Bioarchaeology Program (OSA-BP) 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 Buena Vista, Cherokee, Mills, O'Brien, Plymouth, and Polk 
Counties, IA.

DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary 
objects in this notice may occur on or after March 27, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Dr. Lara Noldner, Office of the State Archaeologist 
Bioarchaeology Program, University of Iowa, 700 S Clinton Street, Iowa 
City, IA 52242, telephone (319) 384-0740, email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is published as part of the 
National Park Service's administrative

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responsibilities under NAGPRA. The determinations in this notice are 
the sole responsibility of the OSA-BP. 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 OSA-BP.

Description

    In 2019, human remains representing, at minimum, six individuals 
were removed from the Joy Creek Major site (13PM7) in Plymouth County, 
IA. Flood-related breaches in a levee near the site caused the erosion 
of a mortuary feature and the scattering of human remains across an 
agricultural field. The human remains were collected by personnel from 
the Sanford Museum in Cherokee, IA, and the OSA-BP. An older adolescent 
or young adult male, a middle to older adult possible male, and three 
adults of unknown age and sex are represented by the human remains. A 
child 10-to-12 years old is represented by a naturally-shed deciduous 
tooth (BP3443). No associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1959 and 1963, human remains representing, at minimum, three 
individuals were removed from the Wittrock Site (13OB4) in O'Brien 
County, IA. Archeological excavations of this Mill Creek village were 
conducted by the University of Iowa in 1959 and 1965, and by the 
University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1963. Human skeletal remains 
identified during the 1959 and 1965 excavations were previously 
reported and reburied in 1978. In 2010, a human patella from the 1963 
excavation of 13OB4 was transferred from the Department of Anthropology 
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to the Iowa Office of the State 
Archaeologist (OSA). Two teeth from the 1963 excavation were 
transferred from the Sanford Museum in Cherokee, Iowa, to the OSA-BP in 
2014. Additional human elements from the 1959 excavation were 
identified in the OSA Repository in 2014-2015 and transferred to the 
OSA-BP (Burial Projects 3017, 3068, 3095). No associated funerary 
objects are present.
    In 1955, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual was 
removed from the Phipps Site (13CK21) in Cherokee County, IA. 
Archeological excavations of this Mill Creek village were conducted by 
Reynold Rupp[eacute] and sponsored by the Northwest Chapter of the Iowa 
Archaeological Society, the Sanford Museum, and the University of Iowa 
from 1952-1956. Faunal remains from the 1955 field season were housed 
at the Sanford Museum before being transferred to the OSA-BP in 2018. 
During processing of these faunal remains, a single human tooth was 
identified and transferred to the OSA-BP. The tooth, bearing the 
catalog number CK4042, represents an older adult (Burial Project 3394). 
No associated funerary objects are present.
    At an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, four 
individuals were removed from the Phipps Site (13CK21), the Bultman 
Site (13BV2) and site 13CK1. An archeologist from the Sanford Museum in 
Cherokee County, Iowa, noted the human remains on display at Jim's 
History Barn in Peterson, IA. The human remains were confiscated by the 
OSA-BP in 2019. At a minimum, four individuals, one juvenile and three 
adults, are represented by a phalanx, three isolated teeth and a 
partial mandible (Burial Project 3478). No associated funerary objects 
are present.
    In 1969, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual was 
removed from the Broken Kettle West Site (13PM25) in Plymouth County, 
IA. The site was excavated in 1969 by the University of Nebraska. At an 
unknown date, these human remains were transferred to the OSA and 
rediscovered in the OSA repository in 2019 (Burial Project 3482). Two 
mandibular fragments represent one young adult (20-35 years old) of 
indeterminate sex. No associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1966, human remains representing, at minimum, four individuals 
were removed from sites 13PM32, 13PM33, and possibly 13PM25 in Plymouth 
County, IA. The original location was indicated as being on the Blue 
Diamond Ranch, site numbers 13PM32 and 13PM33, where the University of 
Wisconsin excavated in 1966. At an unknown date cremated human remains 
from these sites were transferred to the University of Missouri. A bag 
with the remains was also labeled 13PM25. In January of 2023, the 
American Archaeology Division of the University of Missouri transferred 
the human remains to the OSA-BP (Burial Project 3747). Fragmentary 
cremated human remains represent four adults of indeterminate age and 
sex. The one associated funerary object is one lot of charcoal.
    In 1963, human remains representing, at minimum, 26 individuals 
were removed from site 13PK38, also called the West Des Moines Burial 
Site, in Polk County, IA. The burial site was impacted by construction 
in 1963 and subsequently excavated by the State Department of History 
and Archives, now the State Historical Society of Iowa. Human remains 
excavated were transferred to the OSA in 1983 and then temporarily 
loaned to Doug Owsley while at Louisiana State University in 1985. 
Owsley then took the collection with him upon his transition to the 
Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. The human 
remains were transferred back to the OSA-BP in November of 2021 (Burial 
Project 3641). Mostly complete but commingled human remains represent 
at least 21 adult individuals, two infants, and three juveniles ranging 
in age from 2-17 years old. No associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1971 and 1972, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from 13ML130 in Mills County, IA. Excavations 
were conducted at 13ML130 in 1971 and 1972 in a series of salvage 
archeology efforts in association with the Iowa Highway Program. 
Archeological material from the excavation was housed at the OSA 
repository. In 2014, a partial mandible and an isolated tooth were 
transferred to the OSA-BP after being discovered in the faunal material 
from 13ML130. The human remains represent one individual of 
indeterminate age and sex (BP 3066). No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    In 1971 and 1972, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from 13ML135 in Mills County, IA. Excavations 
were conducted at 13ML135 in 1971 and 1972 in a series of salvage 
archeology efforts in association with the Iowa Highway Program. 
Archeological material from the excavation was housed at the OSA 
repository. In 2014, a foot phalanx was transferred to the OSA-BP after 
being discovered in the faunal material from 13ML135. Thin sections of 
human long bones were also found among the artifacts. The human remains 
represent one individual of indeterminate age and sex (BP 3067). The 90 
associated funerary objects are 17 potsherds, three rim sherds, one 
bone fish hook, one knife fragment, one celt tip, three worked flakes, 
10 unworked flakes, 26 faunal bone fragments, two charcoal samples, one 
nutshell, one wood sample, one piece of daub, five pieces of limestone, 
and 18 unmodified rocks.
    In 1971 and 1972 human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from 13ML139 in Mills County, IA, during a 
series of salvage archeology efforts in association with the Iowa 
Highway Program. Archeological material from the excavation were 
subsequently housed in the OSA repository. In 2017, a

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deciduous tooth crown was transferred to the OSA-BP after being 
discovered in the faunal material from 13ML139. The human remains 
represent one juvenile individual 10.5-11.5 years old (BP 3302). No 
associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1969 and 1970, human remains representing, at minimum, two 
individuals were removed from a Nebraska Phase earthlodge site 
(13ML124) in Mills County, IA. The human remains were excavated from 
the site between 1969 and 1970 and were stored in the OSA repository. 
In 2003, the human remains were discovered in the OSA repository (OSA 
accession #312) and transferred to the OSA-BP. An older juvenile and a 
young adult are represented by a femur and a single tooth (Burial 
Project 1724). No associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1995, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from site 13ML175 in Mills County, IA. The human remains 
were excavated from 13ML175 during a Phase III archeological project 
conducted by the OSA in advance of road construction. The human remains 
were transferred to the OSA-BP. A child between the ages of 10 and 12 
years is represented by the naturally shed deciduous tooth (Burial 
Project 849). 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 information, archeological information, 
biological information, geographical information, historical 
information, linguistics, and oral tradition.

Determinations

    Pursuant to NAGPRA and its implementing regulations, and after 
consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian 
organizations, the OSA-BP has determined that:
     The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of 51 individuals of Native American ancestry.
     The 91 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 and 
the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North 
Dakota.

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 March 27, 2024. If 
competing requests for repatriation are received, the Office of the 
State Archaeologist Bioarchaeology Program 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 Office of 
the State Archaeologist Bioarchaeology Program is responsible for 
sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian 
organizations identified in this notice.
    This notice was submitted before the effective date of the revised 
regulations (88 FR 86452, December 13, 2023, effective January 12, 
2024). As the notice conforms to the mandatory format of the Federal 
Register and includes the required information, the National Park 
Service is publishing this notice as submitted.
    Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.

    Dated: February 16, 2024.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2024-03795 Filed 2-23-24; 8:45 am]
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