[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 38 (Monday, February 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14099-14101]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03807]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0037443; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: Illinois State Museum, 
Springfield, IL

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 Illinois State Museum 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 the Dickson Mounds site (11F10/
11Fo34), Dickson Camp site (11F10/11Fv35), and a Middle Woodland mound 
site (11F10/11Fo36), in Fulton County, IL.

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

ADDRESSES: Brooke M. Morgan, Illinois State Museum Research & 
Collections Center, 1011 East Ash Street, Springfield, IL 62703, 
telephone (217) 785-8930, 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 
Illinois State Museum. 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 Illinois 
State Museum.

Description

    Between 1927 and 1929, Dr. Don F. Dickson exposed and left in situ 
human remains representing, at minimum, 286 individuals in Mounds 10(I) 
and 2(E) at the Dickson Mounds site (11F10/11Fo34), Fulton County, IL. 
These burials date to the Spoon River focus of the Mississippian period 
(ca. A.D. 1150-1300). Associated funerary objects were often left with 
their burial of origin, but some were removed and placed with a 
different burial or displayed in what would become the Museum. The in 
situ former burial exhibit was known as the ``Dickson Excavation'' and 
was on display from 1927 until its closure in 1992. Dickson Mounds 
State Park was transferred from the Department of Conservation to the 
Illinois State Museum in 1965, which is when the ``Dickson Excavation'' 
was accessioned into the Museum's collection. In 1993, human remains 
representing, at minimum, one individual were removed from this same 
location prior to the entombment of the former Dickson Mounds burial 
exhibit by the Illinois State Museum.
    The 773 associated funerary objects are nine antler flakers, two 
polished antler rings, 274 shell beads, one fluorspar bead, four bone 
bracelets, one bone weaving tool, two fishhook blanks, three bone 
fishhooks, one bone awl, three bone pins, seven chipped stone drills, 
two chert hoes, 49 chert flakes, 20 flake knives, 24 triangular 
projectile points, 45 chipped stone scrapers, one galena cube, one 
groundstone celt, one flotation sample, five sandstone abraders, five 
unmodified deer phalanges, one ceramic trowel, 17 bone needles, 10 
shell pendants, one groundstone pipe, 65 ceramic vessels, three lots of 
ceramic sherds, 45 shell rattles or clackers, three shell hoes, 26 
shell spoons, 11 unmodified mussel shells, 123 terrestrial snail 
shells, two lots of burial fill, and six unmodified stones.
    Between 1966 and 1968, human remains representing, at minimum, 830 
individuals were removed from the Dickson Mounds site (11F10/11Fo34), 
Fulton County, IL, when the Illinois State Museum performed salvage 
excavations prior to construction of the current building, which opened 
to the public in 1972. These 830 individuals were removed from four 
precontact cemeteries and 11 mounds constructed during the Late 
Woodland and Mississippian periods and are comprised of 136 individuals 
dating to the Late Woodland period (A.D. 700-1100), 440 individuals 
dating to the Mississippian period (A.D. 1150-1300), and 254 
individuals dating to an undetermined precontact archeological period. 
Precontact period individuals for which time period was unable to be 
determined were generally removed from indeterminate mounds or from the 
disturbed upper levels of the mounds that were subject to extensive 
looting prior to the 1927 Dickson excavation. Archeologists determined 
these human remains had been historically disassociated from their 
original positions within the mounds and, as a result, were often 
commingled and unable to be separated by individual.
    The 2,024 associated funerary objects belonging to the Late 
Woodland period individuals are two antler flakers, one antler hairpin, 
1,678 shell beads, 11 lots of faunal remains, one bone pin, one bone 
fishhook, 18 chert flakes, three flake knives, 18 projectile points, 12 
chipped stone scrapers, one sandstone file, one discoidal, one grinding 
stone, three copper ear spools, seven lots of

[[Page 14100]]

charcoal, one lot of burned clay, 77 lots of burial fill, 24 flotation 
samples, three pieces of hematite, two puma canine ear pendants, five 
shell pendants, 47 ceramic vessels, 47 lots of ceramic sherds, four 
shell rattles or clackers, 42 shell spoons, 10 unmodified mussel 
shells, and four unmodified stones.
    The 3,646 associated funerary objects belonging to the 
Mississippian period individuals are seven antler flakers, two antler 
hair rings, 2,689 shell beads, two beaver incisor chisels, one bird 
wing fan, two bone bipointed objects, five bone bracelets, one bone 
comb, two cut bird bones, 15 lots of faunal remains, eight bone 
scarifier needles, nine bone awls, 13 bone pins, one biface fragment, 
one chert drill, three chert gravers, 122 chert flakes, 10 flake 
knives, 57 projectile points, 32 chipped stone scrapers, two sandstone 
abraders, two groundstone celts, one discoidal, three grinding stones, 
two groundstone paint palettes, four polishing stones, one hematite 
plummet, four copper ear spools, one copper gorget, one galena cube 
bead, one lot of sand tempering material, seven lots of charcoal, two 
lots of burned clay, 115 lots of burial fill, 25 flotation samples, two 
lots of preserved woven fabric, three pieces of hematite, 183 quartz 
pebbles from rattles, one sandstone elbow pipe, two puma canine ear 
pendants, 16 shell pendants, 58 ceramic vessels, 92 lots of ceramic 
sherds, four ceramic trowels, 58 shell rattles, one worked marine 
shell, 49 shell spoons, 22 lots of unmodified mussel shells, and two 
unmodified stones.
    The 681 associated funerary objects belonging to the Precontact 
period individuals are 571 shell beads, two elk astragali, four lots of 
faunal remains, one modified bird bone, one turtle carapace plaque, one 
chert biface, 14 chert flakes, two flake knives, three projectile 
points, three chert scrapers, one groundstone anvil, one lot of 
charcoal, 25 lots of burial fill, two flotation samples, 10 shell 
pendants, three ceramic vessels, 20 lots of ceramic sherds, two mussel 
shell hoes, 11 shell spoons, and four lots of unmodified mussel shell.
    The 2,046 associated funerary objects belonging to multiple 
individuals or mounds are two worked antler artifacts, 63 shell beads, 
two beaver incisors, three bone bracelets, one bone hair ring, two bone 
shuttles, 16 lots of faunal remains, three turtle carapace fragments, 
11 bone pins or awls, 18 chert bifaces, 220 chert flakes, three flake 
knives, 36 projectile points, 47 chert scrapers, five sandstone 
abraders, three groundstone celts, two galena cubes, 21 lots of burial 
fill, 28 lots of charcoal, 26 lots of soil, four soil core samples, 
seven flotation samples, 18 shell pendants, four lots of hematite, 618 
lots of ceramic sherds, 31 ceramic vessels, five worked shells, 49 
shell spoons, 248 lots of unmodified shell, and 550 lots of unmodified 
stone.
    Prior to 1967, human remains representing, at minimum, 143 
individuals were removed from the Dickson Mounds site (11F10/11Fo34), 
Fulton County, IL, by Dr. Don F. Dickson or his colleagues. These were 
used primarily for exhibits at the Dickson Mounds Museum between 1945-
1978 and were known as the Dickson Osteology Collection. The human 
remains were purchased by the Illinois State Museum in 1967 as the 
Dickson Pathology Collection. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    Prior to 1985, human remains representing, at minimum, 14 
individuals were removed from the Dickson Mounds site (11F10/11Fo34), 
Fulton County, IL, by a private collector. The human remains were 
donated to the Illinois State Museum in 1985 as part of the Dan Morse 
Pathology Collection. No associated funerary objects are present.
    Prior to 1923, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from the Dickson Mounds site (11F10/11Fo34), 
Fulton County, IL, by an unknown person, and recovered by the Riverside 
County (California) Sheriff's Department in 1985. The remains were 
transferred to the Illinois State Museum in 1986. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    Prior to 1954, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from the Dickson Mounds site (11F10/11Fo34), 
Fulton County, IL, by Dr. Don F. Dickson and given to a private 
citizen. The remains were donated to the Illinois State Museum in 1991. 
No associated funerary objects are present.
    Prior to the 1930s, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from the Dickson Mounds site (11F10/11Fo34), 
Fulton County, IL, by Dr. Don F. Dickson and given to a private 
citizen. The remains were donated to the Illinois State Museum in 2004. 
No associated funerary objects are present.
    In 1967, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from the Dickson Mounds site (11F10/11Fo34), Fulton 
County, IL, by Marion Dickson and given to a person working on the 
Dickson Mounds excavation team. The remains were donated to the 
Illinois State Museum in 2016 by a private citizen. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    Prior to 1968, human remains representing, at minimum, 10 
individuals were removed from the Dickson Mounds site (11F10/11Fo34), 
Fulton County, IL, by an unknown person and later donated to the 
Florida State University Department of Anthropology. Circumstances 
surrounding the recovery and donation are unknown. The remains and 
associated funerary objects were transferred to the Illinois State 
Museum in 2022. The 18 associated funerary objects include three mussel 
shell fragments, one terrestrial gastropod shell, two groundstone 
tools, four rocks, one projectile point tip fragment, three chert 
flakes, two pieces of burned botanical material, one bone awl, and one 
lot of unidentified faunal bone.
    Prior to the 1980s, human remains representing, at minimum, 15 
individuals were removed from the Dickson Mounds site (11F10/11Fo34), 
Fulton County, IL, and later donated to the Iowa Office of the State 
Archaeologist by a private citizen. The remains and associated funerary 
objects were transferred to the Illinois State Museum in 2022. The 21 
associated funerary objects include four mussel shell fragments, one 
chert flake, and 16 limestone fragments.
    In 1931, human remains representing, at minimum, four individuals 
were removed from the Dickson Mounds site (11F10/11Fo34), Fulton 
County, IL, by Dr. Don F. Dickson and donated to the Field Museum of 
Natural History in Chicago. The remains and associated funerary objects 
were transferred to the Illinois State Museum in 2023. The 22 
associated funerary objects include six chert flakes, one groundstone 
abrader, two mussel shell spoons, one marine shell pendant, one marine 
shell pendant or bead, two chert knives, four projectile points, one 
shell tempered ceramic beaker with a handle, one shell tempered 
undecorated ceramic jar with loop handles, one shell tempered 
undecorated ceramic water bottle, one shell tempered decorated ceramic 
jar, and one groundstone celt.
    On an unknown date, human remains representing, at minimum, 13 
individuals were removed from the Dickson Mounds site (11F10/11Fo34), 
Fulton County, IL, and donated or otherwise acquired by the Illinois 
State Museum on an unknown date. No associated funerary objects are 
present.
    Prior to 1945, human remains representing, at minimum, one 
individual were removed from the Dickson Mounds site (11F10/11Fo34), 
Fulton County, IL, and given to a private citizen. The remains were 
donated to the Illinois State Museum in 2002. No associated funerary 
objects are present.

[[Page 14101]]

    In 1965, human remains representing, at minimum, two individuals 
were removed from the Dickson Camp site (11F10/11Fv35), Fulton County, 
IL, during professional excavation by the Illinois State Museum. The 
Dickson Camp site dates to the Early Havana Tradition or Early Middle 
Woodland period (150-50 BC). The 24 associated funerary objects include 
one unmodified rock, 13 pieces of chert debitage, one piece of 
sandstone, one lamellar flake blade of Cobden-Dongola chert, three 
fire-cracked rocks, one piece of ochre, one drumfish tooth, one mussel 
shell, one cordmarked ceramic vessel, and one mussel shell spoon.
    In 1966, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from the Dickson Camp site (11F10/11Fv35), Fulton County, 
IL, during salvage excavation by the Illinois State Museum. The 11 
associated funerary objects include one projectile point, four chert 
flakes, and six ceramic sherds.
    In 1961, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual 
were removed from a Middle Woodland (Hopewell) mound (11F10/11Fo36), 
Fulton County, IL, by the Illinois State Museum. In 1981, associated 
funerary objects from this mound collected on an unknown date were 
transferred from the Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist to the 
Illinois State Museum. The mound dates between 50 BC-A.D. 400. The 81 
associated funerary objects include 31 lots of chert flakes, one lot of 
chert, one lot of clay pieces, one grinding stone, one grooved 
sandstone abrader, one hammerstone, 12 lots of ceramic sherds, two 
projectile points, 13 lots of rock, eight lots of soil, six lots of 
shell, one ash sample, one bark sample, and two sets of bark 
impressions in sediment matrix.

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, biological, geographical, 
linguistic, and oral tradition information.

Determinations

    Pursuant to NAGPRA and its implementing regulations, and after 
consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian 
organizations, the Illinois State Museum has determined that:
     The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of 1,325 individuals of Native American ancestry.
     The 9,347 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 Forest County Potawatomi 
Community, Wisconsin; Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin; Iowa Tribe of 
Kansas and Nebraska; Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi 
Indians of Michigan; Miami Tribe of Oklahoma; Nottawaseppi Huron Band 
of the Potawatomi, Michigan; Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, Oklahoma; 
Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; Pokagon Band of Potawatomi 
Indians, Michigan and Indiana; Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation; The 
Osage Nation; and the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.

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 Illinois State 
Museum 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 Illinois State Museum 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. 2024-03807 Filed 2-23-24; 8:45 am]
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