[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21001-21002]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06275]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0037634; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: The University of Tennessee, 
Department of Anthropology, Knoxville, TN

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 University of Tennessee, Department of 
Anthropology (UTK), 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 
Buchanan, Jackson, and Platte Counties, MO.

DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary 
objects in this notice may occur on or after April 25, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Dr. Ozlem Kilic, University of Tennessee, Office of the 
Provost, 527 Andy Holt Tower, Knoxville, TN 37996-0152, telephone (865) 
974-2454, email [email protected] and [email protected].

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

[[Page 21002]]

responsibilities under NAGPRA. The determinations in this notice are 
the sole responsibility of UTK. 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 UTK.

Description

    Human remains representing, at minimum, 28 individuals were removed 
from 23BN2, the Cloverdale site, in Buchanan County, MO. Most of these 
were systematically excavated by Reginald Bullock (R. B.) Aker in the 
late 1950s; however, he did not completely excavate the ossuary during 
that time, returning in 1959 to recover additional burials vandalized 
from previously unexcavated graves. Details of their transfer are 
unknown; however, it is likely that the burials were sent to Bill Bass 
at the University of Kansas (KU) and subsequently brought with him when 
he began working in the UTK Department of Anthropology in 1971. The two 
associated funerary objects are one lot of rock, and one lot of 
ceramics.
    Human remains representing, at minimum, three individuals were 
removed from 23PL25, the Brenner-Keller Mound site, in Platte County, 
MO. After these burials were exposed by residential construction 
between December 1953 and January, 1954, they were excavated by Leo 
Roedl and James Howard as part of a joint project by the Kansas City 
Archaeological Society, Kansas City Museum, and University of Missouri, 
Columbia. At an unknown time, these individuals were sent to William 
Bass (probably while he was at KU) and subsequently transferred to UTK 
when Bass began working there in 1971. No associated funerary objects 
are present.
    Human remains representing, at minimum 42 individuals removed from 
the Sugar Creek Ossuary (23PL58) in Platte County, MO. These burials 
were removed from the site by R.B. Aker in June, 1960 and likely housed 
at the University of Missouri, Columbia after excavation. With 
assistance from J. Mett Shippee, the burials were transferred to KU for 
study. William Bass was at KU at that time, and he likely brought the 
burials with him to UTK in 1971. The three lots of associated funerary 
objects are one lot of faunal remains, one lot of stone, and one lot of 
ceramics.
    In May 1970, human remains representing, at minimum, six 
individuals were removed from 23PL69, the Moppin site, in Platte 
County, MO, by Bill Bass (then at KU). The burials were found on land 
owned by Earl Moppin of Platte City. Bass likely brought the burials 
with him to UTK in 1971. The eight associated funerary objects are one 
lot of rock, one thimble, one lot of metal fragments, one lot of glass 
and porcelain fragments, one lot of faunal remains, one lot of iron 
fragments, one lot of wood and charcoal, and one lot of beads.

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: biological information, geographical information, 
historical information, and Native American traditional knowledge.

Determinations

    Pursuant to NAGPRA and its implementing regulations, and after 
consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian 
organizations, UTK has determined that:
     The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of 79 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.

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 April 25, 2024. If 
competing requests for repatriation are received, UTK 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. UTK 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 after the effective date of the revised 
regulations (88 FR 86452, December 13, 2023, effective January 12, 
2024) but in the older format. 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: March 15, 2024.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2024-06275 Filed 3-25-24; 8:45 am]
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