[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 21006]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06277]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0037636; 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 has 
determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human 
remains and Indian Tribes in this notice. The human remains were 
removed from Lauderdale County, TN.

DATES: Repatriation of the human remains 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 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, one individual were removed 
from the bank of the Mississippi River in Lauderdale County, TN by an 
unknown party. On August 8, 1978, the Lauderdale County Sherriff 
contacted Bill Bass at UTK to assess this individual, and the Sherriff 
delivered the individual to Bass that same day. Bass completed his 
examination and sent a report to the Sherriff on August 15, 1978. 
Following Bass' examination, the human remains were housed at the 
Forensic Anthropology Center (FAC) at UTK (case number 78-10). They 
remained at the FAC until they were transferred to the UTK Office of 
Repatriation. No associated funerary objects are present.

Cultural Affiliation

    The human remains 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. The 
following types of information were used to reasonably trace the 
relationship: archeological information, biological information, 
geographic information, historical information, linguistic information, 
and oral tradition.

Determinations

    Pursuant to NAGPRA and its implementing regulations, and after 
consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes, UTK has determined 
that:
     The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of one individual 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 Quapaw Nation.

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 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 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. 2024-06277 Filed 3-25-24; 8:45 am]
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