[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 71 (Thursday, April 11, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 25666]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-07710]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0037711; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: Center for Big Bend Studies, Sul 
Ross State University, Alpine, TX

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 Center for Big Bend Studies, Sul Ross 
State University has completed an inventory of human remains and has 
determined that there is a known lineal descendant connected to the 
human remains in this notice.

DATES: Repatriation of the human remains in this notice may occur on or 
after May 13, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Bryon Schroeder, Center for Big Bend Studies/Sul Ross State 
University, Street Address, Alpine, TX 79832, telephone (432) 837-8339, 
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 
Center for Big Bend Studies, Sul Ross State University, and additional 
information on the determinations in this notice, including the results 
of consultation, can be found in the inventory or related records. The 
National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this 
notice.

Abstract of Information Available

    Based on the information available, human remains representing, at 
least, five individuals have been reasonably identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present. These ancestral remains were recovered 
from the Millington Site (41PS14) in Presidio, Texas. They were 
salvaged in 2006 during a construction project by the city of Presidio 
from a backhoe trench initiated by the Presidio Sewer Line project. 
Geographical affiliation is consistent with the historically documented 
territory of the Mescalaro Apache but biological genetic data from 
nearby sites places the Lineal Descendants of La Junta de los Rios, in 
particular lineal descendant Xoxi Nayapiltzin, near the site at least 
900 years ago contemporaneous with the known age of these ancestral 
remains. No Preservative was applied to any of the ancestral remains.

Lineal Descendant

    Based on the information available and the results of consultation, 
a lineal descendant is connected to the human remains described in this 
notice.

Determinations

    The Center for Big Bend Studies, Sul Ross State University has 
determined that:
     The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of five individuals of Native American ancestry.
     Xoxi Nayapiltzin is connected to the human remains 
described in this notice.

Requests for Repatriation

    Written requests for repatriation of the human remains in this 
notice must be sent to the authorized representative identified in this 
notice under ADDRESSES. Requests for repatriation may be submitted by:
    1. The known lineal descendant connected to the human remains and 
associated funerary objects.
    2. Any other lineal descendant not identified who shows, by a 
preponderance of the evidence, that the requestor is a lineal 
descendant.
    Repatriation of the human remains in this notice to a requestor may 
occur on or after May 13, 2024. If competing requests for repatriation 
are received, the Center for Big Bend Studies, Sul Ross State 
University 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. The Center for 
Big Bend Studies, Sul Ross State University is responsible for sending 
a copy of this notice to the lineal descendant and any other consulting 
parties.
    Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.

    Dated: April 2, 2024.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2024-07710 Filed 4-10-24; 8:45 am]
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