[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 11, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49187-49188]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-12713]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0038067; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: Western Washington University, 
Department of Anthropology, Bellingham, WA

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and 
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Western Washington University (WWU), has 
completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that there 
is a cultural affiliation between the

[[Page 49188]]

human remains and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in 
this notice. The human remains were removed from 45-WH-11 in Whatcom 
County, WA.

DATES: Repatriation of the human remains in this notice may occur on or 
after July 11, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Dr. Judith Pine, Western Washington University, Department 
of Anthropology, Arntzen Hall 340, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 
98225, telephone (360) 650-4783, 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 WWU, 
and additional information on the determinations in this notice, 
including the results of consultation, can be found in its 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, one individual have been reasonably identified. No associated 
funerary objects are present.
    The human remains in this notice were removed from 45-WH-11 (Birch 
Bay, Washington) by students from Western Washington University under 
the direction of WWU professor Dr. Garland Grabert in the fall of 1970. 
Notes indicated that surface collection and a small-scale excavation 
occurred; the human remains were found in Test Cut #2 but were not 
recognized as human remains until after 2018. No known individuals were 
identified. No hazardous chemicals are known to have been used to treat 
the human remains while in the custody of WWU.
    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 or 
Native Hawaiian organizations. The following types of information were 
used to reasonably trace the relationship: anthropological information, 
archaeological information, geographical information, historical 
information, and oral tradition.

Cultural Affiliation

    Based on the information available and the results of consultation, 
cultural affiliation is clearly identified by the information available 
about the human remains described in this notice.

Determinations

    The WWU has determined that:
     The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of one individual of Native American ancestry.
     There is a connection between the human remains described 
in this notice and the Lummi Tribe of the Lummi Reservation and the 
Nooksack Indian Tribe.

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. 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 an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with 
cultural affiliation.
    Repatriation of the human remains described in this notice to a 
requestor may occur on or after July 11, 2024. If competing requests 
for repatriation are received, the WWU 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 WWU is responsible for sending a copy of 
this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations 
identified in this notice.
    Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.

    Dated: May 31, 2024.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2024-12713 Filed 6-10-24; 8:45 am]
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