[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 133 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56901-56902]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15199]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0038221; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Intended Repatriation: U.S. Department of the Interior, 
Fish and Wildlife Service, Klamath Falls, OR

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 U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish 
and Wildlife Service (USFWS) intends to repatriate certain cultural 
items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects and 
that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native 
Hawaiian organizations in this notice.

DATES: Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice may occur on 
or after August 12, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Spencer Lodge, USFWS, 1936 California Avenue, Klamath Falls, 
OR 97601, telephone (541) 885-8481, 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 
USFWS, and additional information on the determinations in this notice, 
including the results of consultation, can be found in the summary or 
related records. The National Park Service is not responsible for the 
determinations in this notice.

Abstract of Information Available

    A total of 1,949 cultural items have been requested for 
repatriation. The 1,949 unassociated funerary objects are projectile 
points, stone tools, bone objects, cordage fragments, basketry 
fragments, tule knots, stone flakes, shell, faunal remains, wood, 
coprolites, botanical remains, charcoal, ash, stick objects, 
groundstone, beads, glass fragment, and a fishing weight.
    Objects described above were removed from Siskiyou County, CA by 
R.J. Squier and Gordon L. Grosscup during archaeological excavations 
occurring between 1952-1954. Excavations took place at two national 
wildlife refuges (NWR) operated by the USFWS, Tule Lake and Lowe 
Klamath NWR, where these objects were removed from four sites (CA-Sis-
2, CA-Sis-108, CA-Sis-223, CA-Sis-239). These objects have been curated 
at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum at the University of California Berkeley 
since their removal.

Determinations

    The USFWS has determined that:
     The 1,949 unassociated funerary objects described in this 
notice are reasonably believed to have been placed intentionally with 
or near human remains, and are connected, either at the time of death 
or later as part of the death rite or ceremony of a Native American 
culture according to the Native American traditional knowledge of a 
lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization. The 
unassociated funerary objects have been identified by a preponderance 
of the evidence as related to human remains, specific individuals, or 
families, or removed from a specific burial site or burial area of an 
individual or individuals with cultural affiliation to an Indian Tribe 
or Native Hawaiian organization.

[[Page 56902]]

     There is a reasonable connection between the cultural 
items described in this notice and the Klamath Tribes and Modoc Nation.

Requests for Repatriation

    Additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural items 
in this notice must be sent to the authorized representative identified 
in this notice under ADDRESSES. Requests for repatriation may be 
submitted by 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 cultural items in this notice to a requestor 
may occur on or after August 12, 2024. If competing requests for 
repatriation are received, the USFWS must determine the most 
appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint 
repatriation of the cultural items are considered a single request and 
not competing requests. The USFWS is responsible for sending a copy of 
this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations 
identified in this notice and to any other consulting parties.
    Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 
25 U.S.C. 3004 and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.9.

    Dated: June 26, 2024.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2024-15199 Filed 7-10-24; 8:45 am]
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