[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 164 (Friday, August 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 68195]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-18950]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0038565; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, 
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington, DC, and the University of 
Tennessee, Knoxville, 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 U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau 
of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 
Department of Anthropology (UTK), have completed an inventory of human 
remains and associated funerary objects and have 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.

DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary 
objects in this notice may occur on or after September 23, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Tamara Billie, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of 
Indian Affairs, 1001 Indian School Road NW, Mailbox 44, Albuquerque, NM 
87104, telephone (505) 879-9711, 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 
BIA, 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

    Human remains representing, at least, four individuals have been 
reasonably identified. The 10 associated funerary objects are three 
lots of lithics, four lots of ceramics, and three lots of faunal 
remains.
    These remains and objects were removed from 25RH1, the Leary site, 
in Richardson County, Nebraska. There have been numerous excavations of 
this site, but these remains and objects were likely removed in 1968, 
under the direction of Alfred E. Johnson of the University of Kansas 
(KU). Bulldozer cutting along the terrace of the Nemaha River exposed 
burials which were ``salvaged'' by Johnson in 1968. Based on the 
information available, it is highly likely that William Bass brought 
these remains and two of the funerary objects (one lot of ceramics and 
one lot of faunal remains) from KU to UTK when he began working in the 
Department of Anthropology in 1971. However, some of the associated 
funerary objects remained at KU, including three lots of lithics, three 
lots of ceramics, and two lots of faunal remains. Some of the human 
remains appear to have been treated with an unknown preservative and 
some have glue present.
    25RH1 has been documented as an Oneota culture site. This is 
supported by anthropological, archeological, linguistic, oral 
tradition, and other relevant information or expert opinion, including 
Native American traditional knowledge. The Iowa Tribe of Kansas and 
Nebraska is among the present-day representatives of the Oneota 
culture. This site is also located on the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and 
Nebraska's reservation.

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 and associated funerary objects described in 
this notice.

Determinations

    BIA has determined that:
     The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of four individuals of Native American ancestry.
     The 10 objects described in this notice are reasonably 
believed to have been placed intentionally with or near individual 
human remains at the time of death or later as part of the death rite 
or ceremony.
     There is a connection between the human remains and 
associated funerary objects described in this notice and the Iowa Tribe 
of Kansas and Nebraska.

Requests for Repatriation

    Written requests for repatriation of the human remains and 
associated funerary objects 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 and associated funerary objects 
in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after September 23, 2024. 
If competing requests for repatriation are received, the BIA 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. The BIA 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: August 15, 2024.
Mariah Soriano,
Acting Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2024-18950 Filed 8-22-24; 8:45 am]
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