[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 88 (Thursday, May 8, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19510-19511]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-08027]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0040078; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Florida, Florida 
Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL

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 Florida, Florida Museum of 
Natural History (FLMNH) has completed an inventory of human remains and 
associated funerary objects and has 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 June 9, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Megan Fry, University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural 
History, 1659 Museum Road, Gainesville, FL 32611, telephone (352) 273-
1921, 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 
FLMNH, 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, 429 individuals have been 
identified from the Palmer Burial Mound/Historic Spanish Point (8SO2/
8SO2a), in Sarasota County, Florida. The 1,319 associated funerary 
objects include pottery fragments, shells, lithics, botanicals, glass, 
and faunal bone.
    Excavations were carried out at the Palmer Burial Mound in 1959, 
1960, and 1962 by Ripley P. and Adelaide Bullen of the Florida Museum 
of Natural History (Bullen and Bullen 1976:35-47). Their report 
indicates the site is of the Manasota Weeden Island culture dating ca. 
A.D. 250-750. Accession 4193 included excavations by Ripley P. and 
Adelaide Bullen in 1959-1960; at least 205 identified Ancestor burials, 
including burials with multiple individuals co-interred, three dog 
burials, and cultural belongings. Acc 4336 occurred in 1962 as a 
continuation of museum excavations of Palmer Burial Mound (8SO2a). This 
excavation produced at least 143 Ancestor burials, two dog burials, and 
an alligator burial, and cultural belongings. An additional accession 
(FM EAP 53), Marquardt and affiliates in 1991, under contract with 
Archaeological Consultants Incorporated (ACI) and funded by the Spanish 
Point State Park and a State of Florida Education Grant, excavated at 
the Palmer Site. However, that excavation did not include burial 
contexts and there were no Ancestors present. In total, five sites were 
excavated: (1) Hill Cottage Midden (Archaic 2500-1000 BC), (2) Shell 
Ridge, (3) Shell Midden (200 BC-A.D. 150), (4) Burial Mound, (5) North 
Creek Area middens.

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 to be associated with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Determinations

    The FLMNH has determined that:
     The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of 429 individuals of Native American ancestry.
     The 1,319 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 Seminole 
Tribe of Florida.

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.

[[Page 19511]]

    Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects 
described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after June 9, 
2025. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the FLMNH 
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 FLMNH 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: April 22, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2025-08027 Filed 5-7-25; 8:45 am]
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