Notice2022-25132
Notice of Inventory Completion: Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 18, 2022
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
The Texas Archeological Research Laboratory (TARL) has completed an inventory of human remains and an associated funerary object, in consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations and has determined the lineal descent of a present-day individual from the Native American individual whose human remains are described in this notice. Lineal descendants or representatives of any Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice that wish to request transfer of control of these human remains and this associated funerary object should submit a written request to TARL. If no additional requestors come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and the associated funerary object to the lineal descendant stated in this notice may proceed.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 222 (Friday, November 18, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 222 (Friday, November 18, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69313-69314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-25132]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0034887; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Texas Archeological Research
Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Texas Archeological Research Laboratory (TARL) has
completed an inventory of human remains and an associated funerary
object, in consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes or Native
Hawaiian organizations and has determined the lineal descent of a
present-day individual from the Native American individual whose human
remains are described in this notice. Lineal descendants or
representatives of any Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization not
identified in this notice that wish to request transfer of control of
these human remains and this associated funerary object should submit a
written request to TARL. If no additional requestors come forward,
transfer of control of the human remains and the associated funerary
object to the lineal descendant stated in this notice may proceed.
DATES: Lineal descendants or representatives of any Indian Tribe or
Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice that wish to
request transfer of control of these human remains and this associated
funerary object should submit a written request with information in
support of the request to TARL at the address in this notice by
December 19, 2022.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Annie Riegert Cummings, Texas
Archeological Research Laboratory, 1 University Station R7500, Austin,
TX
[[Page 69314]]
78712, telephone (512) 471-6006, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a5c4cbcbccc08bd7ccc0c2c0d7d1e5c4d0d6d1cccb8bd0d1c0ddc4d68bc0c1d0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f3929d9d9a96dd819a9694968187b3928680879a9ddd8687968b9280dd969786">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is here given in accordance with the
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25
U.S.C. 3003, of the completion of an inventory of human remains and an
associated funerary object under the control of the Texas Archeological
Research Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX. The
human remains and associated funerary object were removed from the
Spirit Eye Cave Site, 41PS25, in Presidio County, TX.
This notice is published as part of the National Park Service's
administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25 U.S.C. 3003(d)(3). The
determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of the
museum, institution, or Federal agency that has control of the Native
American human remains and associated funerary object. The National
Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice.
Consultation
Archeologist Deborah Gray conducted a detailed assessment of the
human remains prior to their acquisition by TARL professional staff in
1998. In 2000, the human remains were further assessed and inventoried
by TARL. Between 2000 and 2021, no potential consulting parties were
identified, and no Indian Tribes requested to consult on the human
remains. In 2021, Mr. Xoxi Nayapiltzin was identified as directly
descending from the Native American individual whose human remains are
described in this notice, and consultation was conducted with him.
History and Description of the Remains
In 1968, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual
were looted by Kenneth Novak and Adrian Benke from the Spirit Eye Cave
site (41PS25), previously known as the Novak and Benke site, in
Presidio County, TX. The largely complete mummified remains belong to a
middle aged-to-old adult female. The one associated funerary object is
a piece of yellow ochre.
Due to the looted context, no additional information concerning the
burial can be determined with great confidence. Following their removal
in 1968, the human remains were advertised in a magazine, The Shotgun,
and sold to a private buyer in California, Bob Howard. In 1998, during
a search of Howard's residence by the California Department of Fish and
Game, the mummified remains were recovered from a display case and
taken to Wiefels and Son Mortuary, where they were analyzed by Deborah
Gray. Mr. Howard told Ms. Gray where the human remains were disinterred
and when he acquired them. As possession of human remains in California
is illegal, the human remains were first transferred to the Riverside
County Coroner's Office and then, upon the recommendation of the Office
of the Texas State Archaeologist, to TARL. The human remains arrived at
TARL on August 27, 1998 and were accessioned in 1999 under TARL
Accession 1999.0155 and under human osteology accession number 3713.
Based on the presence of prehistoric artifacts at the Spirit Eye
Cave site (41PS25), the human remains are reasonably believed to date
from the prehistoric phase. Initial ancestry estimation was established
through biological analysis of the cranium by Deborah Gray. In an
attempt aid in repatriation, Dr. Bryon Schroeder of Sul Ross University
sampled the mummified human remains after approval for a sampling
request. Dr. Meradeth Snow conducted the genetic analysis and
determined that this and another individual from Spirit Eye Cave belong
to the B2a4a1 lineage. Dr. Snow then compared the genetic results to
data from living individuals and from human remains found in removed
archeological contexts in the Americas.
Mr. Xoxi Nayapiltzin approached researchers at Sul Ross State
University and the Center for Big Bend Studies concerning prehistoric
human remains in the Big Bend area on behalf of his family, the Nana
Tana family. During this conversation Mr. Nayapiltzin provided his own
haplogroup B2a4a1. The genetic distance between them is close as
indicated by a single mutation in Mr. Nayapiltzin's own mitogenome
sequence. The single mutation indicates that he is much more closely
related to the individual belonging to the human remains at TARL than
any other individuals used in Dr. Snow's analysis. Dr. Snow has
provided TARL with a report supporting the lineal descent of Mr.
Nayapiltzin from the Native American individual whose human remains are
described in this notice.
During consultation, Mr. Nayapiltzin reported that nine matrilineal
generations of the Nana Tana family have resided in Alpine, TX (55
miles from Spirit Eye Cave). Since starting his genealogical research
53 years ago, Mr. Nayapiltzin has located the 1833 baptismal records of
his great great-great grandmother in Meoqui, and through additional
research, he has traced his lineage in Meoqui back three more
generations. This geographical information is consistent with the
burial location of the mummified human remains and further supports the
already established genetic findings.
Determinations Made by the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, The
University of Texas at Austin
Officials of the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, The
University of Texas at Austin have determined that:
<bullet> Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described
in this notice represent the physical remains of one individual of
Native American ancestry.
<bullet> Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(3)(A), the one object described
in this notice is reasonably believed to have been placed with or near
individual human remains at the time of death or later as part of the
death rite or ceremony.
<bullet> Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.2(b)(1) and 10.14(b), Mr. Xoxi
Nayapiltzin is the direct lineal descendant of the Native American
individual whose human remains are described in this notice.
Additional Requestors and Disposition
Lineal descendants or representatives of any Indian Tribe or Native
Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice that wish to
request transfer of control of these human remains and this associated
funerary object should submit a written request with information in
support of the request to Annie Riegert Cummings, Texas Archeological
Research Laboratory, 1 University Station R7500, Austin, TX 78712,
telephone (512) 471-6006, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#72131c1c1b175c001b171517000632130701061b1c5c0706170a13015c171607"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ccada2a2a5a9e2bea5a9aba9beb88cadb9bfb8a5a2e2b9b8a9b4adbfe2a9a8b9">[email protected]</span></a>, by
December 19, 2022. After that date, if no additional requestors have
come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and the
associated funerary object to Mr. Xoxi Nayapiltzin may proceed.
The Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, The University of
Texas at Austin is responsible for notifying Mr. Xoxi Nayapiltzin that
this notice has been published.
Dated: November 9, 2022.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2022-25132 Filed 11-17-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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