Notice2023-02060
Notice of Inventory Completion: Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA
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
February 1, 2023
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
Eastern Washington University has completed an inventory of human remains, in consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations, and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and present-day Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. 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 should submit a written request to the Eastern Washington University. If no additional requestors come forward, transfer of control of the human remains to the lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations stated in this notice may proceed.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 21 (Wednesday, February 1, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 1, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6770-6772]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-02060]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0035228; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Eastern Washington University,
Cheney, WA
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Eastern Washington University has completed an inventory of
human remains, in consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes or
Native Hawaiian organizations, and has determined that there is a
cultural affiliation between the human remains and present-day Indian
Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. 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 should submit a written request to the Eastern
Washington University. If no additional requestors come forward,
transfer of control of the human remains to the lineal descendants,
Indian Tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations 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 should submit a
written request with information in support of the request to the
Eastern Washington University at the address in this notice by March 3,
2023.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate Valdez, NAGPRA Coordinator,
Eastern Washington University, 214 Showalter Hall, Cheney, WA 99004,
telephone (509) 359-3116, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dfa9a9beb3bbbaa5e99fbaa8aaf1babbaa"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5e28283f323a3b24681e3b292b703b3a2b">[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 under
the control of Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA. The human
remains were removed from Okanogan, Stevens, and Ferry Counties, WA.
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. The National Park Service is not responsible
for the determinations in this notice.
Consultation
A detailed assessment of the human remains was made by Eastern
Washington University professional staff in consultation with
representatives of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama
Nation and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
(hereafter referred to as ``The Consulted Tribes'').
History and Description of the Remains
In 1908, human remains representing, at minimum, two individuals
were removed from the town of Winthrop in Okanogan County, WA, by
Captain Frank Lord. In 1910, the Burke Museum received the human
remains from Captain Lord and accessioned them (Burke Accession #242).
In 1992, these human remains were transferred to Eastern Washington
University (EWU). In 2007, EWU determined that these
[[Page 6771]]
human remains are Native American, based on the identification provided
by the donor and most of the osteological evidence identified by
physical anthropologists. Human remains belonging to other individuals
from this site were published in a Federal Register Notice of Inventory
Completion on March 15, 2007 and have been repatriated under NAGPRA.
According to ethnographic documentation, the Methow Tribe aboriginally
occupied the Winthrop area (Miller 1998; Mooney 1896; Ray 1936; Spier
1936). The Methow Tribe is a constituent member of the Confederated
Tribes of the Colville Reservation. No known individuals were
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
Possibly in the 1930s, human remains representing, at minimum, one
individual were removed from the town of Marcus, near Kettle Falls, in
Stevens County, WA, by either the Ball and Dodd Cemetery Relocation
Project or the Columbia Basin Archaeological Survey project. The human
remains most likely were removed during the construction of Grand
Coulee Dam or during several local construction projects in the Marcus
vicinity prior and during the Dam's construction. Initially, these
human remains were accessioned by the Eastern Washington State
Historical Society (EWSHS). On April 3, 1987, they were transferred to
EWU. Based on geographical documentation, the human remains of this
individual are Native American. Historically, Kettle Falls and the
nearby town of Marcus served as an important fishing and trading center
for Native Americans (Ruby and Brown 1986:36). Based on expert
information presented by a representative of the Confederated Tribes of
the Colville Reservation, this site lies within that Indian Tribe's
traditional territory. The sx<SUP>w</SUP>y65px (Colville) lived around
the Columbia River northward from the mouth of the Spokane River,
reaching past Christina Lake in British Columbia. To the east, the
sx<SUP>w</SUP>y65px occupied the Colville River Valley, and in the
west, their boundaries extended to the Frosty Meadows area.
Ethnographic sources identify Kettle Falls as an area associated with
either the Colville or the Lakes Tribes or Bands (Kennedy and Bouchard
1998; Mooney 1896; Ray 1936; Spier 1936; Swanton 1952), both of which
are among the 12 constituent Tribes that comprise the Confederated
Tribes of the Colville Reservation. No known individual was identified.
No associated funerary objects are present.
Sometime prior to 1961, human remains representing, at minimum, one
individual were removed from the city of Oroville in Okanogan County,
WA. Based on a letter found with the human remains, University of
Washington Assistant Professor, Dr. Robert Greengo, received the human
remains from Mrs. John Harper, an Oroville resident, who had found the
human remains in an ash level at least four feet below the surface of
the ground. At some unknown date, though likely when Dr. Greengo became
curator at the Burke Museum, the human remains were brought to the
Burke Museum. In 1992, they were transferred to EWU. Based on
geographical documentation and dentition condition, the human remains
of this individual are Native American. Ethnographic documentation
identifies the Okanogan as aboriginally occupying the drainage system
of the Okanogan River in north central Washington and now-adjacent
British Columbia (Spier 1938). The Okanogan Tribe is a constituent
member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. No known
individual was identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
Between 1939 and 1940, human remains representing, at minimum, 15
individuals were removed from multiple sites in the upper Columbia
River in Ferry County, WA, by Donald Collier, Alfred E. Hudson, and
Arlo Ford as part of an archeological project conducted during the
construction of the Grand Coulee Dam and the resulting reservoir, Lake
Roosevelt. That project, known variously as ``The Columbia Basin
Archaeological Survey'' or the Collier, Hudson, and Ford Project (CHF),
was a multi-institutional venture of the EWSHS (now the Northwest
Museum of Arts & Culture), the University of Washington, and the State
College of Washington (now Washington State University). Multiple
federal agencies also were involved, including the Bureau of
Reclamation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Civilian Conservation Corps, and
the Works Project Administration (including the National Youth
Administration). In 1940, the Eastern Washington State Historical
Society became the repository for the project's collections (Accn.
1027). Collier, Hudson, and Ford's work was published by the University
of Washington Press, in cooperation with EWSHS and the State College of
Washington, in 1942. On April 3, 1987, these human remains were
transferred to EWU. Based on the geographical, ethnographic,
archeological, and oral traditional information, these human remains
are Native American. Ethnographic sources identify the Upper Columbia
as an area associated with the Colville and the Lakes Tribes (Kennedy
and Bouchard 1998; Mooney 1896; Ray 1936; Spier 1936; Swanton 1952).
The Upper Columbia region has been occupied for a millennium, during
which the sx<SUP>w</SUP>y65px (Colville) lived on the Columbia River
from the mouth of the Spokane River northward to present-day British
Columbia. In the east, the sx<SUP>w</SUP>y65px occupied the Colville
River Valley, and in the west their boundaries extended to the Frosty
Meadows area. The s[nacute];ayckstx (Lakes) territory centered around
the upper Columbia River, possibly reaching as far north as the ``Big
Bend'' of the Columbia, north of Revelstoke in British Columbia. The
s[nacute];ayckstx territory also extended east to Trout Lake and the
western edge of Kootenay Lake. The southern limit of the
s[nacute];ayckstx land is found near Northport, though many also fished
at Kettle Falls. The Colville and the Lakes Tribes are constituent
members of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. No
known individuals were identified. No associated funerary objects are
present.
Determinations Made by the Eastern Washington University
Officials of the Eastern Washington University have determined
that:
<bullet> Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the human remains described
in this notice represent the physical remains of 19 individuals of
Native American ancestry.
<bullet> Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), there is a relationship of
shared group identity that can be reasonably traced between the Native
American human remains and associated funerary objects and the
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.
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 should submit a
written request with information in support of the request to Kate
Valdez, NAGPRA Coordinator, Eastern Washington University, 214
Showalter Hall, Cheney, WA 99004, telephone (509) 359-3116, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f18787909d95948bc7b1948684df949584"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1e68687f727a7b64285e7b696b307b7a6b">[email protected]</span></a>, by March 3, 2023. After that date, if no additional
requestors have come forward, transfer of control of the human remains
to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation may proceed.
Eastern Washington University is responsible for notifying The
Consulted Tribes that this notice has been published.
[[Page 6772]]
Dated: January 25, 2023.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2023-02060 Filed 1-31-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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