Notice2023-11015
Notice of Inventory Completion: Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
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
May 24, 2023
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Appalachian State University has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is no cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and any Indian Tribe. The human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from Watauga County, NC, and from an unknown site or sites in one or more of the following counties: Ashe County, NC; Avery County, NC; Caldwell County, NC; Watauga County, NC; Wilkes County, NC; Carter County, TN; and Johnson County, TN.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 100 (Wednesday, May 24, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 24, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33639-33640]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11015]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0035910; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Appalachian State University,
Boone, NC
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Appalachian State University has completed
an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has
determined that there is no cultural affiliation between the human
remains and associated funerary objects and any Indian Tribe. The human
remains and associated funerary objects were removed from Watauga
County, NC, and from an unknown site or sites in one or more of the
following counties: Ashe County, NC; Avery County, NC; Caldwell County,
NC; Watauga County, NC; Wilkes County, NC; Carter County, TN; and
Johnson County, TN.
DATES: Disposition of the human remains and associated funerary objects
in this notice may occur on or after June 23, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Dr. Alice Wright, Associate Professor, Appalachian State
University, Department of Anthropology, ASU Box 32016, 322 Anne Belk
Hall, Boone, NC 28608, telephone (828) 262-6384, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2255504b454a564352106243525251564356470c474657"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="98efeaf1fff0ecf9e8aad8f9e8e8ebecf9ecfdb6fdfced">[email protected]</span></a>.
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
Appalachian State University. The National Park Service is not
responsible for the determinations in this notice. Additional
information on the determinations in this notice, including the results
of consultation, can be found in the inventory or related records held
by Appalachian State University.
Description
In the early 1970s, human remains representing, at minimum, one
individual were removed from the Ward site in Watauga County, NC, by
Appalachian State University archeologists under the direction of
Harvard Ayers. The Ward site is a village that dates between A.D. 1100
and 1300. The grave containing these human remains was found outside
the village palisade. These human remains--a complete but poorly
preserved skeleton--probably belong to a young adult male. No known
individual was identified. The one associated funerary object is a
greenstone celt found in the grave fill.
In 1968, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual
were removed from Church Rockshelter No. 1 in Watauga County, NC. They
were excavated by the landowner, who had found them near the surface of
the ground and in a flexed position. The stratigraphic placement of
these human remains and their relatively good condition suggest they
date to the late precontact period (A.D. 1300-1500). These human
remains were in the possession of the Appalachian State University
biology department before being transferred to the Department of
Anthropology, in 1990. The human remains--a nearly complete skeleton--
belong to a female approximately 20 years old. No known individual was
identified. No associated funerary objects are present.
In 2003, human remains representing, at minimum, one individual
were removed from Church Rockshelter No. 1 in Watauga County, NC. They
were excavated by Appalachian State University archeologists under the
direction of Thomas Whyte from the 1968 excavation spoil pile. The
human remains were scattered. Evidently, they had not been seen or
recognized as human during the 1968 excavation. The human remains--a
partial skeleton--belong to an infant. The infant may have been
associated with the adult female removed from Church Rockshelter No. 1
in 1968. No known individual was identified. No associated funerary
objects are present.
Sometime during the mid-20th century, human remains representing,
at minimum, three individuals were removed from an unknown site or
sites in one or more of the following counties: Ashe County, NC; Avery
County, NC; Caldwell County, NC; Watauga County, NC; Wilkes County, NC;
Carter County, TN; and Johnson County, TN. They were acquired by a
private collector, and probably were purchased from private collections
deriving from these counties. In 1982, these human remains were donated
to the Appalachian Cultural Museum of Appalachian State University. In
2006, when the Appalachian Cultural Museum closed, the human remains
were transferred to the Appalachian State University Department of
Anthropology. The human remains--partial skeletons--belong to three
adults. No known individuals were identified. No associated funerary
objects are present.
Aboriginal Land
The human remains and associated funerary objects in this notice
were removed from known geographic locations. These locations are the
aboriginal lands of one or more Indian Tribes. The following
information was used to identify the aboriginal land: a treaty.
Determinations
Pursuant to NAGPRA and its implementing regulations, and after
consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes, Appalachian State
University has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of six individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The one object described in this notice are 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> No relationship of shared group identity can be reasonably
traced between the human remains and associated funerary objects and
any Indian Tribe.
<bullet> The human remains and associated funerary objects
described in this notice were removed from the aboriginal land of the
Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; and the United
Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.
Requests for Disposition
Written requests for disposition of the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice must be sent to the
Responsible Official identified in ADDRESSES. Requests for disposition
may be submitted by:
[[Page 33640]]
1. Any one or more of the Indian Tribes 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 a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian
organization, or who shows that the requestor is an aboriginal land
Indian Tribe.
Disposition of the human remains and associated funerary objects
described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after June 23,
2023. If competing requests for disposition are received, Appalachian
State University must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to
disposition. Requests for joint disposition of the human remains and
associated funerary objects are considered a single request and not
competing requests. Appalachian State University is responsible for
sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes identified in this
notice.
Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.9 and
10.11.
Dated: May 17, 2023.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2023-11015 Filed 5-23-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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