Notice2023-27370
Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Missouri Basin Region, Nebraska-Kansas Area Office, McCook, NE
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Published
December 13, 2023
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Nebraska-Kansas Area Office (Reclamation Nebraska- Kansas Area Office) 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. The human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from Jewell, Mitchell, Norton, and Phillips Counties, KS, and from Frontier County, NE.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 238 (Wednesday, December 13, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 238 (Wednesday, December 13, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86362-86364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-27370]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0037056; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Reclamation, Missouri Basin Region, Nebraska-Kansas Area
Office, McCook, NE
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, 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 Reclamation, Nebraska-Kansas Area Office (Reclamation Nebraska-
Kansas Area Office) 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. The
human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from Jewell,
Mitchell, Norton, and Phillips Counties, KS, and from Frontier County,
NE.
DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary
objects in this notice may occur on or after January 12, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Catherine Griffin, Bureau of Reclamation, Nebraska-Kansas
Area Office, 1706 West 3rd Street, McCook, NE 69001, telephone (308)
345-8324, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3d5e5a4f545b5b54537d484e5f4f135a524b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="dcbfbbaeb5babab5b29ca9afbeaef2bbb3aa">[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 the
Reclamation Nebraska-Kansas Area Office. 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 the Reclamation Nebraska-Kansas Area Office.
Description
14JW-HOFTS
Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed
from Jewell County, KS. Sometime prior to 1982, a private citizen
reported that human remains were exposed on the south shore of Lovewell
Reservoir. Native American archeological sites with fragmentary human
remains are known to erode from the south shore of Lovewell Reservoir.
These sites date to either the Plains Woodland period (A.D. 1-1000) or
Plains Village period (A.D. 1000-1500). The Kansas Historical Society
(KHS) assigned Unmarked Burial Sites (UBS) case number UBS 1991-52 to
the human remains. The box was labelled ``Hofts Collection.'' In 1995,
Reclamation transferred the human remains to the Wichita State
University's Biological Anthropology Laboratory (WSU-BAL) for inventory
and secure storage. The fragmentary human remains belong to a young
adult, probably female, 20 to 30 years of age. No associated funerary
objects are present.
14JW312
Human remains representing, at minimum, 11 individuals were removed
from Jewell County, KS. In 1982, the KHS, working under a cooperative
agreement with Reclamation, excavated fragmentary and poorly preserved
human remains that were eroding into Lovewell Reservoir at site
14JW312, aka the Begin Ossuary. KHS excavated an estimated 10 sets of
commingled human remains from a burial pit, and one set of human
remains from an extended primary burial. KHS assigned case number UBS
1989-29 to the human remains. In 1995, Reclamation transferred the
human remains and associated funerary objects to WSU-BAL for inventory
and secure storage. The fragmentary human remains collected from
14JW312 belong to an infant, a child, an adolescent, and male and
female adults. The four associated funerary objects are one shell disc
bead, one lot consisting of pottery sherds (from at least two different
vessels), one lot consisting of chipped stone debitage, and one lot
consisting of unmodified deer bones. The associated funerary objects
date to the Upper Republican phase of the Central Plains Tradition
(A.D. 950-1400).
14ML1
Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed
from Mitchell County, KS. In 1952, the Smithsonian Institution's River
Basin Surveys (SI-RBS) recommended that a salvage excavation be
conducted at the late prehistoric village site 14ML1, aka the Glen
Elder Site, prior to its destruction by construction of Glen Elder Dam.
In 1963, the University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL) excavated site 14ML1
under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service (NPS). The
1963 excavation recovered two human bones from a filled pit. In 2001,
graduate students working on faunal and artifact curation found
additional human remains within the 14ML1 archeological collection. The
archeological materials from 14ML1 date to the Central Plains Tradition
(A.D. 1000-1500). In 2001, Reclamation transferred the human remains to
WSU-BAL for inventory and secure storage. The fragmentary human remains
collected from 14ML1 belong to a mature adult of unknown sex. No
associated funerary objects are present.
14ML5
Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed
from Mitchell County, KS. In 1952, the SI-RBS recommended that a
salvage excavation be conducted at the late prehistoric village site
14ML5 prior to its inundation by Glen Elder Dam and Waconda Lake. From
1964 to 1965, the UNL excavated site 14ML5 under a cooperative
agreement with the NPS. UNL excavated two earthen lodge floors and an
extramural work area. Human remains were excavated from an unknown area
within the site. The archeological materials from site 14ML5 are
associated with the Solomon River phase of the Central Plains Tradition
[[Page 86363]]
(A.D. 1000-1300). In 1992, Reclamation transferred the human remains to
WSU-BAL for inventory and secure storage. The human remains collected
from 14ML5 belong to an infant or a young child less than seven years
of age. No associated funerary objects are present.
14ML11
Human remains representing, at minimum, two individuals were
removed from Mitchell County, KS. In 1952, the SI-RBS recommended that
a salvage excavation be conducted at the late prehistoric village site
14ML11 prior to its being inundated by Glen Elder Dam and Waconda Lake.
From 1965 to 1967, the UNL excavated site 14ML11 under a cooperative
agreement with the NPS. UNL excavated an earthen lodge floor, where
they found one nearly complete infant skeleton and one set of adult
human remains. The archeological materials from the site are associated
with the Solomon River phase of the Central Plains Tradition (A.D.
1000-1300). In 1998, Reclamation transferred the human remains to WSU-
BAL for inventory and secure storage. The human remains belong to an
infant or a young child less than four years in age, and a mature adult
of indeterminate sex. No associated funerary objects are present.
14ML15
Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed
from Mitchell County, KS. In 1952, the SI-RBS recommended that a
salvage excavation be conducted at the late prehistoric village site
14ML15 prior to its being inundated by Glen Elder Dam and Waconda Lake.
In 1964 and 1965, the UNL excavated site 14ML15 under a cooperative
agreement with the NPS. Human remains were present in one of four
earthen lodge floors excavated by the UNL. The archeological materials
from the site are associated with the Central Plains Tradition (A.D.
1000-1500). In 1992, Reclamation transferred the human remains to WSU-
BAL for inventory and secure storage. The human remains collected from
14ML15 belong to a young adult female, 20 to 35 years of age. No
associated funerary objects are present.
14ML16
Human remains representing, at minimum, 33 individuals were removed
from Mitchell County, KS. In 1952, the SI-RBS recommended that a
salvage excavation be conducted at the late prehistoric village site
14ML16 prior to its being inundated by Glen Elder Dam and Waconda Lake.
In 1964 and 1965, the UNL excavated site 14ML16 under a cooperative
agreement with the NPS. UNL excavated flexed and commingled burials
from several pit features within earthen lodge floors. The
archeological materials from the site are associated with the Central
Plains Tradition (A.D. 1000-1500). KHS assigned case number UBS 1995-9
to the human remains. In 1992, Reclamation transferred the human
remains and associated funerary objects to WSU-BAL for inventory and
secure storage. The fragmentary human remains collected from 14ML16
belong to a fetus, an infant, a child, an adolescent, a young adult,
and mature adults of both sexes. The nine associated funerary objects
are one lot consisting of unworked faunal bones, one lot consisting of
worked faunal bones, one lot consisting of chipped stone debris, one
lot consisting of chipped stone tools, one lot consisting of pottery
sherds, one lot consisting of shell beads, one lot consisting of
miscellaneous shells, one marine shell gorget, and one lot consisting
of charcoal.
14NT11
Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed
from Norton County, KS. In 1962, the UNL surveyed and excavated site
14NT11 under a cooperative agreement with the NPS, prior to the site
being inundated by Norton Dam and Keith Sebelius Lake. The site's
Plains Woodland period (A.D. 1-1000) component included an undisturbed
midden and subterranean pit features containing charred corn and bison
faunal remains. During a NAGPRA inventory in 1998, UNL identified the
human remains, and in 1999, Reclamation transferred the human remains
to WSU-BAL for inventory and secure storage. The human remains
collected from 14NT11 belong to a child between 7.5 and 12.5 years of
age and of unknown sex. No associated funerary objects are present.
14PH10
Human remains representing, at minimum, three individuals were
removed from Phillips County, KS. In 1952, the SI-RBS recorded site
14PH10, aka the West Island Site, but did not recommend an excavation.
In 1963, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) employee discovered
human remains and artifacts eroding from site because of exposure
during low lake levels at Kirwin Reservoir. That same year, the KHS
State Archeologist, working under a cooperative agreement with the NPS,
conducted an initial excavation, during which human remains were
collected from the surface of the island's eroding shelf. In 1965,
archeologists from the University of Kansas, Lawrence (KU), working
under a cooperative agreement with the NPS, excavated the site and
collected additional human remains. The archeological materials from
the site date to the Keith phase of the Plains Woodland period (A.D.
600-800). The human remains collected in 1963, which are securely
stored at KHS (case number UBS 1990-25), belong to one adult male
between 34 and 40 years of age, and one adult female of unknown age.
The human remains collected in 1965, which are securely stored at KU
(accession number 698.1996), belong to one adult, probably female based
on the presence of a wide sciatic notch of the innominate. No
associated funerary objects are present.
14PH305
Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed
from Phillips County, KS. In 1978, KHS, working under a contract with
the FWS, surveyed and tested site 14PH305 during an archeological
survey of the Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge. The surveyors collected
artifacts and bone from the surface of the site and excavated at least
one soil core probe. The archeological materials from the site date to
the Plains Woodland period (A.D. 1-1000). In 2000, Dr. Michael Finnegan
at Forensic Anthropological Consultants in Manhattan, KS, inventoried
the human remains, but could not determine the age, sex, or ancestry of
the individual. In 2023, Reclamation conducted a repository facility
review of KHS and became aware of the human remains from 14PH305. The
human remains are securely stored at KHS (case number UBS-2000.15). No
associated funerary objects are present.
25FT--
Human remains representing, at minimum, one individual were removed
from Frontier County, NE. Sometime prior to 1982, a private individual
collected a human skull from Harry Strunk Lake and subsequently donated
it to the University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM). The reported
discovery location is near two archeological sites--25FT18, a Plains
Woodland period site (A.D. 1-1000), and 25FT20, a Central Plains
Tradition site (A.D. 1000-1500). In 1995, UNSM transferred the donated
remains to Reclamation. Prior to Reclamation's possession, the skull
had been reconstructed and coated in a shellac-like substance. In 2017,
Dr. E. Melanie Ryan, Reclamation's California-Great Basin Region,
Regional NAGPRA
[[Page 86364]]
Program Manager, determined that the human remains belonged to an
individual of Native American ancestry, based on non-metric cranial
traits. In 2019, Reclamation transferred the human remains to WSU-BAL
for secure storage. The human remains belong to an adult male, 18 to 42
years of age. No associated funerary objects are present.
Cultural Affiliation
The human remains and associated funerary objects in this notice
are connected to one or more identifiable earlier groups, tribes,
peoples, or cultures. There is a relationship of shared group identity
between the identifiable earlier groups, tribes, peoples, or cultures
and one or more Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. The
following types of information were used to reasonably trace the
relationship: anthropological, archeological, geographical, linguistic,
oral traditional, other relevant information, and expert opinion.
Determinations
Pursuant to NAGPRA and its implementing regulations, and after
consultation with the appropriate Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian
organizations, the Reclamation Nebraska-Kansas Area Office has
determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of 56 individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The 13 objects 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> There is a relationship of shared group identity that can
be reasonably traced between the human remains and associated funerary
objects described in this notice and the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma;
Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota;
and the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco, &
Tawakonie), Oklahoma.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice must be sent to the
Responsible Official identified in 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 a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian
organization.
Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects
in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after January 12, 2024.
If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Reclamation
Nebraska-Kansas Area Office 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 Reclamation Nebraska-Kansas
Area Office 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, 10.10,
and 10.14.
Dated: December 6, 2023.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2023-27370 Filed 12-12-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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