Notice2024-15831
Notice of Intended Repatriation: University of Tennessee, Department of Anthropology, Knoxville, TN, and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Archaeology, Nashville, TN
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
July 18, 2024
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Tennessee, Department of Anthropology (UTK) and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Archaeology (TDEC-DOA) intend to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of sacred objects and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 138 (Thursday, July 18, 2024)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 138 (Thursday, July 18, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58402-58403]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15831]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0038302; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: University of Tennessee,
Department of Anthropology, Knoxville, TN, and Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation, Division of Archaeology, Nashville, TN
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Tennessee, Department of
Anthropology (UTK) and the Tennessee Department of Environment and
Conservation, Division of Archaeology (TDEC-DOA) intend to repatriate
certain cultural items that meet the definition of sacred objects and
that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native
Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
DATES: Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice may occur on
or after August 19, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Dr. Ellen Lofaro, University of Tennessee, Office of
Repatriation, 5723 Middlebrook Pike, Knoxville, TN 37921-6053,
telephone (865) 974-3370, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6a040b0d1a180b2a1f1e01440f0e1f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c5aba4a2b5b7a485b0b1aeeba0a1b0">[email protected]</span></a> and Phillip R. Hodge,
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of
Archaeology, 1216 Foster Avenue, Cole Building #3, Nashville, TN 37243,
telephone (615) 626-2025, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#aefec6c7c280e6c1cac9cbeedac080c9c1d8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="44142c2d286a0c2b20232104302a6a232b32">[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 UTK
and TDEC-DOA, and additional information on the determinations in this
notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in the
summary or related records. The National Park Service is not
responsible for the determinations in this notice.
Abstract of Information Available
A total of five cultural items have been requested for
repatriation. The five sacred objects are five dog burials (remains and
associated objects). These dog burials were removed from 40GL26, the
Bailey site, in Giles County, TN. The Bailey site was identified during
an archeological survey by the Tennessee Department of Transportation
(TDOT) due to proposed replacement of a bridge over Sugar Creek and
relocation of part of State Route 11. TDOT applied for and received the
required permits from TDEC-DOA, and UTK was contracted to excavate. UTK
excavated from May 20 to August 23, 1986. All cultural material and
disinterred burials were transferred to UTK, where they have been
housed since. To our knowledge, no known hazardous substances were used
to treat any of the cultural items.
Giles County, TN is part of lands ceded to the United States by the
Chickasaw, as recorded in, Treaty with the Chickasaw, 1805. Giles
County, TN is also part of lands ceded to the United States by the
Cherokee, as recorded in, Treaty with the Cherokee, 1806, and Treaty
with the Cherokee, 1807. Tribal oral tradition also establishes that
Muscogee (Creek) Ancestors once inhabited Giles County.
These objects were identified as sacred objects through
consultation; specifically in reference to the role of the white dog
Ofi' Tohbi Ishto' in the Chickasaw Migration story and the need of The
Chickasaw Nation to venerate these animals alongside ancestral remains
in current day reburial practices.
Determinations
UTK and TDEC-DOA have determined that:
<bullet> The five sacred objects described in this notice are
specific ceremonial objects needed by a traditional Native American
religious leader for present-
[[Page 58403]]
day adherents to practice traditional Native American religion,
according to the Native American traditional knowledge of a lineal
descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization.
<bullet> There is a reasonable connection between the cultural
items described in this notice and the Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band of
Cherokee Indians; Poarch Band of Creek Indians; The Chickasaw Nation;
and The Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
Requests for Repatriation
Additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural items
in this notice must be sent to the authorized representative identified
in this notice under ADDRESSES. Requests for repatriation may be
submitted by 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 cultural items in this notice to a requestor
may occur on or after August 19, 2024. If competing requests for
repatriation are received, UTK and TDEC-DOA must determine the most
appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint
repatriation of the cultural items are considered a single request and
not competing requests. UTK and TDEC-DOA are responsible for sending a
copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian
organizations identified in this notice and to any other consulting
parties.
Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,
25 U.S.C. 3004 and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.9.
Dated: July 10, 2024.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2024-15831 Filed 7-17-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on July 18, 2024.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.