Notice2024-17262
Notice of Inventory Completion: Western Washington University, Department of Anthropology, Bellingham, 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
August 6, 2024
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Western Washington University (WWU) 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 45-WH-564, Point Roberts, Whatcom County, WA.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 151 (Tuesday, August 6, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 151 (Tuesday, August 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63967-63968]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-17262]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0038402; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Western Washington University,
Department of Anthropology, Bellingham, WA
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Western Washington University (WWU) has
completed an inventory of human
[[Page 63968]]
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 45-WH-564, Point Roberts, Whatcom County, WA.
DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary
objects in this notice may occur on or after September 5, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Dr. Judith Pine, Western Washington University, Department
of Anthropology, Arntzen Hall 340, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA
98225, telephone (360) 650-4783, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4f3f26212a250f38383a612a2b3a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a2d2cbccc7c8e2d5d5d78cc7c6d7">[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
WWU, and additional information on the determinations in this notice,
including the results of consultation, can be found in its inventory or
related records. The National Park Service is not responsible for the
determinations in this notice.
Abstract of Information Available
Human remains representing, at least, two individuals have been
identified. The 21 associated funerary objects are stone, bone and
antler tools and carved items, and ochre stained stone. The human
remains and associated funerary objects were removed from 45-WH-564,
Point Roberts, Whatcom County, WA.
This collection was donated to WWU circa 1989 by Cliff, Art, and
Ruth Jorgenson (handwritten note by Sarah Campbell). The sparse notes
indicate that either Cliff or Art was a backhoe operator and that the
human remains and artifacts were collected in the 1950s and 1960s
during construction of the Whalen Development. This is also referred to
as Whalen Point and the Whalen Site.
The 1995 WWU NAGPRA Inventory reported a possible MNI of two-to-
four individuals. During the WWU 2018-2020 Repatriation and Rehousing
Project, the minimum number of individuals was determined to be two.
Also, during tribal consultation in 2024, Lummi Nation Cultural
Specialist, Ralph Tom, newly identified 21 associated funerary objects.
No known individuals were identified. No hazardous chemicals are known
to have been used to treat the human remains or associated funerary
objects while in the custody of WWU.
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 information, archaeological information,
geographical information, historical information, and oral tradition.
Cultural Affiliation
Based on the information available and the results of consultation,
cultural affiliation is clearly identified by the information available
about the human remains and associated funerary objects described in
this notice.
Determinations
The WWU has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of at least two individuals of Native American
ancestry.
<bullet> The 21 objects described in this notice are reasonably
believed to have been placed intentionally 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 connection between the human remains and
associated funerary objects described in this notice and the Lummi
Tribe for the Lummi Reservation; Nooksack Indian Tribe; and the Samish
Indian Nation.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice must be sent to the
authorized representative identified in this notice under 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 an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with
cultural affiliation.
Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects
described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after September
5, 2024. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the WWU
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 WWU is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to
the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this
notice.
Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.
Dated: July 26, 2024.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2024-17262 Filed 8-5-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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