Notice2024-23369
Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Tennessee, Department of Anthropology, Knoxville, TN
Primary source
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Published
October 9, 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) 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.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 196 (Wednesday, October 9, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81930-81934]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-23369]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0038840; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Tennessee,
Department of Anthropology, Knoxville, TN
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Tennessee, Department of
Anthropology (UTK) 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.
DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary
objects in this notice may occur on or after November 8, 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#066867617674674673726d28636273"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2c424d4b5c5e4d6c59584702494859">[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 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, one individual have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On October 27,
1992, the remains were discovered by two children on the side of a road
in Bradley County, TN. They notified the police, and on November 11,
1992, a detective from the Bradley County Sheriff's Department
contacted William Bass at UTK for his assistance in examining the
remains. The detective sent the remains to Bass at UTK, where they were
received on November 20. After Bass verified that the remains were not
of medicolegal concern (not a missing person or crime victim), and that
they were Native American, the remains were retained by the UTK
Forensic Anthropology Center (FAC) as case 92-30 where they remained
until they were recently transferred to the UTK Office of Repatriation
(OR). Some of the remains were ``repaired'' using an unknown glue, but
to our knowledge, the remains were not treated with any potentially
hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On an unknown
date, this individual was removed from an unknown rock shelter in
Cumberland County, Tennessee. The shelter reportedly had a
[[Page 81931]]
history of extensive looting by pothunters. On August 20, 1998, an
investigator from the Cumberland County Sherriff's Office brought the
individual to the UTK Forensic Anthropology Center (FAC) for
examination. After FAC staff determined that the individual was Native
American, and not of medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC
as case 98-32. They remained at the FAC until they were recently
transferred to the UTK Office of Repatriation (OR). To our knowledge,
the remains were not treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On February 19,
1990, a landowner found the individual in a rock shelter in DeKalb
County, TN, and reported them to the police. The following day, a
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Special Agent contacted William
Bass at the FAC for assistance in recovering and assessing any human
remains present. Graduate students Murray Marks and Lee Meadows went to
the rock shelter and removed the individual. After the individual was
determined to be Native American and not of medicolegal concern, they
were retained by the FAC as case 90-11. They remained at the FAC until
they were recently transferred to the OR. Some of the remains were
``repaired'' using an unknown adhesive, but to our knowledge, the
remains were not treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On an unknown
date, the individual was found by a high school student in a cave in
Grainger County, TN, and turned over to Knoxville police. On November
3, 1987, a Knoxville police officer brought the individual to Bass at
the FAC for examination. Once they were determined to be Native
American and not of medicolegal concern, this individual was retained
by the FAC as case 87-15. They remained at the FAC until they were
recently transferred to the OR. To our knowledge the remains were not
treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been
identified. The one associated funerary object is one lot of lithics.
The remains were found among a deceased person's belongings in Hamilton
County, TN, on May 18, 2011, and were reported to the police. The
Chattanooga Medical Examiner, Roger Wilkey, contacted the FAC for aid
in determining if the remains were Native American. Wilkey transferred
the remains to the FAC on June 1, 2011. Once the FAC examined the
remains and verified that the remains were Native American, and not of
medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC as case 11-11. They
remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the OR.
Some of the remains have been treated with a light layer of an unknown
grayish preservative. The lithics were treated with an unknown
adhesive, and some of the remains were ``repaired'' with an unknown
adhesive, but to our knowledge, the remains and associated funerary
objects were not treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least, three individuals have been
identified. The one associated funerary object is one lot of lithics.
On March 18, 1996, a man contacted law enforcement after his children
found human remains in Jefferson County, TN. A Jefferson County
Sheriff's detective sergeant called Murray Marks at the FAC and
subsequently transferred the remains for assessment. Once they were
determined to be Native American and not of medicolegal concern, they
were retained by the FAC as case 96-14. They remained at the FAC until
they were recently transferred to the OR. A gray, paper-like substance
adheres to some of the remains, but to our knowledge the remains and
funerary objects were not treated with any potentially hazardous
substances.
Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On January 12,
2000, this individual was found in a plastic bag in Jefferson County,
TN. The Dandridge, TN, 911 service contacted the FAC, and the
individual was transferred to the FAC for analysis. Once the individual
was determined to be Native American and not of medicolegal concern,
they were retained by the FAC as case 00-1. They remained at the FAC
until they were recently transferred to the OR. To our knowledge, the
remains were not treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. Around the
1980s, a man found this individual in or near a graveyard by Douglas
Lake, in Jefferson County, TN. On January 7, 2011, the man transferred
this individual to a dentist for examination. On January 17, 2011, the
dentist transferred the individual to the Blount County Sheriff's
Office. On January 19, 2011, an investigator from the Sheriff's Office
brought the individual to the FAC where they were examined by Dr. Lee
Meadows Jantz and graduate student Miriam Soto. After the examination,
this individual was retained by the FAC as case 11-01. FAC staff
recently determined this individual to be Native American. They
remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the OR. To
our knowledge, the remains were not treated with any potentially
hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least, two individuals have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On April 24,
1995, an undergraduate student of Murray Marks (then a UTK professor)
brought in these individuals, which she claimed had been found in an
abandoned house in west Knox County, TN. Marks and Lee Meadows examined
the remains and determined that they were Native American and not of
medicolegal concern. The FAC retained these individuals as case 95-13.
They remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the
OR. Some of the remains were ``repaired'' using an unknown glue, but to
our knowledge the remains were not treated with any potentially
hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On March 15,
1997, this individual was discovered in a shed in Knoxville, Knox
County, TN. Knoxville police were notified, and they reached out to
Bass for assistance. Bass took this individual to the FAC, and once his
examination was complete, this individual was retained by the FAC as
case 97-10. FAC staff recently determined that this individual was
Native American, and not of medicolegal concern. The individual
remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the OR. To
our knowledge the remains were not treated with any potentially
hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. At an unknown
date, a resident of Loudon County, TN, reportedly purchased these
remains at a flea market believing they were fake, but after more
careful observation, realized that they were real and contacted law
enforcement. A TBI special agent brought the individual to the FAC for
examination on August 25, 2008. After Lee Meadows Jantz and Kevin
Hufnagl examined the individual and determined that they were Native
American and not of medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC
as case 08-14. They remained at the FAC until they were recently
transferred
[[Page 81932]]
to the OR. To our knowledge the remains were not treated with any
potentially hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least, six individuals have been
identified. The one associated funerary object is one lot of burial
soil. At an unknown date, these remains were removed by an unknown
party from an unknown site. On January 27, 1981, they were left on the
porch of the McMinn County, TN, Courthouse. The McMinn County Medical
Examiner, William Foree, contacted Bass and had the remains transferred
to UTK for examination on January 27. After Patrick Willey examined the
remains and determined that they were Native American and not of
medicolegal concern, they were retained as FAC case 81-3. The remains
were recently transferred from the FAC to the OR. Some of the remains
were ``repaired'' using an unknown glue, but to our knowledge, the
remains and funerary object were not treated with any potentially
hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least, two individuals have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On an unknown
date, likely in spring 1981, these remains were left by an unknown
party on the doorstep of the Tennessee Valley Authority office in
Athens, McMinn County, TN. The remains were turned over to the Athens
Police Department, who transferred them to Patrick Willey and Lorna
Watkins at UTK for examination on June 15, 1981. After the remains were
determined to be Native American, and not of medicolegal concern, they
were retained as FAC case 81-15. The remains were recently transferred
from the FAC to the OR. To our knowledge, the remains were not treated
with any potentially hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least, two individuals have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. These
individuals were confiscated in the fall of 2002 by police during a
raid of a home in Monroe County, TN. A deputy from the Monroe County
Sheriff's Department transferred the individuals to the FAC for
examination. Once Lee Meadows Jantz and Richard Jantz examined the
individuals and determined they were Native American and not of
medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC as case 02-43. They
remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the OR.
Some of the remains were ``repaired'' using an unknown adhesive and
unknown glue, but to our knowledge the remains were not treated with
any potentially hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least, two individuals have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On August 15,
1983, a woman contacted Bass about these individuals, which were found
in a landfill in Morgan County, TN. At an unknown date, the individuals
were transferred to the FAC, and they were retained by the FAC as case
83-19. Recently FAC staff determined that these individuals were Native
American and not of medicolegal concern. They remained at the FAC until
they were recently transferred to the OR. Some of these remains were
``repaired'' using an unknown glue, but to our knowledge the remains
were not treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least, two individuals have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On April 12,
1977, a man digging along the bank of the Tennessee River in Rhea
County, TN, found these remains and reported them to law enforcement.
On that same day, the District Attorney General of the 18th Judicial
District and a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Agent reached out to
Bass and requested his help in identifying the remains. The remains
were sent to Bass, who received them in mid-April. Bass examined the
remains and determined they were Native American and not of medicolegal
concern. The remains were retained as FAC case 77-1. The remains were
treated with an unknown preservative and some of them were ``repaired''
with an unknown adhesive, but to our knowledge, the remains were not
treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been
identified. The three associated funerary objects are one lot of faunal
remains, one lot of lithics, and one lot of ceramics. At an unknown
date, likely in July 1990, an unknown person found the burial eroding
from the bank of a river in Rhea County, TN, and contacted law
enforcement. An investigator from the Rhea County Sherriff's Department
contacted Bass for assistance in assessing the burial on July 22, 1990.
Bass sent two graduate students, Lee Meadows and Murray Marks, to visit
the site with the investigator on July 24, 1990. By the time they
arrived, people had begun to loot the site. Meadows and Marks removed
the remains and took them back to the FAC for examination. They
determined that the remains were Native American, and not of
medicolegal concern. Based off the associated funerary objects, the FAC
determined the remains dated to around 1200 CE. The remains were
retained by the FAC as case 90-27. They remained at the FAC until they
were recently transferred to the OR. To our knowledge, the remains and
funerary objects were not treated with any potentially hazardous
substances.
Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been
identified. The one associated funerary object is one lot of faunal
remains. On an unknown date, this individual was found along a river in
Roane County, TN. On January 29, 1980, the Roane County Sheriff's
Department requested Bass's help in identifying the remains, and they
were transferred to Bass that same day. Once Bass determined that they
were Native American and not of medicolegal concern, they were retained
by the FAC as case 80-3. They remained at the FAC until they were
recently transferred to the OR. Some of the remains may have been
treated with an unknown preservative, but to our knowledge the remains
and funerary objects were not treated with any potentially hazardous
substances.
Human remains representing, at least, one individual have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On March 3,
1993, a sergeant from the Oak Ridge, TN, Police Department brought this
individual to Bass for examination. It is unclear whether this
individual came from the Anderson County side or the Roane County side
of Oak Ridge. After Bass determined the individual was Native American
and not of medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC as case
93-12. They remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to
the OR. Some of the remains were ``repaired'' using an unknown glue,
and the remains may have been treated with an unknown preservative, but
to our knowledge the remains were not treated with any potentially
hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least one individual have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. In April 1986,
a physician at the University of Tennessee Memorial Hospital received
the remains from a patient who had removed them from site 40SV28, in
Sevier County, TN, on an unknown date. The physician transferred the
remains to a radiologist at the hospital, who contacted Bass. Bass
received the remains from the radiologist on April 16, 1986. On May 2,
1986, UTK professor Patrick Willey went to the cave with the patient to
ascertain if the remains were of forensic interest and reportedly found
burial(s) containing at least four individuals. These individuals were
left in the cave. The remains previously removed from
[[Page 81933]]
the cave were determined to be Native American and not of medicolegal
concern and were retained by the FAC as case 86-9. They remained at the
FAC until they were recently transferred to the OR. To our knowledge
the remains were not treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least two individuals have been
identified. The one associated funerary object is one lot of faunal
remains. On an unknown date, children found the remains in a cave in
Sevier County, TN. On March 19, 1993, the Sevier County Sheriff's
Office transferred the remains to the FAC for analysis. After Bass and
Meadows determined the remains were Native American and not of
medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC as case 93-14. They
remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the OR. To
our knowledge the remains and funerary objects were not treated with
any potentially hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least two individuals have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On May 23,
1998, a fisherman found the remains on an island in Sevier County, TN,
and alerted law enforcement. A detective from the Sevier County
Sheriff's Office delivered the remains to the FAC later that same day.
After Bass determined the remains were Native American and not of
medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC as case 98-24. They
remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the OR. To
our knowledge the remains were not treated with any potentially
hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least two individuals have been
identified. The four associated funerary objects are one lot of rock,
one lot of charcoal, and two lots of faunal remains. When and where
these individuals were removed from is unknown, but they were
potentially removed from an unknown site in Sevier County, TN in 1986.
Two residents of Sevierville, TN sent the remains to the FAC, where
they were received on September 16, 1998. After a graduate student
examined the remains and determined they were Native American and not
of medicolegal concern, they were retained by the FAC as case 98-36.
They remained at the FAC until they were recently transferred to the
OR. Some of the remains were ``repaired'' using an unknown glue, but to
our knowledge the remains and funerary objects were not treated with
any potentially hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least one individual have been
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. On November 21,
1985, caretakers for a house in Rock Island, Warren County, TN,
contacted police after finding the remains in the garage. The origin of
these remains is unknown; they were reportedly left behind by previous
short-term rental tenants. A Criminal Investigator for the Warren
County Sheriff's Office sent the remains to UTK, where they were
received on November 26, 1985. After a doctoral student determined the
remains were Native American and not of medicolegal concern, they were
retained by the FAC as case 85-33. They remained at the FAC until they
were recently transferred to the OR. To our knowledge, the remains were
not treated with any potentially hazardous substances.
Human remains representing, at least five individuals have been
identified. The four associated funerary objects are one lot of
lithics, one lot of ochre, one lot of ceramics, and one lot of faunal
remains. In April 1998, children playing in a rock shelter in Warren
County, TN, found some of the remains and took them to their parents.
The parents contacted the police and a lieutenant from the Warren
County Sheriff's Department called Bass for assistance in examining the
remains. On April 16, Bass and two of his students met with staff from
the Sheriff's Office, who showed them the remains the children had
removed. Bass's group then went to the site where they identified
extensive looting activities and removed additional remains exposed on
the ground surface. All of the removed remains were transferred to the
FAC for examination. Once Bass and the graduate students determined the
remains were Native American and not of medicolegal concern, they were
retained as case 98-19. They remained at the FAC until they were
recently transferred to the OR. To our knowledge the remains and
associated funerary objects were not treated with any potentially
hazardous substances.
Cultural affiliation between these human remains and funerary
objects, and the Indian Tribes listed in this notice was established
via anthropological information, archaeological information, historical
information, geographical information, and oral tradition. Bradley,
Cumberland, DeKalb, Grainger, Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon,
McMinn, Monroe, Morgan, Rhea, Roane, Sevier, and Warren counties are
part of the aboriginal lands of the Cherokee and the Muscogee (Creek).
Cultural Affiliation
Based on the information available and the results of consultation,
cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical
location or acquisition history of the human remains and associated
funerary objects described in this notice.
Determinations
UTK has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of 44 individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The 16 lots of 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 Cherokee
Nation; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation;
and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.
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 November
8, 2024. If competing requests for repatriation are received, UTK 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. UTK 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.
[[Page 81934]]
Dated: September 30, 2024.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2024-23369 Filed 10-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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