Notice2025-04383
Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Tennessee, McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture, Knoxville, 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
March 18, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Tennessee, McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture (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
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 51 (Tuesday, March 18, 2025)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 51 (Tuesday, March 18, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12555-12556]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04383]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0039517; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Tennessee, McClung
Museum of Natural History & Culture, Knoxville, 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, McClung Museum
of Natural History & Culture (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 April 17, 2025.
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#0d636c6a7d7f6c4d78796623686978"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d2bcb3b5a2a0b392a7a6b9fcb7b6a7">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is published as part of the
National Park Service's administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA.
The
[[Page 12556]]
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, 233 individuals have been
identified. The 111 lots of associated funerary objects are 53 lots of
ceramics, 40 lots of lithics, nine lots of faunal remains, four lots of
botanicals, two lots of minerals, and three lots of shell.
These individuals were removed from 40SW20, the ``Indian Bluff''
site, in Stewart County, TN. They were removed between July-October
1939, by Works Progress Administration (WPA) crews under the direction
of George W. Brainerd. After the 1939 excavation, they were transferred
to UTK. 40SW20 was a Mississippian Period, ``Middle Cumberland
Culture'' (~1000-1425 CE), site consisting of a mostly stone box
cemetery and a village on the east bank of the Cumberland River.
Cultural affiliation was determined through Tribal consultation. In
consultation, The Chickasaw Nation communicated their cultural
affiliation and specifically referenced geographical and historical
information: Treaty with the United States and the Chickasaws, 1805,
which shows that Stewart County, TN is part of the aboriginal homeland
of the Chickasaw people.
Some of the remains were ``repaired'' using an unknown glue, and
some were treated with an unknown preservative, however, to our
knowledge no potentially hazardous substances were used to treat the
remains.
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
UTK has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of 233 individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The 111 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 Chickasaw
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 April 17,
2025. 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.
Dated: February 11, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2025-04383 Filed 3-17-25; 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 March 18, 2025.
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.