Notice2025-04636
Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Tennessee, McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture, Knoxville, TN
Primary source
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Published
March 19, 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
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 52 (Wednesday, March 19, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 19, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12772-12773]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04636]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0039602; 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.
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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 18, 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#2846494f585a49685d5c43064d4c5d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="167877716664775663627d38737263">[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 their 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, five individuals have been
identified from 40BT2, the Prater Site. The 64 lots of associated
funerary objects are three lots of beads, one lot of botanical
material, 26 lots of ceramics, 18 lots of faunal material, 13 lots of
lithics, two lots of pipes, and one Dog Burial. The Prater site is
located along the Tennessee River in Blount County, TN. The site was
excavated between February and March 1942 by Works Progress
Administration archaeologists Chandler Rowe and Andrew Whiteford,
affiliated with UTK at the time. Original reports from Rowe and
Whiteford and subsequent review of cultural items suggest a
multicomponent Middle/Late Woodland through Mississippian occupation
(c. 200-900 CE through 1600 CE). All human remains and cultural items
were brought to UTK after removal and were housed at the McClung Museum
of Natural History and Culture until they were transferred recently to
the Office of Repatriation (OR). Some of the human remains were
``repaired'' with glue, but to our knowledge, no hazardous substances
were used to treat any of the remains or objects.
Human remains representing, at least, seven individuals have been
identified from 40BT7, the Chilhowee Site. The 84 lots of associated
funerary objects are seven lots of beads, seven lots of botanical
material, 23 lots of ceramics, 11 lots of faunal material, two lots of
historic materials, 21 lots of lithics, one lot of ochre, four lots of
pipes, and eight lots of soils. Also known as the Samuel McMurray site,
40BT7 is located on the Little Tennessee River in Blount County, TN.
The site was inundated following the construction of the Chilhowee Dam
after 1957. All human remains described in this notice were removed
between 1956 and 1957 by amateur archaeologists James H. Polhemus and
R. Myers, both affiliated with the Tennessee Archaeological Society
(TAS). The cultural items described here were removed by TAS members.
The Chilhowee site was first disturbed in the late 19th century by E.O.
Dunning (Peabody Museum) and Cyrus Thomas (Smithsonian), who noted the
presence of Mounds and a Stone Box cemetery. Historical information and
maps suggest the Chilhowee site is the location of a Historic Overhill
Cherokee village of the same name. Original reports from Polhemus and
Myers and later review of cultural items indicate Mississippian and
Historic Cherokee occupations of the site. Recent work dating beads
removed from the site suggest the site was occupied beginning sometime
between 1630 and 1680 CE and ending in the late 18th century. Ceramic
styles found at the site suggest a possible earlier Mississippian
component ca. 1100 CE. All human remains and cultural items were
brought to UTK after removal and were housed at the McClung Museum of
Natural History and Culture until they were transferred recently to the
OR. Some of the human remains were ``repaired'' with glue, but to our
knowledge, no hazardous substances were used to treat any of the
remains or objects.
Human remains representing, at least, 56 individuals have been
identified from 40BT8, the Tallassee Site. The 244 lots of associated
funerary objects are 24 lots of beads, 17 lots of botanical material,
64 lots of ceramics, 52 lots of faunal material, 17 lots of historic
materials, 44 lots of lithics, four lots of metals, two lots of ochre,
nine lots of pipes, six lots of soils, and five Dog Burials. Also known
as Hardin Farm, site 40BT8 is located along the Little Tennessee River
in Blount County, TN. The Tallassee site was also inundated by the
construction of the Chilhowee Dam. All human remains and most cultural
items were removed prior to the construction of the dam as part of a
contract between the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) and UTK/TAS to
conduct ``salvage'' excavations prior to inundating the area. UTK
faculty T.M.N. Lewis and Madeline Kneberg supervised TAS excavations
[[Page 12773]]
between 1955 and 1957. Additional materials were removed during post-
2002 visits to the site. All human remains and cultural items were
brought to UTK and were housed at the McClung Museum of Natural History
until they were recently transferred to the OR. Some of the human
remains were ``repaired'' with glue, but to our knowledge, no hazardous
substances were used to treat any of the remains or objects.
Cultural affiliation between these human remains and funerary
objects and the Indian Tribes listed in this notice was established via
anthropological information, archaeological information, geographical
information, historical information, linguistic information, Native
American traditional knowledge, and oral tradition. Blount County, TN
is part of the aboriginal lands of Cherokee Nation; Eastern Band of
Cherokee Indians; The Muscogee (Creek) Nation; The Seminole Nation of
Oklahoma; and Thlopthlocco Tribal Town.
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 68 individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The 392 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;
The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma; and the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town.
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 18,
2025. 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 human remains and
associated funerary objects 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.
Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.
Dated: February 25, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2025-04636 Filed 3-18-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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